The following updates are from the DLIT Department for the week ending May 4th.
Community
This area includes international, national, regional, state, and local activities.
- SP8 Office Hours Conference Call Held
- Final Bb A4L (Analytics for Learn) Conference Call Held
Department Action Projects & College Action Projects
This area includes accomplishments or milestones regarding Departmental and College Action Project(s).
- Project 1 – Extend DL Program
- CO246 was recommended by the Online Course Review Committee and was approved for offering online.
- OHCC Begins on Friday
- Project 2 – Enhance Classroom and Instructional Technologies
- n/a
- Project 3 – Extend Blackboard Learn, Content, Community
- Bb SP8 Pilot Continues
Other Work within Your Department
This area includes accomplishments, milestones, or comments from within the department.
- n/a
DLIT Staff Reports
This area includes accomplishments, milestones, or comments from DLIT staff that is not included in the work outlined in the Department and College Action Projects area and categories above.
- Eric Kunnen
- Authored OHCC Post Highlighting Newly Certified Faculty – http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/congratulations-to-grccs-newly-online-certified-faculty/
- Authored post about Cheryl’s Blackboard Exemplary Course Award – http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/congratulations-to-professor-cheryl-kautz-blackboard-exemplary-course-award-winner/
- Bb SP8 – Faculty support and monitoring of system for issues. Submitted tickets along with MN to Bb support.
- A4L Field Trial Closing Meeting – Over 100 requests and enhancements were submitted.
Schools involved in field trial program included: Montgomery County CC, Grand Rapids CC, University of Maryland of Baltimore County - Bb SP8 Office Hours Support Call – Discussed with the Bb community common issues and best practices in the deployment of SP8. This work is connected to our pilot going on now.
- Submitted Project Request for iTunes U via the PMO Office
- ETOM Board Meeting – Participated in an ETOM meeting about the upcoming Spring and Fall conferences.
- Lunch with Chris Etesse SVP Blackboard of Student Services
- Worked with MW on researching status and tracking course development for online.
- Held FIRST EOL Faculty Meeting with New Faculty for 12-13 (Ann Alexander, Garry Brand, Lisa Gloege, Gary Ebels, Eric Kunnen, and Jose Mora attended) Outlined needs for summer to include (with Ann lead coordinator for this work):
1) OHCC
2) Summer Technology Institute
3) Bb Basics and Grade Center Online Session and On Campus Facilitators
4) Other sessions related to Dropins, Blackboard, Relay, or other? - Edited pages for Teaching Online /dlresources
- SP8 Ongoing Maintenance and Followup with Instructors on Tickets
- Requested funds for Cheryl to attend BbWorld to Receive the Bb Exemplary Award and Present in a Session
- Provided deans with the “top 8 from DLIT list”1) Online Enrollment Increases & Stats
2) Teaching Online @ GRCC Web Page
3) UDL – Universal Design Web Page
4) OHCC Course Begins (Friday with 20 Registered)
5) OHCC Ends (Last Friday with 12 Certified Faculty)
6) Cheryl Kautz – Blackboard Exemplary Course Award Winner Highlighted
7) Bb Pilot of Service Pack 8 Begins Notice
8) DLIT EOL Faculty Begin! (Welcome new team!)
- Meegan Willi
- Met with Jianchu Chen on April 26th, this was our first meeting regarding the development of PL 202 for online delivery. Jianchu will be developing this course over the summer.
- Met with Mary Godfrey on April 26th to help her update and prepare an online course for this summer. The course was developed by her colleague, and she was using the template for the first time.
- The Online Course Review Committee met on May 2nd and completed the review for CO 246. This course was officially approved that day for online delivery.
- Updated the DLIT Online Development Master Excel file – emailed faculty who did not have semesters listed for development to get a status update. Assisted Penni and Eric with housekeeping around course developments such as what courses have been paid for development but are still outstanding, and what courses have been finished and approved.
- Met with the Summer DLIT EOL Faculty for a kick-off meeting on May 2nd.
- Assisted other faculty drop ins and emails and submitted tracking forms to http://www.grcc.edu/tracking- 11 faculty regarding the Grade Center, SafeAssign downloads, sharing tests, Camtasia Relay, how to get a new course template created, linking to an organization, and Summer No Show Policy.
