24th Annual TCC | Online Conference | April 16-18, 2019

Sustainable Learning, Accessible Technologies, & Diverse Contexts

20-Minute Session

Your A+tention Please: A Mass Lecture App to Increase Instructor and Student Engagement

Session Description
In a mass lecture, university setting with over one hundred students, it is not possible for instructors to know how each student feels or if students understand the information or have any questions. The environment created by the size of the class could negatively affect student learning if proper communication or support is not established. We wanted to create a communication app that would help to provide support for students in these learning environments.

Using a generative research approach, we collected data through observations and interviews to understand what students need. We then used this data to inform the features of prototypes that we created, tested, and modified. This led to our mass lecture app, the A+tention app, with five main features: quick notifications to the instructor, the ability to view and take notes on lecture slides, flash card game, seating map, and the ability to leave comments and questions for others in the course anonymously.

We would like to share our research process, features of the A+tention app, and the future of this app, in hopes of bringing more attention to the mass lecture learning environment, creating a conversation around our app, and inspiring more technologies that can help improve learning for all.

Presenter(s)
Jaymian Urashima
Jaymian Urashima, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Jaymian (Jaymi) Urashima is currently a PhD student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the Learning Design and Technology (LTEC) department. She completed her BA and MA at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the Communicology department. Jaymi currently works as an Instructor/Course Director in the Communicology department, where she teaches public speaking, instructional communication, professional presentations, and human communication and technology courses.
James Balicao
James Balicao, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
James Balicao is currently a M.Ed. student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the Learning Design and Technology (LTEC) department. He completed his BA in Journalism at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s School of Communications. James currently works as an Institutional Support Officer for the Technology & Distance Programs and LTEC department. He also teaches Cultural Workshop courses to Kapiolani Community College’s short-term international programs.
Karen Fujii
Karen Fujii, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Karen Fujii is currently a PhD student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the Learning Design and Technology (LTEC) department at the College of Education. She completed her MA in LTEC and BA in Communications and Media at the University of North Florida. She also has a graduate certificate in Online Teaching and Learning (COLT). Karen currently works as the Director of Marketing and Communications at Seattle University. She is also on the BOLT (Blended Online Learning & Teaching) team and works with faculty to change their face-to-face curriculum into a collaborative online learning environment.
Session Type
20-Minute Session
Audience
All Audiences

A recording of this presentation is available.
Click the button to the right to access the session archive.

Access/download any related materials/handouts
from this session by clicking the button on the right.

Online Tutoring & Learning for Technology-Related Business Courses

Session Description
The Business and Information Systems Department at the Bronx Community College (BCC)/The City University of New York (CUNY), offered online tutoring service for technology-related courses utilizing asynchronous (the Announcements, the Discussion Forum, and Journals in Blackboard, and Email) and synchronous tools using an interactive whiteboard and instant message capabilities in real time (Blackboard Collaborate Ultra). The paper summarizes the procedures and findings in online tutoring/learning in the Fall semester of 2018 and recommendations for the future. Many studies show that the ideal solution for online learning is a blended learning model with asynchronous (the Announcements, the Discussion Forum, and Journals in Blackboard, and Email) and synchronous interaction using an interactive whiteboard and instant message capabilities in real time (Blackboard Collaborate Ultra).

Blackboard Collaborate Ultra is now browser-based, which ensures ease in entering a session with the synchronous virtual classroom tool. It also has features such as text and voice chat, PowerPoint slideshow delivery, and desktop sharing.It was the first-time for most students using Blackboard Collaborate as a resource for tutoring which was difficult for them to adopt since they are used to in-person tutoring. In addition to it, it was too much for one tutor, who is new in online tutoring, to deal with 7 courses with 20 sections this semester. As the semester goes on, the tutor got busier and his schedules got harder to coordinate.

Overall, finding success in this environment of online tutoring can sometimes be challenges. This is because of lack of physical contact to see how students react to what they are tutored on. This makes it difficult for the tutor to gauge if students understood what they thought.

Presenter(s)
Kwi Park-Kim
Kwi Park-Kim, Bronx Community College/The City University of New York, Bronx, New York, USA

  • Program Coordinator for Computer Information Systems (CIS); the Medical Office Assistant Program; and Office Administration and Technology, 2011 to present
  • Director, Faculty Development and Training (FDIP), 1996 -2002
Session Type
20-Minute Session
Audience
All Audiences

A recording of this presentation is available.
Click the button to the right to access the session archive.

Access/download any related materials/handouts
from this session by clicking the button on the right.

