Welcome Back by: Connie Molnar
Director- IDEAL, BGSU
Greetings!
Welcome to the tenth installment of IDEAL’s eLearning Newsletter! As we head into the 2007-2008 academic year, the office of IDEAL (Interactive Distance Education for All Learners) is looking ahead with anticipation to the distance education opportunities presented by the expectations and needs of today’s students.
The demand for distance education is growing! Consider for example, that according to the Sloan Consortium report: “Making the Grade, Online Education in the United States, 2006”, “nearly 3.2 million students were taking at least one online course during the fall 2005 term, a substantial increase over the 2.3 million reported the previous year.” The Ohio Learning Network reports that in Ohio alone, 42,245 students took online courses at public institutions during the same time period, which represents a 10% growth from the previous year.
Changing student demographics and technologies are two of the main factors driving the demand for distance education. Many students have life and professional circumstances which do not permit them to easily travel to and attend classes on a college campus. Web-based courses provide access to a large population of students who may not otherwise be able to achieve their educational goals.
And lest you think that an online course is not as rigorous as a face-to-face course, think again! Numerous studies have shown that there is “no significant difference” in quality between face-to-face and online courses. (See the companion web site to Thomas L. Russell’s book, “The No Significant Difference Phenomenon” at http://www.nosignificantdifference.org/).
BGSU has an established history of distance education. Did you know that last year over 5,000 students enrolled in over 350 online courses? Mirroring the national and state trends, the demand for distance education continues to expand at BGSU.
If you are interested in teaching online or have ideas for online courses or programs, we encourage you to contact IDEAL, BGSU’s office of distance learning. IDEAL is a resource to the BGSU community for the leadership, development, and support of distance education. The IDEAL staff has online instructional design expertise as well as technological and pedagogical experience. We are strongly committed to helping build high-quality, academically rigorous, interactive, and engaging online courses and programs at BGSU.
We look forward to working with you!
Sincerely,
Connie Molnar
Director, IDEAL
Bruce Edwards
Associate Dean, Continuing & Extended Education
IDEAL Lunch Hour Series Topics - Fall 2007
Are you interested in taking your online course to the next level. Then join your colleagues at the IDEAL Lunch Hour Series this fall.
Learning 2.0: IDEAL Faculty Lunch Hour Series
Join the staff of IDEAL (Interactive Distance Education for All Learners) for the Learning 2.0 Faculty Lunch Hour Series! The series will feature informative and collaborative sessions with opportunities for faculty and staff to learn about current distance education technologies as well as pedagogical and administrative practices. Bring your lunch and interact with colleagues across campus. Seating is limited: contact Beka Patterson at rpatter@bgsu.edu or 2-6792 to register!
September 19, 2007 Orientation to Distance Education at BGSU
This presentation is designed to provide information and discussion on the development of online and blended courses and programs at BGSU. Topics include:
What does an online classroom look like? View a demonstration of a current BGSU online course and learn about opportunities for teaching and learning using web-based delivery.
Where and how do I start? Receive an introduction to IDEAL including checklists for online course and program development at BGSU, an overview of the logistical process of converting a course to an online format, and information about pedagogical and technical support available for faculty.
Location: College Park, Room 2 Time: 11:30-1:00pm
October 17, 2007 Using the Creative Commons
“Share, reuse, and remix…legally”! The Creative Commons provides free tools that let authors, scientists, artists, and educators easily mark their creative work with the freedoms they want it to carry. In this presentation, learn how to change copyright terms from "All Rights Reserved" to "Some Rights Reserved." In addition, participants will gain knowledge on how Creative Commons licensed works can be used in online courses and the correct ways to attribute the items used. Location: College Park, Room 2 Time: 11:30 – 1:00pm
November 14, 2007 Online Social Networking Opportunities in Education
The term “social network”, an association of people drawn together by common interests, topics, and ideas, was first coined by professor J. A. Barnes in the 1950s, who defined the size of a social network as a group of about 100 to 150 people. With the advent of Web 2.0 technologies, social networking has exploded in our society and online social networks such as MySpace and Facebook abound. In this presentation, participants will learn how Ning, a technology available for creating social networks, was used to develop a social network for online teachers, instructional designers, and others in the field of education. Location: TBD Time: 11:30 – 1:00pm
Seating is limited: contact Beka Patterson at 2-6792 or rpatter@bgsu.edu to register.