- Jose Mora
-
- Participated in commencement as Honor Marshall
- Attended Annual Employee Recognition
- Worked with Foundation Office for the possibility of creating a scholastic based scholarship
- Attended Project Management meeting
- Video recorded video for Klass Kwant for South High Scholarship Alumi event
- Archived various documents: community partner agreements, Honors Contracts, Service Learning time sheets
- Designate honors designation for students whom completed honors contract
- Processed reimbursements
- Met with Derek to prepare for DLIT marketing campaign
- Working with printing, Amanda, to produce marketing materials
- Spoke with Criterion representative about the services they provide
- Answered DLIT email:
- I was looking to take a few courses through GRCC online this summer, and I don’t know if these courses are available online
- I’m enrolled in Summer semester, which starts Monday, and I still have no courses added in to my blackboard. I was just confused and concerned about why that is?
- I need help deciding a major. I have a lot of questions, just don’t know where to start.
- I am interested in the Information Security – Computer and Information Systems Security (CIP Code 11.1003) program. Is there a timeline for the fully online course to go live?
-
- Student Worker
- n/a
EOL Faculty Reports
This area includes accomplishments, milestones, or comments from EOL faculty in the department.
- Lisa Gloege
- Kickoff Meeting with DLIT
- Gary Ebels
- Kickoff Meeting with DLIT
- Garret Brand
- Kickoff Meeting with DLIT
- 12 DLIT Hours – http://www.editgrid.com/user/gbrand/hours
DLIT Tracking Table
- n/a
Congratulations to the following faculty for successfully completing the Online and Hybrid Certification Course at GRCC! This is an outstanding achievement and is an important part of expanding distance learning at the college.
In fact, online learning continues to grow at GRCC with over 5,100 student enrollments this Winter semester in online courses. This represents a 20% increase in one year. Furthermore, according to the 2011 Survey of Online Learning, the number of students taking at least one online course has now surpassed 6 million with nearly 1/3 of all students in higher education are taking at least one online course. This trend, along with GRCC’s Distance Learning College Action Project’s purpose which is to expand the college’s online learning program so that 25% of the courses at GRCC are offered in the online and hybrid format demonstrates the commitment to distance learning.
The Department of Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies would like to recognize the following faculty in their recent Online & Hybrid Certification!
These faculty join over 300 of their colleagues in advancing the next generation of teaching and learning through online courses!
| John Butler | English |
| Jianchu Chen | Language and Thought |
| Candace Dubay | English |
| Lyna Goto | Biology |
| Sheryl Iott | Music |
| James Keating | Visual Arts |
| Julie Lackscheide | Radiologic Technology |
| Chris Loiselle | Business |
| Sean Mackey | English |
| Kristin McKenzie | Business |
| Rana Woodhull | Busines |
| Ennis Young | Psychology |
The Online & Hybrid Certification Course is a 5 week certification course that provides faculty with skills, techniques, and strategies to prepare, design, and teach online courses. Thanks to Garry Brand (Business Department Professor and DLIT Lead Faculty Facilitator), Meegan Willi (DLIT Instructional Technologist/Designer), and Tim Koets and Luann Keizer (Computer Applications Department and DLIT Faculty Facilitators) for being the facilitators of the OHCC course. And to the Center for Teaching Excellence for providing the registration and logistics that makes this training a success.
Interested in joining your peers and becoming certified to teach online at GRCC? Check out the Teaching Online web page at DLIT here: http://www.grcc.edu/distancelearning , the OHCC syllabus here: http://www.grcc.edu/ohccsyllabus and consult the CTE webpage for upcoming trainings: http://www.grcc.edu/ctereg
Attendees: Bill Frikken, Meegan Willi, Garry Brand, Mark Nordblom, Eric Kunnen
Agenda:
1) Language Pack Customization Request for Copyright (Research)
- This is technically possible in a future version of Blackboard. The current implementation of the new VTBE doesn’t support custom language packs.
2) Summer Course Availability on Monday (Timing)
- S12 course available on Sunday night at 10PM on production.
- W12 courses will continue to be available for another few weeks.
- W12 courses will be made unavailable on pilot server.
3) BB.ORIENT Automation Correction Needs Remaining (Move to BB.ORIENT.S12 Model?)
- Script change is needed for S12.
- Eric will inquire with David to check on this project and how it relates to PMO with a need.
4) Upcoming Bb Webinars on Automation
- Mark and Bill are planning to attend these next week.
