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Learning Futures Group
Better Versions of Blackboard and WebCT on the Way If you teach online, here’s a heads-up;
one that you probably will be happy to read. Effective the beginning
of Spring Term, 2004, the Tech Team expects to have the current
versions of both Blackboard and WebCT replaced by new levels
which will provide fully integrated systems that will meet the
growing needs of Florida Community College students, faculty and staff. In the case
of Blackboard, this means a move to the Enterprise Learning System,
and with WebCT, the CE Full Edition. The updated systems will
permit us to support the ever-increasing number of students wishing
to register for online courses who cannot be accommodated with
the current versions. This also means, among other things, that
students will be automatically enrolled and/or dropped from classes
without the laborious work now required by each faculty member. Online Profesor Certificate Program The number of enrollees in the Online Professor Certificate Program has now reached 136 (full-time and adjuncts, about equally divided). About 25 faculty are anticipated to complete the program by the end of the fiscal year. This is an ongoing program — full-time faculty and adjuncts may enroll at any time. Contact Jack Chambers for further information; to register for the program, e-mail Brenda Baldree. Respondus, Where Art Thou? — Or, Is There Help for Weary Fingers? All you have to do is call the Learner Support Center and say “Please make Respondus available to me for Blackboard (or WebCT, as the case may be).” Florida Community College now has a Collegewide license for Respondus, covering both Blackboard and WebCT. The software which makes online surveys and test development easy to accomplish — especially for online courses using large data bases from textbook publishers — is now ready for use at your desktop. So don’t delay. Give the LSC a call and get ready to feel those finger muscles relax and feel better! Online Course Development Program A total of 38 College-owned courses have been developed under this program, and most are being taught online this term. A total of 24 more are anticipated to be developed this semester and taught online by Fall term. The online courses to be developed over the summer will be announced shortly — watch for an e-mail announcement. As a result of College support and student interest, the following Spring Term online enrollments have occurred:
For more information, contact Jack Chambers. And the answer is YES! ACADEMUS has been renamed SIRIUS! We mean it! We’re Serious! Watch for exciting developments in this program in future updates. Until then, if you want more information about the project, contact Kathleen Ciez-Volz in the Applied Center for instructional Design. The Long Range Learning Technologies Plan The major thrust of the Futures Group this fall continues to be the development of a three-year plan to make the most effective uses of learning technologies at Florida Community College. The plan will be based on the results of the questionnaire studies of the College faculty and staff (which were recently released), discussions of the Futures Groups committees and discussions of the Steering Committee, taking into consideration the published literature in the area. The plan is expected to be forwarded for consideration by the Executive Vice President in January. Contact Jack Chambers or any member of the LT Futures Group if you have questions or suggestions. If you’d like a copy of the results of the Florida Community College faculty/staff questionnaire study, contact Linda Dixon. Online Professor Certificate Program The number of enrollees in the Online Professor Certificate Program has now reached 120 (full-time and adjuncts, about equally divided). This is an ongoing program — full-time faculty and adjuncts may enroll at any time. For further information contact Jack Chambers. To register for the program, e-mail Brenda Baldree. Online Course Development Program A total of 38 College-owned courses have been developed under this program, and most are being taught online this term. A total of 34 more are anticipated to be developed this year. Note the fall online enrollments for 1999-2002 with straight-line projections to the close of the three year planning period (average annual increase = 87%):
Although this percentage of increase may not remain constant, it’s hard to avoid interpreting these data as indicating a strong trend in student interest in online learning.  Academus … Assessment as a Learning Tool One of the most exciting applications of instructional technology is Academus, a multi-phased project designed to enhance student retention and success in courses that experience high enrollment but low retention. During Phase I of Academus, coordinated by Claire Reetz, Florida Community College instructors from a variety of “at risk” courses developed objective, computer-gradable exams with corresponding explanatory answer keys. With the assistance of the staff of the Applied Center of Instructional Design, led by Rusty Gardner and Monica DeTure, the exams were placed in a computerized format. Through these procedures, students enrolled in designated Academus courses had the opportunity to complete practice tests that provided immediate, user-friendly feedback about their performance prior to taking actual course exams. The practice tests enabled students to measure their progress in courses and to identify areas for further study before taking graded exams. In addition to the above, Academus tests offered students diagnostic feedback about areas for remediation. Ultimately, Academus tests will link students to learning objects that help students master challenging course concepts. Defined as small, interactive modules that teach a course concept in fifteen minutes or less, learning objects integrate text with multimedia to create active educational experiences for a variety of learners. During Phase II of Academus, the College instructors will collaborate on teams to locate learning objects that support key course objectives. Participating faculty during