TSC is now supporting Blackboard for Face-to-Face Instructors
The TSC (Technology Support Center) is now handling Blackboard support for all face-to-face instructors. The TSC is now located in 110 Hayes Hall and is avaliable for walk in support, or you can reach them by phone @ (419) 372-0999. They also have a self-help page for troubleshoting minor problems - http://www.bgsu.edu/its/tsc/self-help/index.html.
Instructional Design Tips for Online Learning
The Online Teachers Wiki maintained by IDEAL now has a new section on tips for Instructional Design and Teaching online. The Wiki is an online document that contains information on Learner Supported Resources, Online Organization, Online Delivery, Assessment, Technology, and Feedback.
Do you want to teach online but don't know how to get started? Contact Connie Molnar, IDEAL Director at cmolnar@bgsu.edu or 419.372.7900 for assistance.
IDEAL Podcast #2 - Interview with David Haus by: Garrett Whitehead
Instructional Designer - IDEAL, BGSU
This interview with David Haus, an instructor for the History Department, is about his experience teaching the history of World War II online, the technology he uses, and his interaction with online students.
Click the play button to listen.
I'm a Mac, I'm a PC, and I'm an Ubuntu? by: Michael Kudela
Instructional Designer - IDEAL, BGSU
I have never been much of a fan of Windows and PCs. While I prefer to work on a Mac, I have no trouble switching between Windows and Mac OS. I know many people that have only used PCs and are curious about switching to Mac, but are often deterred by the cost. Mac OS will only run on a Mac computer; and Mac computers are not cheap. Switching operating systems will require you to purchase new software that is compatible with your new system. I know the school has some great discounts on software, and the University pays for the software I use at work, but trying to keep up with everything at home is a huge yearly expense. The cost for simple Mac tools, like iLife and iWork aren't so bad, but then you add in Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Microsoft Office and the price starts to catch up. Also, If you don't upgrade, then you run the risk of being left behind by new features or not being able to open a file.
So, the situation looks dim if you are thinking about switching to a new operating system. Unless you are thinking about moving to an open source alternative like Ubuntu.
What is Open Source and Ubuntu?
To understand what Ubuntu is, I went to Ubuntu.com and found this information.
Ubuntu (ùbúntú/OO-BOON-TOO) is a predominantly desktop-oriented Linux distribution, with a strong focus on usability, regular releases, and ease of installation. Ubuntu is a community developed, linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops and desktops. It contains all the applications you need - a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more. Ubuntu is and always will be free of charge. You do not pay any licensing fees. You can download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, family, school or business for absolutely nothing.
Benefits of Ubuntu:
A wide range of free software - there are thousands of software packages in the Ubuntu catalogue that are compatible with their PC or Mac counterparts. So you can open, edit, and share files made on different systems.
OpenOffice - Microsoft Office compatible program that contains a user interface and feature set that is similar to other office suites, and includes all the key desktop applications you need, such as:
Word Processor - suited for anything from writing a quick letter to producing an entire book.
Spreadsheet - a tool to calculate, analyze, and present your data in numerical reports or charts.
Presentation - an easy, and powerful tool for creating effective multimedia presentations.
Evolution - Integrated email and calendaring
Firefox 2.0 - is a powerful, award-winning and standards compliant web browser.
F-spot - enables you to import your photos from your hard drive, camera (including PTP type), or iPod, and supports 16 common file types, including JPEG, GIF, TIFF, RAW. Your photos can be tagged for searching and grouping. Other features include fullscreen and slideshow modes.
Rhythmbox - media player has a number of features that let you easily store, search and browse your music library and listen to Internet radio.
Totem - video player which features a play list, a full-screen mode, seek and volume controls and keyboard navigation.
Ubuntu supports many free software applications. Within the first day of using Ubuntu, I found many programs for learning foreign languages, money management, time management, statistics, flash cards, bibliographies, and many other educational tools.
Help and support
You'll be able to find help using the desktop browser or online at the Ubuntu forums. If you have a question about using Ubuntu, you can bet someone else has already asked it. Our community has developed a range of documentation that may contain the answer to your question, or give you ideas about where to look.