5) Making the iTunes U Project “Official” (We talked about this on December 7?)
- Project manager needs to be assigned to this. Eric will inquire with David and Darcy about the status that we started back in December.
6) Performance and Monitoring of SP8 for Pilot
- Mark cleaned up disk space and performance improved.
7) Checklist Issues for SP8
- Mark will work on placing changes and tracking them in asana.
Grand Rapids Community College’s Cheryl Kautz
Wins Blackboard Catalyst Award!
Award Recognizes Outstanding Development of Community Best Practices
Through Innovative Course Design
Pictured from left to right: Meegan Willi (Instructional Designer/Technologist), Eric Kunnen (Director, Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies), Cheryl Kautz (Computer Applications Professor), Luann Keizer (Computer Applications Professor and DLIT Faculty Facilitator), and Garry Brand (Business Applications Professor and DLIT Faculty Facilitator Coordinator)
Cheryl Kautz, Computer Applications Professor at GRCC was recently named a winner of a Blackboard Catalyst Award for Exemplary Course Program, which honors members of the community who design and develop exciting and innovative courses that represent the very best in technology and learning!
Part of the annual Blackboard Catalyst Awards program since 2000, the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Award highlights technologically rich, engaging, well designed, and pedagogically sound courses that showcase best practices for the user community. Over 151 entries were evaluated in a rigorous peer-review process by more than 250 faculty and instructional designers. Submissions were judged on the following components: course design, interaction, collaboration, assessment and learner support.
The Blackboard Catalyst Awards program annually recognizes and honors innovation and excellence in the Blackboard global community of practice, where teachers and learners work every day to redefine what is possible when leveraging technology.
“Taking a course that I teach in the classroom and converting it for online instruction was both fun and challenging. The Blackboard Exemplary Course Program (ECP) helped ensure the course structure and design met the highest standards for usability, accessibility, and student engagement with equal amounts of work and no compromise in quality. The uses of multiple technologies including Blackboard Collaborate and Instant Messaging for virtual office hours, along with mobile phone alerts to keep students up-to-date, all enhance the learning process. The Grand Rapids Community College Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies (DLIT) team and the professors in the Computer Applications department provided the support, instruction, and resources for me to build an effective online course. Their expertise and dedication are invaluable.” – Award Winning GRCC Professor, Cheryl Kautz
“We applaud the Blackboard Catalyst Award winners and their accomplishments,” said Ray Henderson, Chief Technology Officer and President of Academic Platforms for Blackboard. “Their work represents some of the most innovative thinking in education today, and offers great models for how technology can help shape an improved education experience. We congratulate the award winners for their leadership, creativity and passion that is clearly evident in their work.”
Cheryl Kautz, Computer Applications professor at GRCC will be honored alongside 37 other Exemplary Course Program winners during BbWorld®, Blackboard’s annual user conference to be held in July in New Orleans, La.
The following updates are from the DLIT Department for the week ending April 13th.
Community
This area includes international, national, regional, state, and local activities.
- n/a
Department Action Projects & College Action Projects
This area includes accomplishments or milestones regarding Departmental and College Action Project(s).
- Project 1 – Extend DL Program
- The following faculty are OHCC certified:1. John Butler
2. Jianchu Chen
3. Candace Dubay
4. Lyna Goto
5. Sheryl Iott
6. James Keating
7. Julie Lackscheide
8. Chris Loiselle
9. Sean Mackey
10. Kristin McKenzie
11. Rana Woodhull
12. Ennis Young
- The following faculty are OHCC certified:1. John Butler
- Project 2 – Enhance Classroom and Instructional Technologies
- n/a
- Project 3 – Extend Blackboard Learn, Content, Community
- n/a
Other Work within Your Department
This area includes accomplishments, milestones, or comments from within the department.
- n/a
DLIT Staff Reports
This area includes accomplishments, milestones, or comments from DLIT staff that is not included in the work outlined in the Department and College Action Projects area and categories above.
- Eric Kunnen
- Student Welcome Letter – Worked with Jose M to send out student DL welcome letter as well as to edit the narrative.
- Faculty Teaching Online Letter – Worked with Meegan to send out a DL faculty letter to remind them of semester transition as well as new
- Enhancing Student Site (Online at GRCC) – Worked to clean up narrative and overall website to streamline information to students. See: http://www.grcc.edu/online
- SP8 Pilot – Worked with DLIT team to host pilot lunch for faculty. Established Bb Organization site for Pilot group. Assisted in configuration of SP8 server.
