Author: phipps

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Springboard Faculty Steering Committee

Design and Development Services is looking for additional membership for the Springboard Faculty Steering Committee. As a user of online classrooms you are a key stakeholder, with vested interest in our Learning Management System (LMS), and we value your opinion. Time commitment will include one meeting per semester, along with receiving report updates, and voluntary email contact.

The purpose of the steering committee is to make recommendations regarding a broad range of issues. This may include such items as how we address training needs, approaches to support, upgrade timelines, as well as piloting new tools and features. We will look to you for reporting problems you encounter, and suggest improvements or new feature requests you would like relayed to Desire2Learn.

The Springboard Faculty Steering Committee will meet on Thursday, October 27, 2011 in Leigh Hall 414 from 2:00 to 3:30 pm.

If you are interested in serving on this committee, contact Jill Phipps at 330.972.2431 or via email at phipps@uakron.edu.

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Dr. Jill Phipps and Dr. Qetler Jensrud will be presenting at the Eastern Educational Research Association Annual Conference on February 25, 2011

The Title of the symposium session they will facilitate “Structuring Online Learning Experiences: Beyond Technology.”
Abstract:
Online courses (and entire degrees) are now common place in higher education. However, the strong underpinning of instructional design cannot be traded for technological “bling.” Careful consideration to principles of “best practice” must be taken into account when designing curriculum for online delivery. To generate rigorous learning experiences that are motivating to today’s savvy students, the online teacher must engage participants while maintaining instructional rigor based on pedagogically sound principles.
The University of Akron, Technical Education Program, will be the first totally online degree offered by the institution. The learning strategies implemented are based on Chickering and Gamson’s (1987) “Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education,” as well as the five key areas on successfully transitioning into cyberspace identified in Palloff and Pratt’s (2000) “Making the Transition: Helping Teachers to Teach Online.” A data matrix has been developed depicting the online strategies, structure, and activities employed in these classrooms and their correlation with the Chickering and Gamson’s principles and Palloff and Pratt’s online principles. Each component employed in the courses is based on characteristics and principles of instructional best practices. Discussion regarding the approach used during development, strategies implemented, successful examples, instructional design, and lessons learned will be encouraged.

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New and Improved Classlist – What’s new in Springboard! for Fall 2010?

You may have noticed a different look to the Classlist this fall. The Profile image is now displayed beside each name.  This feature should help foster communication and build the online community as it allows everyone to associate an image with each user’s name. If no image has been uploaded a default user icon is displayed.

Another new feature is the “Last Accessed” column. This displays the date and time of the user’s last entry into the current online classroom.

The Classlist can be used to Email or Page students and instructors alike. Simply checkmark the box to the left of those you would like to contact, and choose the related icon:   Email or Pager. You can communicate with everyone on a Tab by using the Email everyone on this tab option. The list can also be printed by clicking the Print Tab option. Individual users can be selected for use with the Print icon  .

The Classlist tool can be organized/displayed in numerous views. If your classroom has Groups or Sections, simply use the dropdown options on the “All” tab to choose the list you would like to see. It is also organized by the members’ role within the classroom. These categories can be viewed by clicking on the tabs with the corresponding role title (see image above).

Additional information is available via the Classlist.
• Students can view their own individual progress related to course activities by clicking on the Progress icon .  Instructors can use this tool to check the progress of any student enrolled.
• If a member has created a Homepage and activated it as being shared, a Homepage icon will appear and users can view it by clicking on this icon.
• Clicking the Blog icon will grant you access this system-wide tool. You can post to your own blog, or read other student’s comments. Warning – this is a SYSTEM tool which means any public posting you make can be accessed by anyone in the Springboard system.

Regards, Dr. Jill
Jonnie “Jill” Phipps, Ph.D.
Curriculum Designer

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New and Improved Profile Image – What’s new in Springboard! for Fall 2010?

The Profile image now plays an important role within the online classrooms. If a user has uploaded an image in their Profile, it will now display beside their name in the Classlist. The image will also display beside all Discussion posts. These features were added to help foster communication and community-building online. If no image has been uploaded, the default user icon is displayed.
Users’ profile images in Classlist:

Classlist

Author’s profile picture in a discussion post:

Discussion Post

Not all users will want to have their own picture displayed. Perhaps using an image of a pet, or something representative of a hobby would be more appropriate for these persons. The idea is to at least share something that others can relate to for each individual. For example, I have a miniature horse, so I use her picture as my Profile image (see above). Someone else may want to use the logo from their favorite sports team.

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New and Improved Manage Dates – What’s new in Springboard for fall 2010?

The NEW Manage Dates tool is a great time saver. In the past, when content was copied from a previous semester, the start and/or end dates had to be changed one at a time by going into each Quiz, Dropbox Folder, Discussion Forum or Topic, Grade Item, or Content Topic. Now you can simply access the Manage Dates tool and make changes to any of these objects from one page. You can choose to open each item and adjust the dates as needed. Or, you can use the Offset availability dates option to change all dates by a specified number of days. For example, if this year’s dates are calculated at being 176 days different than those used last semester, simply offset the current dates by that number.

Manage Dates resized

The Offset availability dates option is also useful when teaching multiple sections that meet on different days of the week. For example, let’s say you have a section that meets on Monday/Wednesday. You can change the dates so they reflect this semester’s schedule. Then, copy the content to the section that meets on Tuesday/Thursday and offset the dates by one day. The system will automatically change all of the start and end dates.
Please note that you still have to double check the accuracy for start and end dates that may be adjusted due to holidays specific to this semester.
To access as task aid on how to use this new tool, click here.

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New and Improved Navigation – What’s new in Springboard for Fall 2010?