Industry Standards
While I think it is a good idea to learn and stay current with industry standards, like Microsoft Office, I also recognize the need to look for alternatives. Back in 1998, when I was a student, I used the word processing program called Word Perfect. None of my teachers could ever open my documents because they were all using Microsoft Office. I made the switch to Microsoft Office and have regretted it ever since. In my opinion, even the current version of Microsoft Word still lacks compared to Word Perfect 98. I can't tell you how many times Microsoft Word has crashed without any explanation, lost my formatting, or made it difficult to generate a table of contents. But I switched to stay current with everyone else. Now I use Open Office, which is compatible with Microsoft Word, and now I don't have to worry about saving the file every five minutes or reading a 3 page tutorial every time I want to use the Table of Contents feature. The best part about open source software like Open Office, besides being comparable to Microsoft Office, is that Open Office is free. The same can be said about Ubuntu. I never look forward to upgrading my version of Windows. Something seems to break with my computer, the printer stops working, or the new features never really seem to do anything worth while. But with Ubuntu, I am always looking forward to the next release or update. Ubuntu seems to get better with every release.
System Requirements
Ubuntu is available for PC, 64-Bit and Mac architectures. At least 256 MB of RAM is required to run the desktop install CD. Install requires at least 4 GB of disk space. I was surprised by how easy it was to install a duel boot of Ubuntu on my Mac. I installed Boot Camp for Mac, set up a second partition on my hard drive and then used the Ubuntu Live CD to do the rest. If you are unfamiliar with installing a second operating system, Ubuntu.com has many resources to help you with the process. I highly recommend breaking the mold and using Ubuntu. Take a chance and get ready to experience a brighter side of computers.
Institutional Partnering for Success in Distance Education Degree Program Development by: Terence Armentatno
Associate Director- IDEAL, BGSU
Guest presenter via Skype - Angie Stoller
Assistant Director of Graduate Studies: College of Business Administration
Bowling Green State University
In August, I had the privilege of presenting at the 2007 Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning in Madison, Wisconsin on the importance of Institutional Partnering for Success in Distance Education Degree Program Development. My presentation drew from IDEAL's recent success in partnering with the Executive Masters of Organization Development (EMOD) program in the College of Business Administration to develop BGSU's first blended (part online, part in-class) program. Though on vacation in Ohio, Angie Stoller, Assistant Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Business, participated in the presentation from her home computer using online technology, Skype video. Skype is little piece of software that lets people talk over the Internet to anyone in the world for free and it is a technology that students and faculty in the EMOD program use. We thought it was appropriate to use such a tool in a presentation about using blended technologies to enhance education. Angie addressed three reasons that the EMOD department chose to move the program to the blended environment. First, the blended format enables a flexible, accessible, and engaging online environment, which, in turn, enhances the effectiveness of the face-to-face time at BGSU. Second, it is what people in this day and age expect. Prospective students were and continue to inquire about online instruction. Third, the move also enables the college to reach a wider geographic area. A flexible program format allows for a more diverse student population as the current EMOD cohort proves; including students from all over the state of Ohio, as well as Michigan, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Texas. Because moving a program to an online or blended format requires a lot of change and expertise in online delivery, EMOD partnered with IDEAL and received assistance in the following ways:
Facilitated the process of moving the course delivery method from a face to face environment to a hybrid environment.
Provided technological and online pedagogical training for EMOD faculty and staff through both face to face sessions and a 3 week online faculty training program.
Designed a consistent theme for the program, community spaces, and individual courses.
Developed a system to foster community for both students and faculty.
Identified available and relevant technologies and online services and presented them to EMOD so that they could explore them and choose which to adopt.
Identified the advantages and disadvantages of using various technologies. Many unanticipated benefits and opportunities associated with the technology and services surfaced.
Facilitated the exploration of new media that EMOD had not previously considered, including blogs, voip, podcasts, wiki’s, etc.
Designed, developed, and implemented the EMOD Blog, which serves both the students of the program and the community at large with relevant information in the field of Organization Development. Since its inception, the blog has been read on every continent but Antarctica thus attaining an international audience.
Helped EMOD to implement technologies in the program that enable students and faculty to achieve collaboration across time and distance in a truly global economy.
Helped with the design, development, and implementation of an EMOD demo course for recruiting purposes.
I would like to thank Angie for taking the time during her vacation to participate in the conference via skype. It is fitting that the experts in change management at the university were the first to move an entire program to the blended format.