- DL CAP – Worked on draft edits for the strategy plan. Worked with CAP team to review the strategy plan at the CAP meeting. A draft is planned to be developed this summer.
- Online Policy for Campus Requirements – Investigated and researched policies around requiring students to attend a face to face session if enrolled in an online class.
- EOL Faculty Meeting – Worked with a team to investigate potential of using a Bb organization site for EOL faculty updates.
- Proclarity – Spent time using Bb Analytics for Learn via Proclarity in accessing data about distance learning courses and system usage by faculty.
- ISIS Directors Meeting – Met with the ISIS directors to discuss EOL faculty work, CTE director, and closing of semester topics.
- Attended OHCC Final Presentations – Participated in the final presentations for the OHCC on Friday.
- ISIS Meeting – Partcipated in the ISIS meeting on Friday to discuss end of semester and reflect on overall work for the unit.
- Meegan Willi
- Attended the Blackboard Team Meeting on April 19th
- Watched the Accessibility for Online Learning webinar on April 19
- Attended the DLCAP Meeting on April 20th
- Attended the OHCC Final Presentations on April 20th
- Viewed the online OHCC Final Presentations on April 23rd
- Attended that Blackboard 9.1 Service Pack 8 Kick-off Lunch on April 25th
- Attended a webinar, Campus Pack Overview for Michigan Community College Association, on April 25th
- Met with Carol J. to help with entering final grades
- Assisted other faculty drop ins and emails and submitted tracking forms to http://www.grcc.edu/tracking – 17 faculty regarding course copy, questions on archiving courses, printing the Blackboard Grade Center, YouTube Mashups, adding instructors, question on the difference between View Grades and the Grade Center, assessment item analysis, Blackboard Connect, set review status, Camtasia Relay and StudyMate.
- Jose Mora
- Open up remaining MCCVLC sections
- Kryterion Conference Call
- Attended DL CAP meeting
- Attended ISIS meeting
- Answered DLIT e-mails
- I would like to take an online class this summer
- Help me get access to the course syllabus
- How to apply to this online program
- Do you have online/PSEO classes available in the music engineering or production?
- I would like to do some online courses but I am not sure if you have the online courses I would like to take.
- I need 2 classes to complete my bachelors degree. I found the math class available. I would like to do both online if possible.
- On my online Student Center it says I am registered for five classes for the summer. However, when I log into Blackboard, the only thing that shows up in my “Courses” is the orientation, and none of my actual classes. Some of them start next Monday, so I am really concerned that I am going to miss something important if they are not on my blackboard page. Is there a particular reason for this, and what should I do to remedy the situation?
- Please help with logging into Blackboard account for the first time.
- I need to request a transcript. Who do I get into contact with to get that?
- Student Worker
- n/a
EOL Faculty Reports
This area includes accomplishments, milestones, or comments from EOL faculty in the department.
- Luann Keizer
- Attended Bb Pilot Meeting
- Tim Koets
- OHCC Final Presentations
- Attended Bb Pilot Meeting
- Garret Brand
- Facilitated OHCC Final Presentations
- Provided feedback, final grades and certifications status to OHCC and appropriate parties were notified.
- Investigated and updated Flipped Classroom resources at http://www.grcc.edu/flippedclassroom .
- Attended Bb Pilot Meeting
- Attended Blackboard Team Meeting.
- Testing Blackboard 9.1 Service Pack 8, troubleshooting and submitting ticket.
- Attending Learning Objects webinar from the MCCA.
- Met with faculty member regarding next OHCC.
- Attended DL CAP meeting on Friday, April 20, 2012.
- Attended ISIS meeting on Friday, April 20, 2012.
- Assisted faculty and submitted tracking forms to http://www.grcc.edu/tracking.
DLIT Tracking Table
- n/a
In attendance: Garry Brand, Bill Frikken, Eric J. Kunnen, Mark Nordblom, Meegan Willi
SP8 Pilot
- Summer begins April 30th
- Automation – bb and bb18 are in sync; students who enroll are on Garry’s roster and in Blackboard, drops are dropped properly, except there are two extra users currently in Blackboard, but not on the class roster in PeopleSoft, not even on the drop roster.
- Bill will look into this today.