Phase I of Academus included Kathleen Ciez-Volz (Professor of English, Kent), Richard Greene (Professor of English, Kent), and Sandra Jordan (Professor of Accounting, Deerwood). Participating faculty during Phase II of Academus include Charles Aybar (Professor of Mathematics, Kent), Dominique Dieffenbach (Professor of English, Downtown), Jonah Eng (Professor of Mathematics, North), Margaret Greene (Professor of Mathematics, Kent), Suzanne Hess (Professor of English, Kent), Dana Kuehn (Professor of Psychology, Kent), Matthew Lany (Professor of English, South), Richard Lee (Professor of Mathematics, Downtown), Patti Levine-Brown (Professor of English and Reading, South), John Mullins (Professor of Biology, South), Stephanie Powers (Professor of English, Downtown), William Radulovich (Professor of Mathematics, Kent), William Robichaud (Professor of Biology, South), David Seal (Lab Manager, North), Susan Slavicz (Professor of English, South), and Julianne Stratmann (Professor of Psychology, North). Participating librarians during Phase II of Academus include Art Chiang (Kent), Barbara Markham (South), Victoria McGlone (North), Ken Puckett (Kent), Barbara Salvage (South), and Judy Stephenson (South). Participating faculty during both Phase I and
Phase II of Academus include Participants in the new test development phase of Academus include Nancy Bullard (Professor of English, North), Paul Kleinpoppen (Professor of English, South), Gencie Rucker (Professor of Humanities, Deerwood), Haylan Washington (Professor of Mathematics, Kent), and Jerry Wisner (Professor of Psychology, South). For further information contact Kathleen Ciez-Volz. Out With the Old — In With the New (Or at Least Revised) The IT Futures Group has undergone some revisions and has been renamed the Learning Technologies Futures Group. Its purpose/goals are to look to the future regarding potentially effectives uses of new learning technologies — while seeking currently to facilitate effective uses of learning/motivation research and theory and technology to improve student learning and retention. It is composed of a Steering Committee and standing committees of eight members each — half faculty and half staff, representative of the College campuses. The Futures Group is advisory to the Executive Vice President for Instruction and Student Services. The Steering Committee is composed of the co-chairs of the standing committees. This includes Richard Greene (Professor of English, Kent) and Jean Riddle (Professor of Mathematics, North), Co-Chairs of the Committee on Teaching & Learning Technologies; Tracy Pierce (AVP, Marketing & Communications) and Janice Hilyard (Dean of the Virtual College), Co-Chairs of the Committee on Student Services & Learning Technologies; Merry Carter (Professor of Medical Laboratory Technology, North) and Rod Cruz (Director, Professional Development), Co-Chairs of the Committee on Professional Development &r Learning Technologies; and Rusty Gardner (Manager, Applied Center for Instructional Design) and John Mullins (Professor of Biology, South), Co-Chairs of the Committee on Learning Technologies Infrastructure. Maggie Cabral-Maly (AVP, Liberal Arts) serves as ex-officio member of all standing committees. The Steering Committee is chaired by Jack Chambers (Director, Program Development for Instructional Technology). The major thrust of the Futures Group this fall will be the development of a three year plan to make the most effective uses of learning technologies at the College. This will be done in concert with College goals and the recently published Florida Community College Long Range Technology Plan. To ensure that all concerned are consulted in this planning process, a questionnaire will be distributed electronically to each faculty and staff member in the near future. The plan will be developed based on the results of the questionnaire study and the discussions of the Futures Groups committees, taking into consideration the published literature in the area. The plan is expected to be forwarded for consideration by the Executive Vice President early in Spring Term. Contact Jack Chambers or any member of the LT Futures Group if you have questions or suggestions. Online Professor Certificate Program The number of enrollees in the Online Professor Certificate Program has now reached 117 (full-time and adjuncts, about equally divided). This is an ongoing program — full-time faculty and adjuncts may enroll at any time. For further information contact Jack Chambers. To register for the program, e-mail Brenda Baldree. Ah, My Electronic TA, Grade These 250 Essays — Quickly!! And you thought it couldn’t be done … the latest innovative use of technology at Florida Community College is happening almost as you read. Six Communications faculty (read basic skills and ENC 1102/1102 teachers), facilitated by Dean Charles Smires (South), are working with Vantage Learning of Pennsylvania in a partnership to “adjust” the company’s software so that it will “grade” — or “score” if you prefer — paragraphs written by students in basic skills courses and essays written by students in ENC 1101 and 1102. The software is already available. The trick is to make it work so that it scores the same way our faculty do. To make this happen, 250 pre-scored paragraphs and 250 pre-scored essays will be forwarded to the company to enable appropriate adjustments to the software to be made. When completed, students in these courses will be able to submit practice paragraphs and essays online which will be scored and the results returned to the students as quickly as you can read this sentence. Yes, it can be done … we hope. More later. Online Course Development Program A total of 36 College-owned courses have been developed under this program, and most are being taught online this term. Funding permitting, 20 more are anticipated to be developed this year. Watch for an e-mail announcement later this month. As a result of College support and student interest, the following fall online course enrollments have occurred:
Watch for news about developments in this program in the next update. |
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