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Innovative online bachelor’s degree from University of Washington

March 29, 2013 By 2 Comments
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© Glenn Rikowski, 2012

Long, K. (2013) UW to offer first all-online degree-completion program The Seattle Times, March 28

Although many universities offer online courses at the bachelor’s level, and fully online master programs, whole bachelor’s programs offered fully online are comparatively rare from major public research universities (although much more common from for-profits, such as University of Phoenix).

The University of Washington program, which begins this fall, is a bachelor of early childhood education, based on ‘years of research done at the UW on the best ways to teach preschoolers.’ More details of the program can be found by clicking here.

There are several interesting features of the program:

  • designed mainly for students transferring in with already an associate degree or 70 or more eligible credits for transfer
  • focused on people already working in child care (preference to registered Washington state residents)
  • partnership with several local community colleges for credit transfer
  • uses video of ‘good’ examples of teaching practice (as well as televised lectures)
  • students make their own videos of themselves practicing those techniques in preschool classrooms
  • limited to 100 students initially, but possibly growing to 300 students a year later
  • aims to fill a major labour market gap in the state
  • much lower average cost for students: $160 per credit = $7,000 for full degree
  • supported by a grant, which with student tuition fees enables the program to be fully cost-recoverable without state funding

UW’s President stated that UW will ‘soon’ be offering several more bachelor degree completion and even some full bachelor’s programs fully online.

Comment

This online strategy appears to be particularly well developed. One major barrier to fully online bachelor programs is that students straight out of high school are often considered unready for online learning, given the self-discipline required and their perceived lack of independent learning skills. However, as this program indicates, not all people wanting a bachelor degree are 18 year olds. Many already have a college certificate or diploma, and relevant work experience.

I was also interested in the proposed use of video. The cost of making reasonable quality video has dropped dramatically, and although there is a long history of the use of video in teacher education, education is not the only field where practices and procedures can be demonstrated via video, both by instructors and by student practitioners.

Lastly, this is a public research university operating a different business model that not only lowers costs to students, but is self-financing without state funding. This is because the University of Washington received funding for this program from the Next Generation Learning Challenge program, which is funded mainly by the Gates and Hewlett Foundations. The NGLC program is having a  major impact across the USA in encouraging institutions to experiment with online and open learning in innovative ways (I was one of the many grant proposal evaluators – but did not evaluate this proposal).

We don’t have access to such grant programs in Canada, at least in recent years. This is a role perhaps that is needed from the Canadian Federal government, but this is unlikely to happen under the current Conservatives, unfortunately, as they wish to decrease rather than increase the federal government’s role in health and education. However, as this program indicates, the return on investment from such grants for the system as a whole is high. In any case, this model could help reduce at least student tuition costs, with state FTE funding being used to replace the philanthropic funding.

Over to you

Can you let me know of other fully online bachelor degrees being offered by public research universities or state universities?

 

 

Filed Under: Bibliography, costs and benefits, course design, education, planning, policies and management - institutional, Strategies, planning and management, subject areas, Teaching and learning, Technology, video Tagged With: , , , , ,

Throttling access to online learning

March 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment
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Lennett, B. and Kehl, D. (2103) Capping the Nation’s Broadband Future Washington DC: New America Foundation

Lennett, B. and Kehl, D. (2013) Data Caps Could Dim Online Learning’s Bright Future Chronicle of Higher Education, March 4

Lennett and Kehl provide a good, clear summary of their report in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Basically they are concerned about the following:

  • two companies (AT&T and Verizon) control two-thirds of the mobile market in the U.S.
  • these two companies are charging extra for anything more than a gigabyte of data per month
  •  if you tried to stream video lectures on that connection, you’d reach the data cap after about three hours and then face fees of $15 per gigabyte. If you tried to complete a course with 15 hours of video a month, your phone bill could arrive with as much as $70 in extra fees
  • roughly 19 million Americans still don’t have access to Internet service capable of streaming a video lecture
  • this will seriously inhibit online learning, especially for the poor and those in rural areas.

Their solution:

  • get the FCC to increase competition between wireless carriers, especially in rural areas (a familiar recommendation for Canadians)
  • get the government to invest more heavily in rural broadband connections through something like the New Deal Rural Electrification program.

Comment

Why stream video lectures? This is an absurdly expensive and inefficient way of doing online learning. Once again, we have people assuming that there was no online learning before video lecture capture.

