Albert Ingram, Faculty Associate

Online Learning & Teaching 2005-2006

As faculty associate in the FPDC during the AY 2005-2006, I plan to work with faculty to improve online learning and teaching in their courses. The courses could fall into various categories of online, hybrid, blended, or Web-enhanced.

With the proliferation of online learning, it becomes important to help faculty make the best use of the new opportunities afforded. Clearly, many faculty members need to learn how to use the technologies that are available, such as WebCT Vista. That process, however, is relatively simple. In order to use online technologies to improve learning significantly, faculty will also need to rethink their courses, their goals, their teaching/learning strategies, and their student assessments. Although specific projects can only take small steps in those directions, the ultimate goal is to use the transition to using online technologies in courses as a route toward those ends.

One key area will be to continue to work with the Online Learning and Teaching Faculty Learning Community to improve online discussions. We now have four online modules: three for faculty and one for students. During the Fall semester, we will work with a graduate student doing an independent study to put these modules into a common format. In addition, the community will work to complete two or three new modules to add to this list. In addition, the community will work on evaluating the modules and their effects on courses and student learning, to the extent possible.

I will also continue to work with the New Media group involved in WebCT Vista to improve the actual use of Vista among faculty. There are at least 375 people registered as instructors in the KSU Vista system. Each one is an opportunity for us to help faculty rethink their teaching. There are at least three things that we might do to take advantage of these opportunities:

1. ensure that information about fpdc and its efforts are part of everyone's introduction to Vista
2. continue Learning Communities Lite that integrate teaching/learning strategies with Vista use
3. begin workshops targeted at Vista users on specific teaching/learning strategies.

email: aingram@kent.edu

Specific Projects:

• Complete 6-7 OLT FLC modules and make them available online. They will be linked through the FPDC website and listed in the OLN database. These will be done in conjunction with the Online Learning and Teaching Faculty Learning Community.
• Perform three evaluations of one or more of the OLT online modules. One of these is already underway with a Summer III course. The others will be done in conjunction with the OLT FLC.
• Lead or participate in one LC Lite about online learning, to be coordinated with Ray Craig.

Develop one face-to-face and one online workshop for faculty in using Vista effectively.

For more information about online learning and teaching or to inquire about our upcoming faculty learning community that will explore online learning and teaching contact Albert Ingram at aingram@kent.edu, or at (330) 672-2992.