College of Education
University of Washington
EDC&I
505
Seminar in Curriculum and Instruction
Online and Distance
Learning
[With additions suggested in class
on
|
Instructor:
Prof. Stephen T. Kerr |
Office: 122K Miller Hall, Box 353600 |
|
Course meets:
228 Communication |
Telephone: (206) 685-7562 |
|
Tuesdays, 4:30 - 6:50 p.m. |
E-mail: |
|
Office hours:
By appointment |
http://faculty.washington.edu/stkerr |
|
Session |
Date |
Assignment
for Session |
Topic
in Class |
|
1 |
|
--- |
Introductions --
Course, participants; Overview and history of on-line and distance learning |
|
2 |
1/13 |
C&M*,
1-2 P&P*,
Preface, 1 Have ideas for course
projects ready for discussion |
The Invisible
Infrastructure: What is needed to
support on-line learning students, instructors ? How can that support be provided? Presentation: Course page, readings [Instructor Demo] Course project definition. |
|
3 |
1/20 |
C&M,
3-4 P&P,
2-3 |
Design for
Learning: Creating environments that
are real and that incorporate learning principles Design for varied groups (age,
access to technology, etc.) Presentations:
Course page, readings |
|
4 |
1/27 |
C&M,
5-7 P&P,
4 |
Design for
Learning: Linking media with task and
outcome Online learning as multitasking and
re-purposing Presentations:
Course page, readings |
|
5 |
2/3 |
C&M,
8-9 P&P,
5-6 |
Meeting online: A demo of the College of Education's online
teacher induction support system [NB: No physical class meeting!] Presentations [online]:
Course page, readings |
|
6 |
2/10 |
C&M,
10-13 P&P,
10 TBA |
Designing to Capture
Evidence of Learning: Student assessment issues. Budgeting for online learning design and
development. Presentations:
Course page, readings |
|
7 |
2/17 |
Review of Literature
due |
Faculty development
and faculty as developers; intellectual property and copyright in digital
environments. Discuss Review of Literature |
|
8 |
2/24 |
C&M,
14-16 P&P,
7-9 |
Design for
Learning: Emergent technologies to
enhance presence and their possible impact on learning Twitter, Ning, Moodle, Merlot;
Conceptual mapping software Presentations:
Course page, readings |
|
9 |
3/3 |
P&P,
11 TBA |
The critique of
distance learning and future directions:
Will face-to-face interaction always dominate? Open courseware; virtual worlds |
|
10 |
3/10 |
Final papers/projects
due |
Final paper/project
presentations. Conclusions. |
*
Texts:
[C&M] Clark, R. C.,
& Mayer, R. E. (2003). E-Learning and the science of instruction. San Francisco: Pfeiffer/Wiley.
[P&P] Palloff, R.
M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities. San Francisco: Wiley.
[TBA] To Be Announced
(URLs to be made available or handouts provided)
1.
Purpose
In this course, we will examine
those elements that contribute to successful distance and on-line learning
programs. In particular, we will focus
on such issues as the design variables that are most likely to engender
significant learning, the creation of community and connection among learners
working at a distance, as well as the structures that can help support both
learners and instructors in distance and on-line learning settings.
2.
Course Requirements
There are five requirements for this
course:
1.
Readings and class discussion
You
should do the readings regularly and come to class prepared to discuss them.
(Due
throughout; 5% of final course grade)
2.
Leading an oral discussion of the readings
At
one point during the quarter (see dates marked "Presentations on
readings" in the course calendar), you will be responsible for leading a
brief (10 -15 minutes) discussion of the readings for that week. This does not mean that
you should spend time orally summarizing the author's arguments – you should
provide (but not dwell on) that sort of summary via 2-3 "bullet
points" that capture the essential themes of the reading. Instead, focus most of your attention and
energy on delving into the author's basic assumptions and raising new issues
and questions suggested by the readings.
The assessment of your work on this assignment will be based on your
ability to do these two things: (1) identify
basic assumptions, and (2) raise new questions relevant to distance learning.
Provide
for the rest of the class a one-page
handout with your summary of assumptions and a set of new questions. Be ready to talk for about 10 minutes, and
then lead discussion for about 20 minutes.
(Due
throughout; 15% of final course grade)
3.
Presenting an example of an on-line course page
Since
design is of the essence in on-line learning, it will be useful for you to have
some experience in designing (creating) a course page or two. You have several options: create a page using the UW's Catalyst Tools
(perhaps SimpleSite, perhaps another tool from that set); create a page using
some other web design or course management software (e.g., Blackboard, Sakai,
Moodle); or demo a page that you created or had a role in helping to create at
some earlier point in your career.
The
page should pose a task, a problem, or a question for the learner; that is, it
should be more than a straight-text introduction or description.
When
you present your page, talk some about the physical design of the page(s), but
spend more time on the pedagogical principles that underlay your reasoning as
you were creating the page. What end
goals were to trying to achieve (in terms of student learning, skills
development, etc.)? How did you frame
the task so that it would connect with what learners already know and the
direction in which you want them to go?
If you have used the page already, was it successful in fostering
learning? How did you know? The assessment of your work on this
assignment will be based on your ability to do these two things: (1) identify pedagogical principles inherent
in the page content, and (2) describe clearly your rationale for creating
(designing) the page in the way that you did.