Second, surely the issue is throttling, not online learning. Telecommunications companies should not be allowed to restrict selectively bandwidth use, or to try to cap Internet access, full stop.

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Innovation in teaching in Ontario universities

August 29, 2012 By 1 Comment
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Council of Ontario Universities (2012) Beyond the sage on the stage: innovative and effective teaching and learning in Ontario universities Toronto ON: COU

This document provides an overview and analysis of innovative teaching practices in Ontario’s 24 universities:

There are many examples of innovative and effective teaching and learning strategies at Ontario universities, some of which will be shared here. The examples set out in this document reflect both practices that are well-established in many universities, and those that are evolving. 

With regard to online learning and the use of learning technologies, the document lists the following examples (this is a selection of what I found the most interesting – for example, I don’t find the use of clickers innovative):

  • Video recording: 

Carleton University: Robert Burk’s General Chemistry course (700 students): lectures, tutorials and other course materials are broadcast via cable television, webcast, video on demand, iTunes and a course website, combined with personal e-mails to every student. The materials are the most downloaded items from Carleton University; some have been downloaded almost 250,000 times in two years. A full third of his students never set foot in his lecture hall, yet their grades are identical to the two-thirds who are studying on campus. For an example, see: Making Nylon

  • Hybrid learning: 

Lakehead University: Dr. Glenna Knutson: the Masters in Public Health, designed initially to serve the needs of public health professionals across northwestern Ontario, uses WebCT and media streaming to ensure that distance students, who make up three-quarters of the class, can participate fully. In addition to taking part in large and small group discussions during class, they can use the technology platform to work with classmates outside of class time, preparing projects and presentations. To further accommodate the professional and family commitments of students, the program provides the option of completing it in six terms, or even 12, to make it more flexible.

  • Digital entrepreneurs: 

Ryerson University: The Digital Media Zone is a business incubator that supports digital entrepreneurs with business knowledge, resources and, above all, space to work and collaborate. It was the brainchild of President Sheldon Levy, who saw the need for universities to go beyond helping students find jobs. DMZ also focuses on helping students create the jobs and companies of the future. Since its launch in 2010, it has grown to accommodate some 200 innovators, spawning more than 40 companies and creating over 400 jobs in the process

University of Waterloo: the  VeloCity Mobile and Media incubator residence is the world’s first student residence designed to enable budding entrepreneurs to work with like-minded colleagues on mobile communications and digital media. It is a “dorm-cubator” for top students who want to turn their bright ideas in web, mobile and digital media applications into successful businesses. The value of companies created by VeloCity alumni is estimated to be about $50 million based on initial feedback from over 200 alumni who have lived in VeloCity. Participation in this program builds a supportive community that helps students succeed. Outcomes measured are not grades, but rather the success that students have both personally and professionally, by engaging in the business world outside of the institution. VeloCity incorporates peer mentorship and connects students  to the world of global start-up hubs (Waterloo, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Boston, New York, San Francisco). Students learn how to manage risks, focus their skills and decide if building their own company is something they want to do after they graduate or even while they are still at the undergraduate level.

  • Universal Instructional Design: 

Trent University: The Transcribe Your Class project is an example of how the benefits of Universal Instructional Design modifications to a course can extend to all the students in a course, beyond students who have a learning disability. Through this project students with disabilities attending post-secondary education and National Disability Organizations use advanced Speech-Recognition Technology to improve access to information. Lectures are first recorded as webcasts through a software program, Panopto 7, and then transcribed. The transcriptions are integrated into a multimedia platform, which includes audio, video and presentation slides. The transcribed text is also searchable within the Panopto platform. At present, six first-year courses are included in this project. Prior to the implementation of the Transcribe Your Class project, students who required an accommodation for speech-to-text transcriptions worked with the Disability Services Office to have lectures recorded using digital audio recorders, and then paid a commercial firm to have them transcribed. The Transcribe Your Class project means that the instructor can automatically record lectures with a touch of a button. The recordings are uploaded immediately after the lecture and sent to IBM for speech-to-text recognition. The transcribed lectures are available to students within 48-96 hours of the original recording. This  is a significant improvement over the typical five-day turnaround time for edited transcripts through commercial services. The transcripts are made available to all students enrolled in the course.