- Hardware, application wise
- It is a little laggy.
- We need to be aware that the VM does not have the same specifications as the current production server hardware.
- Discussion board issue is still an issue for Garry.
- Snapshot began running on bb18 yesterday.
- Garry will monitor the drops in his classes to see if everything works as expected.
- When do we have to cut off the VM and when do we have to install SP8 onto Production for the Fall?
- Grades are due Wednesday, August 15th
- Our test environment is available so that we could keep the pilot courses doing through the entire semester on bb18 and use the test server for anything we need to try before upgrading production.
- By mid-June the first seven week classes will be done, and we should be ready to start upgrading test to SP8.
- Test course creation and then the upgrade from SP6 to SP8 on test.
- Timeline
- bb (prod) – F12 created on 7/27; upgrade to SP8 on Thursday 8/16
- bb18 (pilot) – bring VM out of service on Thursday 8/16
- bb16 (test) -F12 courses on 7/27; upgrade to SP8 by Friday 6/15
- Communication to faculty will be key – particularly since the courses will look different and the server will be taken down two weeks before the semester start. (Postcard)
- Known issues
-
- Take a look at known issues
- Go through instructor and student acceptance lists
- Strategy to stay in contact with pilot faculty – lunch meetings – one before the pilot begins and one later on in the summer.
-
- Kick-off – show features, tell them how to communicate their issues.
- Eric and Meegan will get the dates set
iTunesU
- Bill met with Dave on this project today to get this in the Project Management process
The following updates are from the DLIT Department for the week ending April 20th.
Community
This area includes international, national, regional, state, and local activities.
- ELI Online Spring Focus Session – DLIT participated in this event and hosted it in the CTE. There were 15 blog posts generated:The Online Student Profile Learning System: a Learner-Centered Approach to Learning Analytics and Title III
http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/student-profile-system/
Learning Analytics: The LMS Perspective
http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/learning-analytics-the-lms-perspective/
Key Stakeholders and Roles – Brainstorming Session for Learning Analytics
http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/key-stakeholders-and-roles-brainstorming-session-for-learning-analytics/
Learning Analytics: Dream or Nightmare?
http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/learning-analytics-dream-or-nightmare/
Project Round – Open Academic Analytics Initiative (OAAI): Leveraging Openness to Improve Learner Success
http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/project-round/
Starting from Scratch – Building Your Learner Analytic Capacity
http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/starting-from-scratch-building-your-learner-analytic-capacity/
Obligation of Knowing: Ethics of Data Collection and Analytics
http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/obligation-of-knowing-ethics-of-data-collection-and-analytics/
Analytics that Inform the University
http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/analytics-that-inform-the-university/
Learning Analytics Breakout
http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/learning-analytics-breakout/
LMS Data and Student Achievement: Which Variables Are Meaningful?
http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/lms-data-achievement/
Capturing Lectures AND Analytics!
http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/connectla2lc/
Using Learner Analytics to Identify and Promote Effective Teaching Practices
http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/using-learner-analytics-to-identify-and-promote-effective-teaching-practices/
ELI Project Round – Focus on Lecture Capture & Student Success Plans
http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/eli-project-round-focus-on-lecture-capture-student-success-plans/
Sensemaking: Beyond Analytics as a Technical Activity
http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/eli-sensemaking-learning-analytics/
Different Perspectives on Learning Analytics
http://dlitgroup.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/perspectives/
Department Action Projects & College Action Projects
This area includes accomplishments or milestones regarding Departmental and College Action Project(s).
- Project 1 – Extend DL Program
- PL 202 Approved by Deans Council Sub-Committee for Online Development
- Project 2 – Enhance Classroom and Instructional Technologies
- n/a
- Project 3 – Extend Blackboard Learn, Content, Community
- Blackboard Service Pack 8 Upgrade – Instructors are now working in the system and faculty are discovering many improvements and enhancements.
Other Work within Your Department
This area includes accomplishments, milestones, or comments from within the department.
- Donuts with DLIT - Julie H, Sandra A, Garry B, Fred V, Susan Y, Eric K, Meegan W, Marie B, Jose M, and a few other instructors attended. Great conversations about the flipped classroom and time for building relationships and rapport – over coffee and donuts.
DLIT Staff Reports
This area includes accomplishments, milestones, or comments from DLIT staff that is not included in the work outlined in the Department and College Action Projects area and categories above.