If you are interested in moving your program to the blended or online environment, please contact IDEAL. You can use the following program development checklist, which was developed by IDEAL, as a starting point in deciding if going blended is right for you.
The College's Checklist:
Identify factors that explain why a blended format would enhance enrollment in your program.
Identify the courses to be encumbered for the program.
Develop course schedule/rotation plan.
Identify the best delivery structure of your program (how much time on campus and online).
Develop instructor and department Incentives for participation.
Identify plan for recruitment of the instructors who will develop and/or facilitate the courses.
Develop training for program faculty in blended pedagogy and adoption of new technologies for teaching and learning.
Develop (in collaboration with distance learning and campus marketing team) an enrollment marketing plan.
Identify advising and career-counseling strategies and program liaison for the new blended program.
Develop program assessment plan.
The Distance Learning Team's (IDEAL's) Check List
Assist in navigation of institutional curriculum modification process for development of blended courses.
Establish the protocol to partner with the college to achieve the goals and objectives of the program and the concept design, tech requirements, training, and media to be incorporated.
Create and design course templates for each course in the program with a common online look and feel for the program.
Develop the time line for program implementation.
Develop the time line for individual course development.
Offer ongoing online training and face to face training and support opportunities for faculty.
Assign Instructional Designers and Multimedia Specialists to work with faculty on developing the courses.
Blackboard Tips and Tricks
Organizing Course Areas: Part 2 - Course Content by: Carolyn Matzinger Instructional Designer - IDEAL, BGSU
So far in this series, I have shown you a few ways to simplify your Blackboard classroom, starting with stripping down the course menu. My last article focused on merging the Instructor and Course Information areas into one location. Click here to view the article. Making your course more user-friendly shouldn't stop there. In this article, I will continue to show you how to organize your classroom by providing examples on transforming your course content into easy to read modules.
Step 1: Get Organized (on paper)
Before you even log on to Blackboard, you should form an outline for your course modules. There are several different ways to breakdown your content into modules (weekly, chapter, topical, etc.). It's up to you to decide which one will provide the best learning experience for your students. You can use the following as a guideline.
Module 1 - Week 1
Reading Assignment
Presentation
Discussion Board Activity
Assignment
Step 2: Create Modules in Blackboard
Now that you have a basic outline for your course, you can start to develop the modules in your course shell on Blackboard. The first thing to do is start adding folders to the Course Modules area (this is the main content area). In the example below, the instructor wanted to include an item at the top to tell students how to access all the course content. She then added a folder for the Week 1 module and added a table to outline the assignments for the week. You can also just use bullet points, but color coding the different activities could help students to stay organized. This outline corresponds with the overall course outline provided in the Course Information area. Continue to add these folders until you have all the modules represented.
Step 3: Adding Content to the Folders
Once the folders are developed and organized, you can start to add your course content. Your content should be organized as well. It's best to arrange the items you add to correspond with the outline for that module. In the example below, the instructor added items within the Week 1 folder. The first item she added is a course link that directs the students to the discussion board along with instructions for the students. The second item is an external link that directs the students to the course wiki and instructions for that assignment. Notice the instructor didn't include an item for the reading assignment. If the reading assignment is listed in the module outline and no further instructions are necessary, this item can be omitted.
This is only one way to organize your course content. There are many more options and strategies to optimize your classroom. The trick is finding a way that works best with your content and course format. Keep your eye out for my next article on organizing the discussion board.
Social Networking: When People Connect Online by: Michael Kudela Instructional Designer - IDEAL, BGSU
What is Social Networking?
A Social Network focuses on the building and verifying of online social networks for communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others, and which necessitates the use of software.
Most social network services are primarily web based and provide a collection of various ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, email, video, voice chat, file sharing, blogging, discussion groups, and so on.
In general, social networking services, such as Facebook, allow users to create a profile for themselves. Users can upload a picture of themselves and can often be "friends" with other users. In most social networking services, both users must confirm that they are friends before they are linked. Social networks usually have privacy controls that allow the user to choose who can view their profile or contact them, etc.
How is it being used in Education?
We can now move beyond the institution and start to collaborate globally. Social Networks allow your students to connect to the world. Social Networking sites allow students and teachers to connect with other students, teachers, and industry experts from around the world.
You can combine and share online resources with Social Networks. More and more educators are using social networking spaces and combining them with del.icio.us feeds, blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, and other resources. