Managing Increased Online Enrollment with Team Teaching and SAM

Melinda White and Sandy KeeterSeminole State College of Florida

About your Instructors

Melinda White and Sandy KeeterLaverne and Shirley slide show

History

VP/Dean challenged us to increase enrollment and average class size

Looked for creative ways to re-design without making more work, yet maintain quality

Increased EnrollmentCGS2100 – Office Applications

Higher Average Class Size CGS2100 – Office Applications

Why Re-design? The current economy makes reducing costs while serving more

students imperative Data tell us that we need to improve course completion, re-enrollment

rates and student learning outcomes in gateway courses Examining what we do, how we do it, and the results we achieve is

imperative for accreditation, and for continuous renewal as a vibrant, high-quality college

What do we want to be sure to preserve at Seminole State? The human, personal touch with students The community college mission and culture Faculty responsibility for teaching and student learning

Opportunities

Expand use of technology and computer-based learning to supplement classroom teaching

Provide structured practice for students Reduce faculty routine grading of homework Facilitate learning assessment Explore team teaching to take advantage of

respective strengths of faculty Improve student learning across all sections of a

course, whether taught by FT or adjunct faculty

Goal

To reduce costs significantly while maintaining and even improving quality by piloting course re-design

The primary source of savings would be larger class sizes in appropriate courses, appropriately re-designed

Think Outside the Box

You are driving down the road in your car on a wild, stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop and you see three people waiting for the bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.

2. An old friend who once saved your life.

3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about. Which one would you choose to offer a ride to,

knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car?

Possible Solutions

This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first.

Or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back.

However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again….

WINNING Solution!

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer. He simply answered: 'I would give the car keys to my old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams.‘

Think OUTSIDE the BOX when thinking about course re-design – there is not always one answer or one choice!

Course Redesign Efforts

Rather than our administration telling us what to do, we came up with solutions we could live with and proposed our ideas to them

Decided to “pilot” a few of our ideas by coming up with a course shell we both could use and eventually share with others

Tackling the Problem

Attended Course Redesign ConferenceMet with faculty from various

disciplines to brainstorm/share ideasHired student assistant to help re-

design from a student perspective

Concerns 30+ sections of Office Applications with 30

students/class per term Class size and enrollment nearly doubled in last five years

Did not want to make course easier by requiring less; need to maintain quality

Wanted to keep personal touch with students Didn’t want to add more work to already

overloaded professors

Our Plan – how we did it Last summer we combined all of our online

Office Applications sections into one ANGEL site and integrated SAM PROJECTS

Both added as course designers so we could make changes as we go…

Used ONE syllabus – with our contact info No concern for whose student was whose Two teachers working from one course site,

online ≈16+ hours/day

FeedbackFeedback was great (except for a select few..)

College student surveys praised us for attentiveness, helpfulness, quick response White, Melinda and Keeter, Sandy

“They are truly two very caring and supportive Professors.”

Cost Justification Enrollment skyrocketed so we asked Dean for course

grading assistant if we increased class size by 30%

  Faculty onlyFaculty with

Assistant

Student Per Section 30 45

Number of Sections Required for 180 Students 6 4

Cost if Taught by Adjunct Faculty with Master's Degree $9,533.70 $ 6,355.80

Cost of Student Assistant per Term $ 0 $1,500.00

Total Spent $9,533.70 $7,855.80

Savings to College for One Term for 180 Students $1,677.90

Average Cost Per Student $ 52.97 $ 43.64

Things to Think About

Who to team teach withHow choose an assistantUnique Institutional needsHow to organize classWho grades, who answers

discussions?Sub possibilities

Who to team teach with?

Someone you trust, teaches similarlySame work ethic/skillsComplementary personalities – not just

like youPartner with someone strong in your weak

areas and vice-versa

Team Teaching Tips

Open to changeWilling to try out new ideasFlexibilityMeet weekly to discuss issuesMake updates to course as needed Respect and support each other’s ideas

and decisions

Other Things to Consider

All instructors must know content wellLab Manager/DL Department onboard Be open to CHANGEDecide who does what, when?Knowing partner well prevents

surprises later

Course Grading Assistant

Choose course assistant from pool of your best students – good work ethic, trustworthyWe hired former student, made an A in this

course, Education Student at UCF

Course Assistant Prep

Required to take Angel/Sakai trainingWorked through all assignments/examsProvided course re-design ideas from a

“student perspective”

Course Assistant Responsibilities

Angel “Designer Rights”Proof entire course for errors and

inconsistencies; fix problemsAttend weekly meetings to discuss

course issues or concernsMake changes to online material as

needed or requested by instructorsGrade assignments within 24 hrs

Course Assistant Benefits

Student assistant worked average of 8 hours/week, made $1500/semester

Equivalent to what an adjunct makes in one class, but she was working equivalent of 2 classes

Flexible schedule, can work from homeGood work experience for resumeMeets with students as needed

Improved Grades

More passing grades, less withdrawals

Suggestions Provide Welcome Letter, Campus Orientation

and Orientation Quiz to go over FAQs Build online community with good discussions With SAM Projects - allow multiple chances to

learn from mistakes, consistency in assignments/grading

Require PRACTICE Tests for Exam SuccessMake THEM turn in Reports so they take

ownership of gradeQuick Feedback; better results

Course Setup

Angel Course Content and SAM Setup

Problems

Making assignments CLEAR$/time for course re-design effortsToo many students in one course?

How many is too many?

How many instructors/sections can work well together?

Huge discussion boards

System problems at home – SAM/Angel

Skits

Questions and Answers