- Eric Kunnen
- Bb Connect Survey – Deployed a survey to collect information from students and faculty about the Blackboard Connect system for text, voice, and email notifications.
- State Authorization – Requested list of classes (from IRP) and students and states regarding this legislation for the VLC who is assisting in coordinating.
- Meeting with Communications for DL – Held a meeting with communications and printing services about the DL program. Discussed was the potential need for a DLIT Online student services coordinator for communications. Looking to move student website to consolidate and clean up messaging. Working to draft a communication plan. Include info about DL in Peoplesoft. At the meeting were: Eric K, Jose M, Amanda C, Lori C, Raul A, Malinda P, Vicki H, Eric M, Ed Sosa
- Online Courses Require F2F Campus Visits – Started conversation about online course student attendance requirements. This looks to be an issue that will need to be brought to Deans.
- Core Data Survey – Completed Core Data EDUCAUSE survey on comprehensive IT benchmarking.
- Faculty Pilot for Bb – Spent time with SP8 configuration and and instructor communication email.
- Bb Blog Post Highlighted – Guest post by Eric Kunnen, Director of Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies, Grand Rapids Community College, and a member of the Ask Dr. C program, a free question and answer service for Blackboard users. See: http://blog.blackboard.com/featured/enhancing-the-adoption-of-technology-through-faculty-communication
- Meegan Willi
- Attended ELI 2012 Spring Focus Session on Learning Analytics on April 11 and 12
- Attended Donuts & Distance Learning and Blackboard & Bagels on April 12
- Met with Cora B. and Marie B. for a Camtasia Relay Training on April 12
- Attended Blackboard Team Meeting on April 12
- Supported the OHCC Optional Friday Session on April 13
- Met with Ned Steinke from Blackboard to discuss Blackboard Collaborate – the pilot and potentials for the future – on April 17
- Met with the OT Faculty for a Q & A/training session on the Grade Center in Blackboard on April 17
- Met with Candace D. from the current OHCC for questions on building content in Blackboard
- Met with Garry B. to discuss flipped classroom models and potential alternatives to lecturing
- Developed resources for faculty teaching online; http://cms.grcc.edu/dlresources, Before the semester begins https://cms.grcc.edu/before, First week of Classes https://cms.grcc.edu/firstweek, During the semester https://cms.grcc.edu/during, and End of the Semester https://cms.grcc.edu/endofsemester
- Update and added to the Distance Learning Student FAQ page cms.grcc.edu/distancefaqs
- Assisted other faculty drop ins and emails and submitted tracking forms to http://www.grcc.edu/tracking – 3 faculty regarding Flickr Mashup Tool, Blackboard Grade Center, and Google Redirect Virus
- Jose Mora
- MCCVLC meeting in Lansing on Wednesday
- Student Worker
- n/a
EOL Faculty Reports
This area includes accomplishments, milestones, or comments from EOL faculty in the department.
- Luann Keizer
- n/a
- Tim Koets
- n/a
- Garret Brand
- Attended ELI 2012 Spring Focus Session on Learning Analytics on April 11 and 12. http://www.grcc.edu/learninganalytics
- Participated in Donuts and Bagels session on the “Flipped Classroom.” http://www.grcc.edu/flippedclassroom
- Created resource “Stack” on Delicious for the Flipped Classroom at http://delicious.com/stacks/view/L3j6bS.
- Assisted in coordinating “Learning Analytics @ GRCC.”
- Attended Blackboard Team Meeting.
- Facilitated OHCC and coordinated final presentations.
- Testing Blackboard 9.1 Service Pack 8.
- Met with Instructional Designer regarding Flipped Classroom ideas.
- Met with Associate Dean to discuss upcoming work and revision of online certification process.
- Assisted faculty and submitted tracking forms to http://www.grcc.edu/tracking.
DLIT Tracking Table
- n/a
At a recent Donuts and Distance Learning & Blackboard and Bagels session, there was a focus on the “Flipped Classroom“. Szymon Machajewski is a professor in the computer applications department at Grand Rapids Community College and he focuses on highlighting 6 strengths of the flipped classroom in his blog post.