There is a new look and feel to the navigation for your online classrooms. A touch of color now adorns the top of every course with a varied blue header accented by a gold bar. The navigation elements now display icons along with the names of the tools.

New Navbar resized

Edits to the Navigation are also more user friendly with menu-driven options to select desired changes. Each tool provides a pop-up list from which you can choose the action you want to implement. The format also allows for resizing as the tool options will “wrap” if the number of options becomes too great for one line, or if the browser window is re-sized smaller.

edit navbar resized

The newly designed Navbar is frameless, and therefore it is more user friendly for screen reader accessibility.

If you would like to add a link for an additional tool, please use this step-by-step guide: How to Add Links to the Course Navigation Bar

I hope you all enjoy the improvements to this important part of your online classrooms.

Note that the changes are made to the Course Default navigation bar. Courses from previous semesters that have had other Navbars implemented will not display these changes. Or, if you have already made changes to your fall course(s) Navbar prior to the upgrade, you will have to “reset” the template.  For a step-by-step guide on How to Apply the New Navbar Style, click here.

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New and Improved Manage Files – What’s new in Springboard for fall 2010?

Many improvements can be found in the Manage Files area of  Springboard version 9. One of the more convenient features is that you can now copy an entire folder within the system. You can also copy and paste multiple files simultaneously into various folders. A drop down menu allows you to choose what action you would like to perform for any of the folders or files. If you select the Rename feature, the file or folder name can be edited “in place”. A more intuitive option for unzipping .ZIP files is now an available on its drop down menu.

Manage Files resized

A “Tree” of the contents is displayed to the left of the file structure and allows for easy navigation from one folder to another. The new WYSIWYG text editor provides the ability to edit HTML and TXT file within the system. I think you will find these time-saving improvements helpful as you work with your course files.

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Building Community – an academic environment.

students1There is a great deal of talk about “building community” within online classrooms. What exactly does this mean? Are we trying to teach students how to interact with one another using this specified technology? Perhaps. Is the goal to have them collaborate during the learning process? This certainly can be part of it. But, what exactly is “community”? According to the Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, community can be defined as the following:

(1) A unified body of individuals as

  • (b) the people with common interest living in a particular area, broadly: the area itself
  • (c) an interactive population of various kinds of individuals in a common location
  • (e) a group linked by a common policy
  • (g) a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scatter through a larger society

An online community created as a classroom for an individual course differs from many other types of online communities in that access is granted for a relatively brief, specified period of time. All participants enter within the same timeframe (at the beginning of the course), and leave when the course is over. There are expectations of full participation from the very beginning, and throughout the entire period of time. Some may take on a more prominent role voluntarily, but opportunities are usually provided for members to take turns in the various types of “leadership” responsibilities. The faculty member functions as the “boundary” (leader) that sustains membership participation and brokers interactions.

Some of the key words or phrases from the “community” definitions that I feel relate to the online classroom communities are:
1. unified body of individuals (focused on learning course content)
2. common interest (the course of study)
3. interactive population (discussion and group activities) and common location (the online classroom)
4. linked by common policy (assignment specifications and course expectations)
5. professional interests (the academic field of study)

Emphasis is placed on the “interactive population”. The online community developed as part of the online classroom functions as a supportive environment with learners engaged in collaboration while sharing ideas and opinions.

Regards, Dr. Jill
Jonnie “Jill” Phipps, Ph.D.
Curriculum Designer

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Building Community – Introduce yourself.

student 26The initial introduction is an important step in building your online community. This will set the tone for communication and shapes the preliminary relationship between you and your students. Of course you will want to provide the “essential” contact information, such as your name, title, phone number(s), and email address, as well as preferred method of communication. You may even provide the time when you are typically online, or specify “online office hours”. Background specifics regarding education and experience will establish your professional profile and expertise in the field of study. You may also want to include a statement regarding your teaching philosophy.

You should also consider including information about hobbies, pets, travel, or even your family. This often provides “common ground” and will help make you seem more “approachable.” Posting a photograph of yourself will provide a tangible image and a sense of connection to a real, “living” person. Candid pictures of you in your office or classroom can also lend a sense of authenticity. If you work from a home office, then post a picture of yourself in your home office. In other words, make it real. Today’s savvy students want to connect and collaborate – with each other and their instructor.

Regards, Dr. Jill
Jonnie “Jill” Phipps, Ph.D.
Curriculum Designer

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Building Community – Welcome your students.

Student8The first step in building community in your online classroom is to make your students feel comfortable in the online environment. Posting a Welcome message that explains where to start the navigation of this “website” will alleviate much anxiety, especially for first-time online students. Consider a Read Me First or Start Here link.

A brief overview stating the purpose the course provides clarity and focus. Information regarding pre-requite knowledge and minimum technical skills required to be successful in the course will allow the learner to assess their own preparedness. This could include such things as:

  • The ability to add and attachment to a discussion posting.
  • Capable of uploading files to the Dropbox.
  • Experience with creating PowerPoint presentations

Listing the various components within the course will help to provide an understanding how the learning process is structured. For example:

  • All assignments will be submitted via the Dropbox tool.
  • Due dates will be listed in the course Schedule.
  • Participation is required in each weekly Discussion topic, maximum possible points is 5 (see rubric).
  • Chapter quizzes will be available on Fridays after 6:00 pm and must be completed Mondays by 6:00 am.

A “tour” through the various tools that you will be using throughout the semester can also provide practice activities. This allows the learner to gain experience without the threat of affecting their grade in a negative manner.

Consider incorporating these ideas in your next online classroom, whether it is fully online, or simply web-enhanced. I think your students will find the information helpful.

Regards, Dr. Jill
Jonnie “Jill” Phipps, Ph.D.
Curriculum Designer