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

Sustainable Learning, Accessible Technologies, & Diverse Contexts

faculty

Jump in! Jumpstarting university faculty to develop online courses

Session Description
This general forum session will share Jumpstart, a program developed by the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Distance Course Design and Consulting Group (DCDC) to assist faculty with designing online courses and programs. Over the past 10 years, DCDC has been contracted by university departments and programs to assist with hundreds of online course development projects. In an effort to reduce departmental costs and openly share best practices, DCDC developed Jumpstart.

Jumpstart is an accelerated training and support program blending online and face-to-face elements for faculty designing online courses. The online portion of Jumpstart consists of development tools and an inspiration showcase located on the Jumpstart website (https://learn.coe.hawaii.edu/jumpstart). The tools are a set of open, custom-designed, development tools including an online course rubric, templates for blueprinting, modules, and syllabi. The inspiration showcase includes ideas for online activities and assignments including work samples, tool recommendations, screenshots, instructions, and faculty videos. The face-to-face portion of Jumpstart includes custom workshops culminating in a sharing of work accomplished. One-to-one assistance is offered throughout to address specific faculty development needs.

This session will share with participants the open tools and highlight examples from the inspiration showcase. Jumpstart has been conducted with 17 faculty members from 3 programs redesigning their face-to-face courses for online delivery. Lessons learned, evaluation results and practical implications for others designing online courses will be shared. Participants will be invited to participate in a discussion on online course development tools, favorite examples and relevant experiences.

Presenter(s)
Ariana Eichelberger
Ariana Eichelberger, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Ariana Eichelberger is an Associate Specialist and Instructional Designer in the College of Education. Ari manages the Instructional Support Group of the College and coordinates the College’s faculty professional development program. As a faculty member of the Department of Learning Design and Technology, Ari teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in instructional design and technology integration. She is also an instructional designer with the COE’s Distance Course Design and Consulting group (DCDC).
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.

Creating a sense of community outside the classroom for online college students

Session Description
Online college students often struggle with issues related to isolation based on the inherent nature of online courses. There is extensive research on strategies to help create engagement within the online classroom to help students feel more connected. However, there is limited research on what can be done by faculty, in addition to the academic activity in the online classroom, to help their students feel connected and enhance the learning experience. Research indicates that education outside the online classroom and creating engagement opportunities beyond the classroom are essential to ensure growth for online students throughout their college career (Chapman, 2016).
The goal of this presentation will be to discuss and elicit participant interaction based on the following questions:

  1. What is the importance of creating a sense of community for online students outside of the classroom?
  2. What methods can be used to create this sense of community?
  3. What social media outlets are best suited for engaging online students outside of the classroom and what are the implications?

As part of this discussion, the authors will share some specific options for connection opportunities that faculty could incorporate, such as Facebook groups and an accountability partner program. In addition to faculty-initiated programs, they will discuss other strategies which could be part of a University-wide program including group study sessions, alumni mentoring programs, and internal avenues for networking and group discussions. As Full-Time Faculty at one of the largest distance education universities in the United States, the authors have researched this topic as part of an action research project connected to implementing opportunities for students to connect and engage outside of the online classroom.

Presenter(s)
Tracy Crawford
Tracy Crawford, University of Phoenix, Carlsbad, CA, USA
Tracy Crawford earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business at Illinois Wesleyan University in 1996. She also has a Master’s degree in Education – Curriculum & Instruction/Adult Education Distance Learning and completed a Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Education Program, where she earned her Elementary teaching certificate and English as a Second Language endorsement. Tracy taught at the Elementary level for several years before transitioning into higher education and has now been in the field of Higher Education for 15 years. Currently, Tracy is a full-time faculty member at University of Phoenix in the College of General Studies teaching a foundational skills for college success course and critical thinking for Associates and Bachelors students. Tracy also facilitates faculty trainings for the University of Phoenix.
Jennifer Romano
Jennifer Romano, University of Phoenix, Daphne, AL, USA
Jennifer Romano is a graduate of Auburn University, receiving her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Mass Communication. Upon graduating she became an adjunct professor at The University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama, followed by a full time instructor at Faulkner State Community College (now Coastal Community College) in Gulf Shores, Alabama. She taught communication and public speaking courses at both colleges. Then in 2007 Jennifer became a full time faculty member at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, followed by Herzing University in Birmingham, Alabama; she was an instructor of mass communication, public speaking and humanities course. In 2013 Jennifer became a full time faculty member at University of Phoenix, where she is currently working as a full time instructor of General Studies and Humanities (critical thinking) courses. She has over 15 years of experience with online instruction and LOVES being an instructor at University of Phoenix!
Lauren Critchley
Lauren Critchley, University of Phoenix, Bonaire, GA, USA
Lauren Critchley earned her Bachelor of Arts in English at Brigham Young University in 1994 and her Master of Arts in English at University of North Florida (UNF) in 1997. While completing graduate school at UNF, Lauren taught developmental reading and writing at Florida Gateway College in Lake City, Florida. After graduating from UNF, Lauren accepted a full-time faculty position at the University of West Georgia. Lauren has since taught writing, speech, reading, and literature courses at Richland Community College in Illinois, Roane State Community College in Tennessee, and Brigham Young University in Idaho. In 2013, Lauren accepted a full-time teaching position with University of Phoenix where she currently teaches introductory writing courses along with college skills and critical thinking courses. Lauren has over 20 years of experience teaching in higher education with 8 of those years in online education.
Session Type
20-Minute Session
Audience
All Audiences

A recording of this presentation is available.
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Usability Study of a Student-Centered Career Resource Website for Faculty and Staff

Session Description
What do you want to be when you grow up? That ten-word question resonates in the mind of a child. It is asked by an influencer such as a parent, coach, friend, mentor, and educator. More often than not University of Hawaiʻi Maui College (UHMC) campus support services and course instructors are approached by students unsure of their major or future career choice. It is okay to be uncertain, but time and money are considered a significant cost associated with these types of ambiguities.

The internet provides an abundance of career-related tools and resources, yet lacks streamlined access, campus-specific essentials, and cultural components. The purpose of this usability study was to evaluate a website of self-assessment tools and career-related resources for UHMC faculty and staff who actively assists students in career exploration, planning, and decision-making. Principles of instructional design and multimedia learning were incorporated during the website design and implementation process.

Following rounds one and two of usability testing, revisions were made to the prototype based on participant feedback. Adjustments contributed to decreased response times for seven of the nine total tasks completed during round three. Overall responses indicate positive results of the website design layout, navigation, ease of use, and effectiveness including the application of the website as a go-to resource tool. This session will discuss design, development and modification of the website, participant data, results of the usability study, and lessons learned.

Presenter(s)
Hōkū Hobbs
Hōkū Hobbs, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Waiehu, Hawaiʻi, USA
Hōkū grew up in Waiehu, Hawaiʻi. Upon receiving her B.S. in Recreation Management and minor in Sociology from Brigham Young University-Provo, she then completed an internship with the United States Navy at NAS Jacksonville, Florida. She credits her internship experience as the gateway to opportunities that lead to successful career paths dreamed about as a child. She also acknowledges the support received from family, hometown and transient communities for the encouragement to experience the world. Away for many years, she was thrilled to return home which she viewed as an opportunity to give back to the community who supported her. She is a third-year LTEC master’s student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa who actively assist Maui County and UH Maui College students’ with career exploration.
Session Type
20-Minute LTEC Student Session
Audience
All Audiences

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