  • E-portfolios

University of Guelph: E-portfolio use is incorporated throughout the Bachelor of Arts and Science Program. The basic function of the e-portfolio is to serve as a repository where students can compile their course work, writing and other material, including material from internships and other types of placements. E-portfolios enable students to engage in a process of reflection about the knowledge and skills they have acquired in their program of studies, and provide students with a useful tool for making connections about what they are learning.Both faculty and students report that they get to know each other better through“About Me” pages that are constructed in e-portfolio. Senior students may develop personalized e-portfolios to showcase their education and skills to prospective employers, and for applications to post-graduate programs.

Wilfred Laurier University: Kimberley Barber of the Faculty of Music has initiated an e-portfolio for her first-year voice performance students. Throughout the first term, students complete weekly e-portfolio presentations, including logs of their practice sessions and reflections on that practice, and their performances to help them evaluate their strengths and areas for improvement. They are also encouraged to upload digitized files of their performances to the e-portfolio system so that, over the course of their four-year program, they will be able to review their work and see their own progress. Student self-evaluation and critique are essential in the development of musical skills for both performance and education; early results have shown it to be a very useful pedagogy. E-portfolios also enable students to assess their entire university education holistically. This system is an efficient method for both compiling work and exchanging assignments and information between professors and students. There is no need for the exchange of paper documents, and students can receive feedback quickly from their professor and/or peers.

For another 40 examples of innovative teaching in Ontario universities and colleges, see: Pockets of Innovation from Contact North

Comment

First, kudos to COU for showing that there is much more going on in Ontario universities than just boring lectures. Having examples of the ways campus-based institutions are integrating technology is always very useful.

Second, what does ‘innovative teaching’ really mean? Certainly, for those instructors who have developed these approaches, it will certainly be innovative. However, one man’s meat is another man’s poison. Don’t get me going on clickers, for example. They are about as innovative as a caveman waving his club. For many readers of this blog, the reaction to some of these examples is likely to be a shrug of the shoulders; for some, it may reinforce your own ideas of where your teaching should go; for others it will, I hope, provide a spark that will lead to your own innovation in teaching.

Third, there were many other examples in this document of innovative teaching that did not involve any technology. They were about different pedagogical approaches (e.g. inquiry-based learning, applied and practical learning, and new ways of providing professional development.) This reinforces my view that just using technology is not innovative, even if the technology is new. It has to do something different and better, in terms of teaching and learning.

Just a couple of negative points. First, where were the formal evaluations of these projects? This is more an institutional responsibility. Innovations in teaching should be independently evaluated, and if successful, efforts should be made to spread the innovation beyond the innovator. Second, what is the institution’s overall strategy for supporting innovation? The COU says, as a body representing universities, that it supports innovation in teaching on principle, but moving beyond individual pockets of innovation to a culture of innovation across an institution needs more than a pat on the head as a strategy. Developing a strategy for innovation is a responsibility of senior academic management.

Nevertheless, it is good to see universities not only responding to the need for innovation in teaching and learning, but also letting everyone know what they are doing. We can all learn something from this document.



 		

		
Filed Under: access, Bibliography, blended learning, chemistry, computer science, e-assessment and e-portfolios, health, innovation, planning, policies and management - institutional, Strategies, planning and management, Technology, video  Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,  

	

	


				
Pedagogical roles for video in online learning

		
		
March 10, 2012  By  8 Comments 
		

			
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This video is taken from OpenLearn's free Maths unit ` Modelling with first order differential equations `. The full unit is available for free at http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2746


The underuse of video in post-secondary online learning


Video is not being used enough in online learning in post-secondary education. When used it is often an afterthought or an ‘extra’, rather than an integral part of the design, or is used merely to replicate a classroom lecture, rather than exploiting the unique characteristics of video.


Many universities and colleges for many years before the advent of the Internet had audio-visual production facilities. With the possible exception of medicine and related health areas, they were generally poorly used, with the focus often being on replicating lectures through video or audio conferencing, rather than creating videos that provided a different role from a lecture. One reason was the high cost of the equipment: cameras, editing facilities, and the time it took to make a professional product. However, in recent years the cost of making video has dropped dramatically, particularly regarding equipment, although high quality production sill requires professionally trained production staff.


 


Why is video underused?


