Teaching with Technology: An In-Depth View of 5 Hybrid Courses Using Existing Online Course...

PROFILES OF BLENDED MOOCS AT THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND

February 23, 2015

Rebecca Griffiths

Ithaka S+R

AGENDA 1. Background 2. Lessons and testimonials from selected tests

3. Summary of findings and implications

4. Q&A

Poll

I have :

a) Taught a MOOC

b) Taught a blended MOOC with students enrolled at my institution

c) Worked on a MOOC production team

d) I have no experience with MOOCs

e) Other

Background

Collaboration with University

System of Maryland and

Coursera to examine benefits

and challenges of embedding

existing MOOCs in campus-

based courses

Supported by Bill & Melinda

Gates Foundation

Study included:

4 side-by-side comparisons

10 case studies

Can instructors use MOOCs

created by other faculty members

to address instructional goals?

What is the blended MOOC

experience like for instructors and

students?

What implementation challenges

did instructors encounter, and how

might these be overcome?

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Presented study at seven

institutions, with support from

USM chancellors office

Solicited statements of interest

from faculty

Selected 16 out of around 30

submissions (ended up with 14)

Looked for:

Clear description of educational goals or problem to be solved

Substantial use of MOOC materials

Feasibility

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Questions?

PROFILE #1: PRECALCULUS

Description

Research university setting

Conducted pilot during summer

followed by implementation in two

sections of ~35 students each

during the fall term

Compared outcomes for students

in traditionally taught sections

with those in hybrid sections

8

Goals & Design

Goals

Replace lecture format with more active

learning

Design

Students met once per week for 2 hours

Students were assigned to watch videos and

do quizzes and homework in the MOOC

Class time used to review video material,

answer student questions, practice problem

solving, take quiz at end of each session.

Supported by undergraduate teaching

assistant

What worked & didnt work

Worked well:

Student outcomes better than

other sections

Videos provided alternate ways

of explaining concepts; students

could watch them multiple times

(or not at all)

Having TA was priceless

Quizzes in MOOC were good,

but needed more

Room for Improvement:

Students liked blended MOOC

sections less

Some students found it confusing to

have multiple instructors

TA thought students were less

engaged with online content

Platform did not allow monitoring of

individual progress

0.79 0.74

0.78

0.67

-

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

Pass rates Final exam***

Hybrid

Control

Notes: *** p

3.7

2.6

3.4 3.4

3.1

4.4

2.4

3.0

2.6

3.6

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Weekly hours

outside class

Increased interest

in pre-calc

Amount learned Course rating Course difficulty

Precalculus Average Survey Responses

Control Treatment

Control N = 56 Treatment N = 36

Video clip: Tatyana 7:20-8:25 https://vimeo.com/album/3123302/video/110863058

https://vimeo.com/album/3123302/video/110863058https://vimeo.com/album/3123302/video/110863058

Questions?

PROFILE #2: INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING

Goals & Design

Goals

Explore alternative to YouTube videos

(Bucky) and commercial products

Design

Students met 80-100 minutes per week

Students assigned to watch videos and do

quizzes in the MOOC

Used class time for practice assignments

In 1st iteration MOOC module was

delivered during the first half of the

semester; reversed in 2nd iteration

4.7

2.8

3.4 3.3 3.6

7.1

2.1

2.5

2.0

4.0

5.3

3.4

3.9 3.6 3.6

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Weekly hours outside

class

Increased interest in

comp sci


Student Survey Responses

Control Treatment Round 2

Note: N for control = 50, N for treatment = 74, N for Round 2 = 9

Notes: *** p

What worked & didnt work

Worked well:

Coherency of MOOC compared

to YouTube videos

Access to professor 24/7

Saved time for instructors

Alternative to textbooks


First iteration started course

with MOOC, students not

adequately prepared

Desire for more dynamic video

presentation

Instructors not well prepared

for first iteration

Technology integration

Video clip: Students 0:18-1:42 https://vimeo.com/album/3123302/video/116671864


Questions?

PROFILE #3: MODERN POETRY

Goals & Design

Goals

Provide model for intellectual discourse

Enhance use of technology

Shared learning experience

Design

Students met 3 times per week for 50 minutes

Students enrolled in live version of MOOC

Students had to do assignments in MOOC

and contribute to discussion boards

Created videos of student-led seminar

discussions

3.8 3.5

2.0

4.0

3.3

2.9

3.4 3.1

3.7

0

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

5

5

Amount

learned

Course

difficulty

Lecture

videos

Online

discussion

forums

Online

problem

sets

Online

quizzes

Learned a

great deal

from the

MOOC

Materials

were

engaging

High

quality

Student Survey Responses - Rating on a 5 point Scale

N=6

What worked / didnt work

Worked well:

Modeling of class discussion

Eliminating need to cover content

in class

Creating videos of student seminar

discussion modeled after MOOC

Exposure to diverse student body


Students started to feel that a

poem was done after

watching seminar videos

Discussion boards could be

overwhelming

Video clip: Amy 1:14-2:13 https://vimeo.com/album/3123302/video/110863047

https://vimeo.com/album/3123302/video/110863047https://vimeo.com/album/3123302/video/110863047https://vimeo.com/album/3123302/video/110863047

Questions?

PROFILE #4: ORAL COMMUNICATIONS

Goals & Design

Goals

Increase emphasis on critical thinking and

communication skills

Exposure to different teaching style

Design

Students met 80 minutes per week

Students were assigned to watch videos and

complete a quiz before class

4 sections used the MOOC

5.7

3.7 3.9

4.2

2.4

4.3 3.9 4.0

4.4

2.2

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Weekly hours

outside class

Increased interest

in comm


Average Survey Responses for Oral Communications

Control Treatment

Control N = 80 Treatment N=93

Notes: *** p

What worked / didnt work

Worked well:

Hybrid format

Higher level instruction than

textbook materials

Coherency of online materials works

well for first generation students

Exposure/diversity

Could track whether students were

watching videos (unlike reading)


Technical issues with

integration

Video clip: Pam 1:46-2:31 https://vimeo.com/album/3123302/video/110863048


Questions?

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS & IMPLICATIONS

Summary of benefits

Exposure to different perspectives, models of intellectual discourse, teaching

styles

Gain flexibility in use of face-to-face time (without creating online materials

from scratch)

Augment course with topics outside instructors own expertise

Replace textbook; more accessible & engaging

Professional development for instructors

36

Summary of challenges

Fit between online materials and program needs

Degree of difficulty too high or low

Intellectual property concerns

Concerns about student engagement with online materials

Technical issues, especially integration with LMS

Very time consuming to redesign courses with MOOCs

Some implications Potential for use of external online course materials to enhance courses and achieve

variety of instructional goals.

Technology platforms and content will continue to improve. Question is whether they

strive to serve institutions or go directly to students. Will depend in part on where they

believe there is demand.

Overcoming internal challenges requires strategic plan to incentivize, reward, and

support innovation.

38

Questions?

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Teaching with Technology: An In-Depth View of 5 Hybrid Courses Using Existing Online Course...

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