1. Lecture videos are recorded as tutorial presentations or in-class live lectures.
2. Video lectures are available for viewing for viewing from home or mobile devices.
3. Students can view past or future lectures
4. Home instruction and activities are limited to viewing videos
5. Activities requiring application of understanding and learning skills are performed in the classroom
6. Classroom time is focused on learning actives or labs
Analytics may in time come to be used to judge you-as a learner, as an educator, or as an institution. We need to go in with our eyes wide open, to debate what it means for this new breed of performance indicators, with pedagogical and ethical integrity. What can and should we do, and what are the limits? Do they advance or wind the clock back on what we know to be important in learning and what it means to be an education institution in the 21st century? Participants will (1) discover what can make learning analytics more than just generic analytics at school, (2) review some of the most commonly expressed concerns about learning analytics, and (3) consider some ideas about why social learning analytics are important.
- Blind Analytics
- How do see the whole story. A student may be falling behind because of a large array of personal concerns or life issues.
- Students often go through the motions but switched off regarding their own learning.
- How do see the whole story. A student may be falling behind because of a large array of personal concerns or life issues.
- Educators and Researcher Concerns
- Measurement tools are not neutral. Accounting tools… do not simply aid the measurement of economic activity, they shape the reality that they measure…
- Computing the uncomputable? The dangers of computational reductionsism for learning analytics.
- Beyond big data hubris: 1) Automating research changes the definition of knowledge, 2) claims to objectivity and accuracy are mislearding, 3) Bigger data are not always better data, 4) Not all data are equivalent, 5) Just because it is accessible doesn’t mean it is ethical, 6) Limited access to data creates a new digital divide.
- Dear student / dear faculty / dear university – here are your performance indicators…
- The key is to handle data with integrity.
- Learning Analytics?
- Business Analytics.edu vs Learning Analytics.com?
- Theory based analytics
- ANY analytic is an implicit theory of the world, in that it is a model, selecting specific data and claiming it as an adequate proxy for something more complex…
- Theory includes assumptions and evidence based findings, statistical models, instructional methods, as well as more academic “theories”
- The question is whether this has INTEGRITY as a meaningful indicator, and WHO/WHAT ACTS on this data.
- A mature theory validated by pedagogical practices will tell you APPROPRIATE INTERVENTIONS to take given particular learner patterns.
- Business Analytics.edu vs Learning Analytics.com?
- Why are social learning analytics significant?
ANALYTICS THAT EQUIP FOR MANAGING COMPLEXITY AND LIFELONG, LIFEWIDE LEARNING?
“The test of successful education is not the amount of knowledge that pupils take away from school, but their appetite to know and their capacity to learn.” Sir Richard Livingstone, 1941
Professor and DLIT faculty facilitator Garry Brand captures thoughts around LA.
This breakout session was intended to identify key stakeholders related to learning analytics on campus. The ability to carve out roles and responsibilities is an important part of enabling and executing analytics work.
In this activity, resources were reviewed based on this resource (“Academic Analytics”, John P. Campbell and Diana G. Oblinger) here [PDF]. This PDF talks about the 5 steps of Learning Analytics to include:
- Capture
- Report
- Predict
- Act
- Refine
The Abstract in this “Academic Analytics” white paper is as follows:
The importance of student success (commonly measured as degree completion) continues to rise, as does the demand for institutional accountability. Academic analytics can help institutions address student success and accountability while better fulfilling their academic missions. Academic systems generate a wide array of data that can predict retention and graduation. Academic analytics marries that data with statistical techniques and predictive modeling to help faculty and advisors determine which students may face academic difficulty, allowing interventions to help them succeed. This paper highlights what IT and institutional leaders need to understand about academic analytics, including changes it may require in data standards, systems, processes, policies, and institutional culture.
Directions for activity: In yesterday’s activity, you identified and analyzed a key goal(s) for the use of LA at your campus. At this point in the focus session, you’ve heard a good deal about how LA works and about the range of issues associated with it. Using the table below and with your institution, department or course in mind, indicate: who are the key stakeholders and partners you need to assemble to move forward with LA work? What specific role(s) would each play in a LA project? What expertise would they contribute?
Garry Brand, Meegan Willi, and Eric Kunnen brainstormed the following:
| Who | What |
|---|---|
| IRP, IRB | Gather data, generate reports, review research projects |
| IT, DLIT | Create and maintain data warehouse, inform course design, external data |
| SSS, FPD/CTE | Student success and retention, early alert, impact on teaching and learning and training |
| Academic Leadership, Deans, Provost, CLT | Revise curriculum, lead, create policy |
