A Reminder of the Value in eLearning:

Scholars no longer need to prove it. The overwhelming body of research demonstrates that technology enhanced learning creates bridges, shrinks the digital divide, improves time on task as well as motivation, and increases student engagement. What teachers need to ask themselves is 'why not'? Why wouldn't we as instructors put our course online and utilize the tools that are not only free, but effective for today's learners? From where I sit, it seems like a no-brainer, but I can also see where valid concerns create speed bumps in the dissemination of online learning content. To help ease some of those concerns, I've listed some of the more common concerns and responded to them here with hopes that you, as an instructor, can put some of your fears to rest.

"If I put all my content online, won't my students stop coming to class? I value face to face interaction and online courses eliminate that."

Right on. Students value face-to-face interaction and faculty engagement as much as instructors do. What they do NOT value is the lecture at the podium for a couple hundred students, reading from the book, disorganized course lectures, or outdated overhead slides. They want you to get with the program and down to their level.

Put your content online with lots of practice and feedback. Save your 'in-person' classes for real, meaningful discussions, field trips, guest lectures, and getting to know your students.

"I don't have time to learn new software and tools."

I hear this one the most. No one has time to keep up with all the rapid changes in technology. Once you've got it down, it seems to change and you're an old dog learning new tricks. But thats what your job is: to prepare your students for a changing world.

Look at the learning process skills your students need to have in your field. Their learning doesn't stop with a degree. How do professionals in your field continue their own learning? Do they have to know how to search the Internet effectively, or understand how to do online collaborative work? If so, you need to prepare your students for their sake.

"There are so many options, I don't know where to start."

Ah, this is a very good concern. And one I sympathize with for many reasons. Instructional design begins with concrete instructional objectives. It is reinforced with sound assessment protocols and tools. All course designers need to start here.

Once you know the objectives, you have to do the hard dirty work of finding out which tools will achieve your objectives and ensure your assessments are accurate and fair. This is the hardest part but can also vastly improve your instruction overall. Narrowing down your instructional objectives is helpful to yourself and your students.

For example, if you lead a project-based, senior level course and your goal is to challenge your students to apply all the stuff they already learned to make something concrete, then you have specific tools that will help you more than others. Do you need to provide a lot of math-based practice problems? Lets hope not at this point but you might need a handful of online forums to assist your students with their group communication. Look hard at what makes a successful group click in your class and in the real-world. Then give the students what they need to make that happen.

Finally, don't ever be afraid to ask your students what they need to be successful. Usually they have a good idea. Just by asking you have already gained points that improve the chances your design will be effective.

UW-Madison Cancel Classes—When Pigs Fly!

In response to the threat of an influenza pandemic the university has taken steps to ensure minimal harm would be done to students’ education. Unfortunately, these steps will not protect them from bad puns in blogs. Sorry !

A guide titled “Continuity of Instruction During a Pandemic or Catastrophic Event” issued by the university describes a variety of ways instructors could continue their courses in “social distancing teaching mode,” meaning their classes could no longer meet face to face.

One of the major alternatives is having course work available online. Using tools like discussion forums, quiz posting, and assignment drop boxes, Moodle and other course management programs used by the university would enable instructors to continue educating their students.

With online classes, students and faculty could avoid direct contact with someone experiencing symptoms of H1N1, symptoms such as fever, cough and sore throat. The threat of spreading sickness is particularly strong on campuses, businesses and other areas where a large number of people are in close contact. Staying home and avoiding others is the best way to combat the pandemic, according to information from the Center for Disease Control.

Even with tools like Moodle providing alternatives, the university recognized there can be no substitute for person to person dialogue in a classroom.

“This is a short term response to a crisis,” reads the introduction to the Continuity Plan. “It is “good enough” instruction, which we recognize is a significant departure from the exemplary instruction we are used to providing.”

However, the university also stated helping students obtain their degrees is a primary goal, no matter the circumstances. In the case of pandemic, online tools would “promote thought and provide options” that may otherwise have been unavailable, according to the document.

Using proper planning, Moodle and other course management systems can provide instructors with a variety of educational options, during a typical semester or in times of crisis.

A Link to the Continuity of Instruction During a Pandemic or Catastrophic Event can be found here, or other pandemic information can be found at http://flu.wisc.edu.

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TEL Project Improves Training

Several classroom-style moodle training workshops were held the weeks before classes began. The "Basics" workshop was intended to help participants get a Moodle (or ecow2, as it is referred to in Engineering). The "Advanced" workshop was intended to foster better understanding of the features in Moodle. 

Led by Paul Oliphant, lead developer in CAE, the workshops were well attended. While there was never enough time in a session to answer every question, there are still several ways to get help from the TEL team. The team is available by phone, by email, and by submitting a troubleshoot ticket to the Help Desk. To submit a help ticket, email: ecow2@engr.wisc.edu. 

The new online support system is also intended to allow instructors and students to learn and troubleshoot independently. The Moodle Manual is a collection of online instructions, screencasts, printable guides, online templates and links that are thorough and well-organized. Many of the topics are specific to the instances of Moodle used at UW-Madison.

Showcasing eCOW2 features

Increasing technology-enhanced learning (TEL) in engineering and science courses is the goal of the TEL Project. Selected faculty in both the College of Engineering and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences worked with TEL consultants to implement some of the new Moodle features of eCOW2 into their Fall 09/Spring 10 courses. On September 1st, these faculty members along with the TEL consultants who collaborated on their courses over the summer met to showcase some eCOW2 exemplar features that were implemented in the various courses. This provided an opportunity to see how faculty peers were using the new eCOW2 course management system. Some of the new technology features in CALS and Engineering courses include self-directed web-based lessons, virtual workspaces for group project collaboration and online quizzing outside of the classroom. The TEL team will work with additional faculty during the upcoming fall and spring semesters to increase levels of technology-enhanced learning in more courses.

Technology Enhanced Learning project leads transition to Moodle in Engineering

The summer surge to transition dozens of faculty to Moodle was a great success. Engineering course management tool, ECOW (engineering courses on the web) is no longer an option for engineering faculty. The recommended replacement is Moodle, a popular shareware course tool heavily used worldwide. It has come to be called ECOW2 although looks and behaves much differently from ECOW(1), which acted much like an ftp file-sharing application. 

Lead consultants Regina Nelson and Tim Tynan led 9 undergraduate techs in an organized, collaborative effort to assist faculty through the transition. Through repeated consultations with instructors and guided implementation, 18 courses were prepared before the fall semester began.

 The team is structured under a Technology Enhanced Learning grant and is a partnership between CALS and Engineering. The plan is to use the fall semester to develop several more courses while assisting instructors who have chosen to adopt Moodle. The Moodle (ecow2) support page can be found here. Here is wikipedia's description of Moodle.