One can speculate on the reasons for the low use of video in higher education teaching, despite the much lower cost:


    

  • university education is primarily about abstraction, and text is considered more appropriate for abstraction, general principles, and meta-knowledge
    • 

  • it is too expensive or too much work for faculty
    • 

  • instructors’ experience of higher education is primarily text-based so they are not aware of the potential of video for teaching
    • 



I should make it clear I don’t agree with the first two reasons, but they are ones I have heard used by instructors when video has been suggested. Ironically it should be noted that Socrates (as represented by Plato) disapproved of writing (and hence text) as ‘false knowledge’; in Socrates’ view, ‘true’ knowledge could be acquired only through oral communication, and in particular dialogue. It is hard to let go of previous experience when faced with new media.


 


Video on the Internet


One of the many unique features of the Internet is that it incorporates multiple media forms such as text, still graphics, audio, video, animation and simulations. Each of these media forms enable knowledge to be represented in different ways, and perhaps more importantly, enable different forms of interaction with learners. Despite the obvious importance of this, there is very little research about the relationship between different media formats and online learning on which to base design decisions.


If anyone knows of research focused on the role of different media within the Internet for teaching, I’d be pleased to hear about it.


 


Researching the unique characteristics of video


In the meantime, I am going to draw on some pretty old research that my research team and I did when at the British Open University, where courses were deliberately designed with print, audio (both in the form of broadcast radio and specially designed audio cassettes), and video (mainly broadcast television).


The broadcast programs were made by the BBC, whose producers had degrees in the subject matter  that they were making programs for, as well as being trained as broadcast producers with a focus on exploiting the strengths of the media in which they were working.


At the same time, my research team not only interviewed faculty and BBC producers, but also conducted interviews and focus groups with students about how they made use of the media within their studies. From this research, we developed guidelines for the Open University’s Broadcast and Audio-Visual Sub-Committee based on the advantages of television and audio over printed text and home experiment kits. The list was first published in Bates (1984), and reproduced in Bates (2005).


 


Video


1.         To demonstrate experiments or experimental situations, particularly:


(a)         where equipment or phenomena to be observed are large, microscopic, expensive, inaccessible, dangerous or difficult to observe without special equipment (thanks to Clint Lalonde for directing me to the video example)


(b)         where the experimental design is complex


(c)         where the measurement of experimental behaviour is not easily reduced to a single scale or dimension (e.g. human behaviour)


(d)         where the experimental behaviour may be influenced by uncontrollable but observable variables


2.         To illustrate principles involving dynamic change or movement


3.         To illustrate abstract principles through the use of specially constructed physical models


4.         To illustrate principles involving three-dimensional space


5.         To use animated, slow-motion, or speeded-up video to demonstrate changes over time


6.         To teach certain advanced scientific or technological concepts (such as theories of relativity or quantum physics) without students having to master highly advanced mathematical techniques, through the use of models and/or animation


7.         To substitute for a field visit, to:


(a)         provide students with an accurate, comprehensive visual picture of the site, in order to place their study in context


(b)         to demonstrate the relationship between different elements of the system being viewed (e.g. production processes, ecological balance)


(c)         to assist students to differentiate between different classes or categories of phenomena in situ


(d)          to observe differences in scale and process between laboratory and mass-production techniques


8.         To bring students primary resource or case-study material, i.e. recording of naturally occurring events which, through editing and selection, demonstrate or illustrate principles covered elsewhere in the course. This may be used in several ways:


(a)         to enable students to recognize naturally occurring phenomena or classifications (e.g. teaching strategies, mental disorders, classroom behaviour) in context


(b)         to enable students to analyse a situation, using principles covered elsewhere in the course; or to test students ability to analyse phenomena in context


(c)         to demonstrate ways in which abstract principles or concepts developed elsewhere in the course have been applied to real-world problems


9.         To demonstrate decision-making processes:


(a)         by recording the decision-making process as it occurs


(b)         by dramatization


(c)         by simulation or role-playing


10.         To change student attitudes:


(a)         by presenting material in a novel or unfamiliar perspective


(b)         by presenting material in a dramatized form, enabling students to identify with someone with a different perspective


11.         To demonstrate methods or techniques of performance (e.g. mechanical skills such as stripping and re-assembling a carburetor)


12.         To interpret artistic performance (e.g. drama, spoken poetry, movies, paintings, sculpture, or other works of art)


13.         To analyse through a combination of sounds and graphics the structure of music


14.         To teach sketching, drawing or painting techniques


15.         To demonstrate the way in which instruments or tools can be used; to demonstrate the skills of craftsmen


16.         To record and archive events that are crucial to the course, but which may disappear or be destroyed in the near future (e.g. Internet reportage of the Arab Spring)


17.         To demonstrate practical activities to be carried out later by students


18.         To synthesize, summarize or condense contextually and media rich information relevant to the course.


It should be noted that such applications would normally include some text, still graphics and probably an audio commentary within the video, and the video would usually be linked to other media, such as text in web pages.


