HERE ARE SOME USEFUL RESSOURCES FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN E-LEARNING
HOW “DO-IT-YOURSELF” (DYI) IS PLAYING A KEY ROLE IN DIGITAL COURSE DEVELOPMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION
This may be the golden age for “do-it-yourself” (DYI). We are all creating and distributing objects, images, sounds and text in ways that not long ago required the direct, hands-on involvement of experts. “DIY” is behind the growth of blogs (e.g. WordPress), self-publishing (e.g. Lulu), music-recording (e.g. Garage Band), podcasts (e.g. iTunes), and the emergence of a whole new category of celebrity – YouTube stars.
Learn about the roles DYI is playing in post-secondary education and its implications for digital course development.
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CARLETON UNIVERSITY MAKES ITS CERTIFICATE IN BLENDED AND ONLINE TEACHING AVAILABLE AS AN OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
In 2014, Carleton became the first Ontario university to offer a dedicated and comprehensive certificate program that enhances educators’ abilities to develop and teach blended and online courses. Now, Carleton’s Teaching and Learning Services has made all of the materials and modules from that program available online as open educational resources (OERs). The materials are unbranded so that other institutions can adapt and adopt them for their own personalized blended and online teaching programs.
The Certificate in Blended and Online Teaching features 11 modules, which can be completed as a whole or as stand-alone resources. They include: Benefits and Challenges of Online Education, Online Teaching Skills, Instructional Design Models and Theories of Learning, Online Course Development, Learning Outcomes as Blueprints for Design, Assessment in Online Environments, Communication Strategies in Online Environments, Synchronous and Asynchronous Tools, Online Learning Communities, Interaction, Engagement and Motivation, and Gamification in Education.
The 11 modules contain facilitator guides, PowerPoint presentations, SCORM packages, teaching tips and videos, and are licensed under Creative Commons so that other institutions can modify and personalize them as they develop their own programs.
A handful of schools have already begun adopting elements of this program, including Fanshawe College and the University of Toronto. We invite you to browse these and other resources on cuOpen (www.carleton.ca/cuopen) – Carleton’s online repository of OERs.
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OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) – A THREE-PART SERIES
Why Faculty and Instructors Use Open Educational Resources
In the first of a three-part series on Open Educational Resources, Contact North | Contact Nord introduces the UNESCO/Commonwealth of Learning comprehensive guide to open educational resources, outlines five reasons why faculty and instructors use OER and looks to a future where OER is a critical part of all program and course development in colleges and universities.
Read Why Faculty and Instructors Use Open Educational Resources.
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FIND OUT ABOUT 125 TRANSFORMATIVE ONLINE LEARNING INNOVATIONS
Ontario’s 24 public colleges and 22 public universities are a hotbed of innovation in emerging technologies and online tools focused expanding and improving learning opportunities for students through online and blended learning innovations.
From 2011 through 2014, Contact North | Contact Nord visited innovators at public colleges and universities across Ontario to learn about their initiatives in online, blended, and technology-enabled learning as part of the Pockets of InnovationSeries.
In reviewing all 125 Pockets of Innovation, a series of 7 themes emerged showing where the colleges and universities are focusing their efforts at innovating in online learning including:
- Creating and Adapting Educational Resources
- Making the Most of Blended Learning
- Online Learning Focused on Student Engagement and Flexibility
- Enhancing Learning through Online Assessment
- Planning for Online Learning
- Faculty Development and Support
- Innovative Online Support Services for Students
Read 125 Online Learning Innovations, including an introduction by the Honourable Reza Moridi, Ontario’s Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.
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WORTH READING
For Faculty and Instructors
Major, C.H., Harris, M.S, Zakrajsek, T. (2015) Teaching for Learning: 101 Intentionally Designed Educational Activities To Put Students On The Path To Success. New York: Taylor and Francis.
A practical, helpful resource book for those looking for ideas about how to help students build confident and practical approaches to critical thinking, analysis, research and sound learning. Covering classroom and online activities and many proven methods, new faculty members and instructors will find the book incredibly helpful including a great many ideas for creative work all grounded in evidence of efficacy.
For Instructional Designers
King, E. and Alperstein, E. (2014) Best Practices in Online Program Development: Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Routledge, New York
While there are many “how tos” for instructional designer, the aim of this book is more strategic. It encourages a systematic look at program design and intentions and relates the design questions to the simple question: “who is this program for and what are they supposed to do with this learning?”
A critical evaluative set of ideas are presented which instructional designers and those responsible for programs should explore before a course is designed, developed, deployed and delivered. Well written and a good read.
For Academic Policy Makers and Administrators
Harrison, L.M. and Mather, P.C. (2015) Alternative Solutions to Higher Education’s Challenges – An Appreciative Approach to Reform. New York: Routledge.
This book uses an appreciative approach to highlight what is working in colleges and universities and offers an examination of how institutions can improve practice. It offers a solution-focused framework that challenges the negative assumptions that have plagued higher education. Chapters explore how current narratives have perpetuated and maintained systematic flaws in our education system and have hindered reform. This invaluable resource breaks from the substantial literature that only highlights the many problems facing higher education today, and instead provides alternative strategies and essential recommendations for moving higher education institutions forward. It is a manifesto for a new pedagogy and reinforces the purposes of a liberal education.
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MOST POPULAR LINKS ON TEACHONLINE.CA:
- Educational Conferences
- Teaching in a Digital Age
- Five Ways Online Learning is Enabling Change in Post-Secondary Education
- Video Resources for Teaching Online and at a Distance
- About Us
Visit teachonline.ca today and see why 130,000 faculty and instructors, administrators, technology providers, and policy makers from across Ontario and around the world visit the portal annually.
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Information from Contact North and its Online Learning News of November 18, 2015 and December 16, 2015.