Be
ready to demo your page(s) in class using a laptop. Plan to spend about 10 minutes doing the
demo, and then field questions for about 20 minutes.
(Due
throughout; 15% of final course grade)
4.
Review of Literature
Prepare
a brief report in which you identify several key research-based references for
one of the topics considered in the course.
The point here is to become familiar with relevant journals and on-line
resources, to compare the merits of different authors' perspectives and
research methods, and to begin to become a "connoisseur" of these
kinds of materials.
i. Choose a subject
area or topic that is of interest to you.
The review may be related to the intended topic of your Course
paper/project (see below) or not, at your discretion. In previous quarters, many students have
found that it makes sense to combine efforts and focus on one topic for both
literature review and project, but a significant minority have found that there
is a benefit to exploring more than one topic during the course. You choose!
ii. Do a search
of the literature that describes research-based studies related to your
topic. Use the many databases and tools
available to you via the UW Libraries:
ERIC, PsycINFO, JSTOR, individual titles of journals available via
electronic subscription, and many other specialized resources in particular
sub-fields (for example, human-computer interaction, computer-supported
collaborative work, etc.). Also, search
widely in other databases accessible through the Web.
iii. Select five
(5) of those studies that you believe present the best evidence or the most
intriguing results. Summarize each of them briefly and then draw conclusions about the
value of that particular approach to design and implementation of on-line or
distance learning. Do this in no more
than 5 double-spaced pages.
iv. Be sure to provide a complete citation (in APA format) for each the studies you
cite. Pay attention to the specifics of
APA format for e-resources.
(Due
February 17; 15% of final course grade)
5.
Final project or paper
This
should be based in an issue relevant to the design, development, testing,
operation, or evaluation of distance or on-line learning. The scope, approach, and particular focus are
up to you.
There
is no set format for this work – it could be a traditional academic
"course paper," but it could also be conceptual work for a new
undertaking, an evaluative effort for a current project, a reviews of practice
or research, a comparative study, an analysis of a commercial venture, a
preliminary project proposal, a design specification for an on-line course or
program, new material for a project already underway, a staffing plan or staff
development program for those working in distance learning, a program
evaluation plan, or some other product or material.
You
will have a chance to discuss your ideas for the project early in the course,
allowing me (and other students) to give you some preliminary feedback. There will be further opportunities for
"checking in" on the status of the project as the course
continues. Please don't hesitate to
"use" the class to push forward projects or ideas that are important
for you.
Depending
on what you choose to work on, the final form of your project may vary: for example, you might present a URL with
distance learning/on-line materials, or links to existing distance
learning/on-line programs you are evaluating, or newly created materials or
documents linked to current programs. If
you are doing a traditional academic paper, think in terms of 15 pages or so;
if you're working in a different medium, plan on a comparable level of effort.
At
the end of the course, when we present and discuss the projects, please provide
copies (for all class members) of a one-page
abstract of your project
(Due
March 10; 50% of final course grade)
3.
Other Resources
A listing of related books and
on-line materials will be posted on the class web site. When you come across relevant materials in
your work, please pass along the citations, and I'll distribute them to others
in the class, either by posting them or by e-mail.
5. Exploration
In addition to the texts, I expect
that you will investigate relevant related literature from distance and on-line
learning, educational technology, and other related fields. While I will post on-line a list of sites and
related materials, you should share with each other and explore freely in the
library and on line. Be sure to tell the
rest of us about significant, interesting finds!
Throughout the course, we will read
a number of additional articles and short pieces that throw special light on
the issues involved in designing and delivering on-line and distance learning programs. These materials will be linked from the
course website or distributed in class the week prior to when they will be
discussed. Please check with me if you
are unable to be in class on a particular evening to see if anything has been
distributed that you need to obtain for the next meeting.
In a seminar of
this sort, class participation is obviously of central importance. Please make every effort to attend, to be
ready to present and discuss your own work, and to offer your constructive
critique of others' work.
5. Necessary Notices:
DUE DATES: Having
assignments ready by the date due is an essential requirement and a basic
expectation of graduate study. Failure
to observe this requirement can have dire consequences! Grades of "incomplete" will be
given only for certifiable medical reasons or in other extraordinary
circumstances.
DISABILITY ACCOMODATIONS:
To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact
Disability Resources for Students, 448 Schmitz, 206-543-8924/V,
206-543-8925/TTY, or at http://www.washington.edu/students/drs/. If you have a letter from Disability Resources
for Students indicating you have a disability which requires academic
accommodations, please present the letter to me so we can discuss the
accommodations you might need in this class.
If you have questions or concerns about disability
accommodation do not hesitate to contact me or DRS directly.
PLAGIARISM:
Plagiarism, submitting someone else's words or ideas as your own work,
is a serious academic offense. Cases of
suspected plagiarism will be referred to the Associate Dean for Academic
Programs for adjudication. Possible
penalties range from disciplinary warnings to dismissal from the
university. All students are expected to
demonstrate academic integrity at all times, and to learn what constitutes
plagiarism. A useful definition of
plagiarism can be found at:
http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm#plagiarism