The video at the start of this post could be considered an example of application (2) -  To illustrate principles involving dynamic change or movement, but might also fit other applications.


 


A challenge


I started to provide links from each application to actual examples on the web, but in some cases, I did not have the subject knowledge to be sure that the example really worked. So the challenge is:


Can you provide a link to an open educational resource that would be in your view an excellent example of any of the above applications of video?


Here are some criteria I will be applying for inclusion:


    

  • the example is well produced (clear camera work, good presenter, clear audio)
    • 

  • it is short and to the point
    • 

  • it demonstrates clearly a particular topic or subject and links it to what the student is intended to learn.
    • 



I have to say that most of the examples I found on the Internet do NOT meet all three of these criteria! The video highlighted at the start of this post does, but then it is produced for the Open University. Can university in-house media departments meet this standard? I believe that some do, but I need examples!


Once chosen, I will add the link with an acknowledgement to whoever provides me with the link. In the meantime, I will look for my own examples.


My second set of questions is perhaps more of a challenge:


This list was developed initially from broadcast television.


How well do these functions apply to the use of video on the Internet? 


Are there other educational applications of video on the Internet that are not on this list?


Let’s make this an opportunity for upgrading the extent and the quality of video in online learning.


 


References


Bates, A. (1985) Broadcasting in Education: An Evaluation London: Constables (out of print – try a good library)


Bates, A. (2005) Technology, e-Learning and Distance Education London/New York: Routledge


 


Models for Selecting and Using Media and Technology: 6


 


This post is no. 6 in the series. The others are:


    

  1. The challenge,
    2. 

  2. A (very) brief history of educational technology,
    3. 

  3. Broadcast or communicative?
    4. 

  4. Synchronous or asynchronous?
    5. 

  5. Media or technology?
    6. 

  6. Pedagogical roles for video in online learning
    7. 

  7. Pedagogical roles for audio in online learning
    8. 



 		

		
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Using interactive video for patient health education

		
		
March 9, 2012  By  Leave a Comment 
		

			
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Along with thousands of other people over 65, I”m scheduled for a partial knee replacement this summer. As part of the excellent pre-operational education provided by Vancouver General Hospital, I was able to access a simple 3 minute video by my surgeon, Dr. Bas Masri, to demonstrate what is involved in the operation, using a model knee joint.


This is just part of a rapid escalation by health services in using e-learning to educate patients and potential patients.


For instance, a partnership between British Columbia’s Heart Failure Network, Cardiac Services BC and the Interior Health Agency has resulted in some very simple but effective videos for patients with heart problems. From the web site:


There are about 500,000 Canadians living with heart failure and 50,000 new patients being diagnosed each year. (Ross, Howlett and Arnold, 2006). Health failure is also one of the most expensive chronic diseases in BC with an annual estimated cost to the health care system of $590M. HF is also the most common cause of hospitalization of people over 65 years of age and has an average one-year mortality rate of 33% (Ross, Howlet, and Arnold, 2006). Accurate and timely diagnosis is critical to initiate treatment that will relieve HF symptoms, reduce hospitalizations, diminish costs and improve survival. A provincial strategy to improved HF services and care was developed in 2009 with Health Authorities commencing their implementation strategies in 2010.


“This project was driven by the recognition that patients discharged from hospital did not always access conventional supports available to help them learn to manage their condition,” said Marie Hawkins, Network Director of Cardiac Services. “We needed to find an alternate way to provide support that was both client friendly and easily accessible. These interactive videos help fill that gap.”


I anticipate that this type of informal learning will grow rapidly over the Internet, as governments realise that patient empowerment is not only good medicine, but also saves a great deal of money in the long run.


 		

		
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