Developing Student Orientation Modules for Online Education Programs at The Richard Stockton College...

Developing Student Orientation Modules for

Online Education Programsat

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and Rowan University

Dennis Fotia, Diane Holtzman and Deb DagavarianThe Richard Stockton College of New Jersey

andMichael CioccoRowan University

Presented at the National Institute on the Assessment of Adult Learning 2010Atlantic City, June 10th 2010

Need for Orientation to Distance Education

The distinctive nature of an online course as compared to a face-to-face (F2F) course:

• Both teaching and learning to be addressed• Technology also needs to be addressed• Students must be prepared for Distance Education

Holtzman, Dagavarian, Fotia & Ciocco. Developing Student Orientation Modules for Online Education ProgramsPresented at the National Institute on the Assessment of Adult Learning 2010 on June 10th 2010

Why have a Student Orientation for Distance Education?

• To free individual faculty from having to determine if a student is ready for an online course

• For the student to self-assess his/her own readiness for online learning

• To make sure that students understand the nature of online education and are realistic about the type and amount of work involved

• To explain what is involved in the particular institution’s online courses


Learning Outcomes of Online Orientation at Stockton

• To learn or get a refresher on basic technology, time management, and organizational and study skills.

• To learn how to write and read in an academic, online environment.

• To learn the basics of online etiquette, or netiquette.• To find out specifically how Stockton offers its Distance

Education courses.• To be able to decide for yourself if you are ready to take an

online course.


Middle States Commission on Higher Education Publication Endorsed by all Regional Accrediting

Associations

• Student support consists of many components, including assisting “the prospective student in understanding independent learning expectations as well as the nature and potential challenges of learning in the program’s technology-based environment.” (http://www.msche.org/publications/distguide02050208135713.pdf, p. 15).

• The Commission notes the importance of student preparation for online or distance learning, and the institution’s necessary commitment to facilitating this preparation.


USDLA Journal

“All first-time distance education students should be given a

clear statement of course requirements in advance.

This should include: 1) all course requirements; 2) the weekly

time commitment and specific computer skills required by the

course; and 3) a presentation of the practical difficulties of

working at a distance and what is needed to manage those

challenges successfully.”

http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/NOV01_Issue/article03.html


Online Orientation To Promote Interactive Learning

• Good practice encourages students to “discuss” course work with one another in online environment

• Good practice also encourages students to “discuss” course work with professor in online environment

• Orientation can introduce students to these critical concepts


Why an Orientation?Rowan University

• Welcome Back!▫Most students are Continuing Ed

Community College Transfers Taking on a Masters/Doctorate Program Adding to their credentials

▫ Lapse since Students last participated in a class environment

• Are You Ready for This?▫Technophile = Computer Literate (NOT always TRUE)

Many recent Grads who start a Continuing Ed or Graduate program lack essential computer skills

▫Online/Hybrid courses are convenient & flexible, but still require commitment Student Perception: Online = Easy (Almost Never True)


Goals of OrientationRowan University CGCE

• Get Students Started Early▫Prepares students before the first class starts

• Set Expectations▫Make clear the style of the course offerings (online, hybrid,

web assisted)▫Expected Commitments▫Policies and Procedures

• Inform students about how to access Services▫Technical Support▫Administrative Support (registration, financial aid, grades)


Limitations of OrientationRowan University CGCE

• Bound Orientation Materials such that they▫Are pertinent to the first-time student

Do not drown the first-time student in a see of comprehensive information

▫Do not dive much below the surface Retention of training materials and information is often

poor when not put immediately into practice▫Require minimal support

“Self Service” style orientations force students to explore the material

Make this easy to maintain and update for your institution


Commitment to OrientationRowan University CGCE

• Rowan is strongly committed to offering and improving orientation materials

• Customer Service & Support is a priority• How to Commit Students to Orientation?

▫ “We Told You So” approach Warn Students of the Perils of not Completing the

Orientation Course▫Some faculty/programs integrate it into their courses


• Basic Technology

• Time Management, Study Skills and Organizational Skills

• Written Communication and Reading

• Netiquette

• Distance Education at Stockton


Overview of Online Orientation Modules

The Richard Stockton College of NJ



Basic Technology

• Basic word processing skills• Cutting and pasting• Using mouse (right click)• Search engines• Course Management Systems (CMS/LMS)




Time Management, Study Skills and Organizational Skills

• Use of calendars and PDAs for class assignments• Creating “to-do” list• Organizing work area• Saving work/creating back ups• File management (organization)




Written Communication and Reading

• Emphasize amount of reading and writing in an online course• Importance of writing clearly• Importance of grammar, punctuation, and citations• Diversity of writing assignments: discussion posts, formal research,

and blogs




Netiquette

• Online courtesy and respect for each other• Limit use of acronyms and emoticons• Avoiding improper postings and “IM-ese”




Distance Education

• CMS/LMS• Technical support/help desk• Registration procedures• Mandatory and additional required meetings• Student evaluations of instruction (IDEA-SRI)• Plagiarism (Turnitin) and academic honesty • Library Online services• Distributed Education instructional methods (hybrid/online)


Orientation MethodologyRowan University CGCE

• Keep it To The Point▫Blackboard Training Materials are provided in each course

[Course Quick Training – CQT]▫Orientation teaches students how to quickly access the

training materials WHEN they need them [Just in Time]▫Short and sweet – no video is over 5 minutes long

• Easily Accessible▫Housed as a course in the Blackboard system▫The Orientation is available 21 days prior to a student’s

very first course▫ It remains available for as long as the student is registered

with CGCE classes at Rowan


Orientation DesignRowan University CGCE

• Consists of Six Five-Minute (or less) Videos▫Voice-Over PPT Flash Video plays On Demand ▫Total Time to complete the Orientation is 30 minutes▫Students do not have to complete in one sitting

• General Theme: “Where you should go for…”• Contains a Blackboard Practice Area

▫Setup like a sample course▫Sandbox area for students to test Bb tools

• Handouts Area provides PDF handouts of all Slides used in videos


Orientation ModulesRowan University CGCE

• Introduction – Sets the tone and expectations for the orientation and videos to follow.

• Online Services – Learn where to access Student Portal, Blackboard, Banner, Tech Support, etc.

• Computer Tune-Up – Perform a computer compatibility check; deal with any computer issues

• Course Structure – Presentation of standardized Rowan CGCE course structure and how to navigate the course in Blackboard

• Syllabus – Overview of standardized Rowan CGCE course syllabus

• Blackboard Tools – Overview of Blackboard course tools; what each tool is for and where to access it


Video Module DesignRowan University CGCE

• Common Components▫Title Slide with definitive title▫Session Overview: defines learning goals of the video▫General Content▫Session Wrap Up: reviews learning goals of the video an

recaps any important points.• Recordings (Voice-Over) are scripted. Script is provided for

ADA compliance


Orientation DemoRowan University CGCE

Online Student Tutorial – CGCE Blackboard System


Thank you for attending our session!

Diane Holtzman, Dennis Fotia, and Debra Dagavarian The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey

andMichael CioccoRowan University

Developing Student Orientation Modules for Online Education Programs at The Richard Stockton College...

Documents

Transcript of Developing Student Orientation Modules for Online Education Programs at The Richard Stockton College...