Promoting a Multicultural Learning Environment in the Online Classroom and University

Session Description
Gollnick & Chinn (2017) write that “[m]ulticultural education is a construct that acknowledges the diversity of students and their families and builds on the diversity to promote equality and social justice in education” (p. 19). For multicultural education “to become a reality in the formal school situation, the total environment must reflect a commitment to multicultural education” (Gollnick & Chinn, 2017, p. 25). For the online educator who often works off-site with a diverse, international student population, this might seem challenging. Thankfully, Gollnick & Chinn (2017) provide a framework from which the online educator and the online institution can actively work to acknowledge and build upon student diversity in order to promote equity, equality, and social justice in all educational environments.

This session shares practical strategies for promoting a mindfully multicultural classroom in the online classroom and university. In order to best support the ultimate goal of improving the online learning experience, we explore the challenges and share strategies from a dual-sided lens. The session explores both student-focused and faculty-focused perspectives, tools, and strategies.

Presenter(s)
Jennifer Schneider
Jennifer Schneider, Southern New Hampshire University; Akilah Institute, Manchester, NH / Kigali, Rwanda, USA/Rwanda
Jennifer Schneider is an educator, attorney, and learner seeking more equitable systems. She earned her J.D. degree from New York University School of Law. She earned an M.Ed. (Learning and Technology) and an MSCIN (Curriculum and Instruction) from Western Governors University. She is currently working on her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of South Carolina’s College of Education.
Session Type
20-Minute Session
Audience
All Audiences

A recording of this presentation is available.
Click the button to the right to access the session archive.

Access/download any related materials/handouts
from this session by clicking the button on the right.

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Metaverse

Session Description
Join us as we explore learning in the Metaverse. Discover how to visit remote destinations where you do not have an account to attend free conferences, scholarly workshops, social events, and shop. This session is for educators, instructional designers, librarians and administrators who wish to tour the Metaverse or for those who wish to create formal online learning spaces or informal community centers for their online students. We’ll explore free software, how to pack your digital suitcase, and how to share content while on virtual field trips. Questions and ideas are welcome!
Presenter(s)
Cynthia Calongne
Cynthia Calongne, Colorado Technical University, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Cynthia Calongne is a Professor of Doctoral Studies at Colorado Technical University. Prior to teaching, she served as a software engineer for Air Force Space Command. Since 1995, she researched usability in virtual environments and pioneered 52 university classes held in virtual worlds. In 2017, she received the Thinkerer Award for lifetime achievement from the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education, and her team won the $25,000 grand prize at Defense GameTech for their space simulation, the Mars Expedition Strategy Challenge. She collaborated with Will Wright’s team to design Bar Karma, a television series. Under her avatar, Lyr Lobo, she conducts research in virtual world simulation, education, and game design.
Session Type
20-Minute Session
Audience
Novice, Intermediate

A recording of this presentation is available.
Click the button to the right to access the session archive.

Access/download any related materials/handouts
from this session by clicking the button on the right.

Virtual reality applications: Is it feasible in an online learning environment?

Session Description
Virtual reality applications such as Second Life have been used in the online classroom for many years. And although the literature is mixed on the learning outcomes of using virtual reality applications, the popularity among students is quite high. In fact, according to a study conducted by Johnson, Corazzini, and Shaw (2011), “for distance and online education students, virtual environments help create a sense of belonging, an academic home.” Much of the literature supports the use of virtual reality applications with learning theories such as behaviorism and constructivism. However, a more appropriate correlation might be the theory of Connectivism. This theory was first introduced by George Siemens in 2004 and is defined as “the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-organization theories.” The theory of Connectivism has also been applied to the emerging technologies put forth in Web 3.0. These Web 3.0 technologies are more of a back-end upgrade not completely visible to learners but contain “smart” technologies that will continue the connection in operability between front-end virtual applications such as Second Life and other web sites. With this in mind, educators and decision-makers should consider the feasibility of implementing virtual reality applications, the learning outcomes, and desirability of students. It is clear that the desire from students for more virtual reality learning options in the online classroom is there. This presentation will explore the feasibility of using virtual reality applications against the theory of Connectivism, emerging Web 3.0 technologies, and learning outcomes in the online classroom.
Presenter(s)
Lori Brooks
Lori Brooks, University of Phoenix, AZ, USA
Dr. Brooks is currently a full time faculty member at the University of Phoenix teaching undergraduate introductory courses. She also teaches graduate courses in Education. Dr. Brooks holdsa PhD in e-Learning Leadership and a Master of Science in Management. She has over 15 years of experience in the online learning environment.
Judy Drilling
Judy Drilling, University of Phoenix, Tempe, USA
Session Type
20-Minute Session
Audience
Novice

A recording of this presentation is available.
Click the button to the right to access the session archive.

Access/download any related materials/handouts
from this session by clicking the button on the right.