Across-Program

Collaboration

Developing Community

Among Students in Online

Courses

Joseph Angiello, Jelia Domingo, Eileen O’Connor, Hope Sun

(School of Graduate Studies)

October 26, 2017

https://www.slideshare.net/eoconnor/ESC-FAC-2017

Purpose of today’s Meeting

Online courses can be isolating experiences (Vesely, Bloom &

Sherlock, 2007).

Presenters encouraging community among students using various

e-tools to support a social networks.

Efforts facilitated by sharing of experiences and varying

perspectives across programs.

Presenters will share struggles and victories that allowed them to

move beyond isolation in course-development.

Some of the ideas explored: virtual-reality meetings, discussion

boards, student-created video, virtual forensic lab

Vesely, P., Bloom, L., Sherlock, J. (2007). Key Elements of Building Online

Community: Comparing Faculty and Student Perceptions. Journal of Online

Learning and Teaching. 3(3).

Agenda

Introductions – to topic and to speakers

Virtual platform – shared space, student training, research

Used for knowledge development with high-stakes ePortfolio

Used for synchronous student discussion on literacy in K12

Student-created, video sharing

Active desktop / virtual lab space

Shared procurement of graphic server (in progress)

Lab space, under development

Collaborative faculty support for new learning environments

Victories & challenges

Virtual Reality Environments at ESC

■ Second Life - 2006; cost became prohibitive (up to $600 for 2 islands)

■ Since 2013, open source islands:

– $20 per month for 4 island; less stable (perhaps)

– Islands can be preconfigure and/or custom developed

– Island rental includes the server space

■ Students / visitors

– Download a viewer

– Get a free avatar

– Follow directions for speech and text

Community / Context

•Presence & collaboration

•Simulates reality & known communication needs

Integrating / Scheduling

•Extend a course or activity

•Thread with meetings

•Info and items can remain

Assessment / Evaluation

•Similar to classroom or a conference review; examine the content and the process

The “experience”/ motivation

•Predesign location, “curriculum” or meeting plan

•Secure immersive buy-in

•What makes this interaction important?

Place / location

Instructor creates a learning experience – from meetings to role playing to shared activities – as in any learning environment

Designing for learning

Developing knowledge of high-stakes ePortfolio –launched w/ instructor presentation

Publication in press on outcome of class

Eileen O’Connor eileen.oconnor@esc.edu

Groups meet > discussed >reported back in course

Literacy discussions – groups met on their own

schedule > reported back

Jelia Domingo – Jelia.Domingo@esc.edu

Eileen O’Connor eileen.oconnor@esc.edu

ESC Academic Resource Network Virtual Machine

(ARN/VM)A Virtual Forensics Investigation

Station

Hope Sun – Hope.Sun@esc.edu

ESC Academic Resource Network Virtual Machine

(ARN/VM)A Virtual Forensics Investigation

Station

• Empire State College, Information Technology Services will provide MSIT students a virtual access to the ESC Academic Resource Network Virtual Machine (ARN/VM). The program also uses the college’s state of the art virtual desktop for course activities, such as forensic investigation.

• The lab will provide technology tools accessible to students.

• There will be no requirement from students to install software related to particular operating system that students might have.

• ARN/VM for both instructor and students provide a mechanism that enables anyone to bring their own device and sign in the virtual lab, whether Max or PC, with Internet connectivitity.

Digital Forensic Investigation Tools

• Difficulty to be in any centralized physical labs

• Download Tools to the students’ computers

Forensic Tools

1

2

3

4

5

6

A Virtual Forensics Investigation Station

Install about 6 forensic tools

the ESC Academic Resource Network Virtual Machine (ARN/VM).

Reliability

Tool 1

Tool 2

Tool 3

The college provides students a web browserlink to access

the college Virtual Machines or Virtual Desktop, with pre-installed digital forensics tools

https://escarn-web.esc.edu An Instance of Virtual Desktop

ESC Academic Resource Network Virtual Machine (ARN/VM)

Virtual Desktop Instance

Collaborative faculty support for new

learning environments

Approaches under consideration

For Further Discussion or Consultation

Hope Sun – Hope.Sun@esc.edu

Jelia Domingo – Jelia.Domingo@esc.edu

Eileen O’Connor – Eileen.Oconnor@esc.edu

Joe Angiello – Joe.Angiello@esc.edu