1. Science Lab Class- Taking It On-line
Sandra Yarema, M.S.Ed.
MSTA Director-at-Large,
Lawrence Technological University,
Wayne State University
MSTA Conference March

2. So, You’re Teaching a Science Lab Course
And you think it could be taught on-line… Or
You’ve been assigned to teach a distance learning course….
Options:
Hybrid / Reverse Instruction (Flipped Classroom)
Completely On-line

3. Considerations for Course Design
Adapting the best Practices of Face-to-Face experience to Distance Learning
Personal knowledge and familiarity with tools for effective instruction
Course objectives
Learner Grade/age level

4. Typical Traits of Face-to-Face
Direct personal contact
Immediate feedback
Schedule and Pacing dependent on time in class
Materials easily accessible
Facilitating Active Learning
Cooperative group management
Visual cues available

5. Typical On-Line Experiences
Benefits Include:
Challenges include:
Convenience
Setting limits to 24/7 Availability
Time
Place
Facilitating Active Learning
Group Work
Individualized Pacing
Lab Activities
Time for reflection and response
Delayed feedback
24/7 Access
Materials Accessibility

6. Course Design Determine Learning Objectives for Course
Plan strategies to meet objectives
Situation Based Learning
Cognitive Engagement
Access to materials:
Kits/text available: Direct ship procedures in place
Engaging Web-links and tools
Communicate Expectations
Syllabus, schedule, lesson planning

7. Course Management Choose tools to implement course design
Student interaction, discussion, reflection
Assignment submission, grading
Synchronous/Asynchronous format of presentations, assignments and activities
Teaching style: web cam, Virtual-Classroom, assessing engagement
Communicating with students
Utilize and provide technology support
Experience an On-line Course before Instructing One

8. Student Engagement Be There: Provide Consistent “Presence”
Avoid “Death by PowerPoint”
Embed Technology
Using Instructional Technology tools i.e. SafeAssign, Respondus Lock-Down browser, Blackboard Test/Survey/Polls, Video-clip Recordings of Procedures, audio “podcasts”

9. Essential Elements for Teaching Online
Concord Consortium E-Learning Model:
Asynchronous Collaboration : Reflective, threaded discussion and collaborative problem solving as core learning strategy
Explicit Schedules: Schedule lessons within a specific time frame
Expert Facilitation: Leading on-line discussions to deepen dialog & learning, Students should have the primary voice.
Inquiry Pedagogy: Graphics, simulations, role- plays effectively used. Explicit objectives matched to measures for qualitative assessment, Clear guidelines posted.
High-Quality Materials: Take advantage of a variety of learning strategies
Community Building: Learning through Collaboration
Limited Enrollment : Research reports ideal class size of 12 students
Purposeful Virtual Spaces: Create a space for informal social questions, questions about assignments, and for technical questions
Ongoing Assessment: Daily contribution to participation
Elbaum, B. McIntyre, C. Smith, A. (2002). Essential Elements: Prepare, Design, and Teach Your On-line Course. Madison, WI: Atwood Publishing

10. Designing for Learning
J.V. Boettcher, Ph.D. (2011)
Ten Best Practices for Teaching On-line: Quick Guide for New Online faculty

11. Ten Best Practices for Teaching Online
Be Present
Create a supportive community of learners
Set clear expectations for students and for yourself:
how you will communicate
how much time should be spent working on the course each week
Use a variety of large group, small group, and individual work experiences
Use Both Synchronous and Asynchronous Activities

12. Ten Best Practices for Teaching Online
Establish two-way communication for reflective feedback and meaningful evaluation of your teaching
Prepare Discussion Posts that Invite Questions, Discussions, Reflections and Responses
Focus on content resources and applications and links to current events and examples that are easily accessed from learner's computers

13. Ten Best Practices for Teaching Online
Identify core concepts for the course - the performance goals – and scaffold learners to apply these concepts through an increasingly complex spiral of selected activities.
Utilize a learning cycle framework that provides
exploration/explanation of theory and concepts,
practice of skills and demonstration of knowledge
application of concepts and evaluation of outcomes
Structure Activities and Responses that make students’ thinking visible
Structure Closing and Wrap-up for the Course
Provide Frequent Guidelines/ “To-Do List” Schedules; Update Often
Evaluate and Assess
Individual learner growth
How the Learner Contributed to the overall growth of the group

14. More Help
Educational Technology Organization of Michigan Michigan's Distance Learning Resource The Educational Technology Organization of Michigan is a non-profit organization dedicated to the use of instructional telecommunications in higher education with an emphasis on distance learning. Established in December of 1980, ETOM has, and continues to be, a valuable resource for Michigan colleges and universities, related businesses, other educational organizations, and other interested individuals. Certification for Instructing On-line courses and designing on-line curriculum is available.
Michigan Virtual University, Michigan LearnPort
Serving k-12 students & educators with innovative on-line learning opportunities.

15. Example Activity Tracks
Objectives: Define Observation, Inference; Utilize Supporting Evidence to Argue for Claims; Practice Science Process Skills; Illustrate Nature of Science

16. Tracks Create a table which includes 3 columns:
Observations ,Inferences and Supporting Evidence
In the Table:
List all observations you can make based on the image
List all the inferences that would be a plausible explanation for each observation made
List any assumptions made that support particular inferences
Describe the evidence that supports each explanation
Post the table in the Discussion Board
Choose Posts from at least 2 classmates. Reply to their post with a comment that compares and contrasts one of your inferences with one of theirs.

17. Tracks

18. References
Boettcher, J.V. (2011). Ten best practices for teaching on-line: Quick guide for new on-line faculty. Elbaum, B. McIntyre, C. Smith, A. (2002). Essential elements: Prepare, design, and teach your on-line course. Madison, WI: Atwood Publishing Educational Technology Organization of Michigan (ETOM) Michigan Virtual University- Michigan LearnPort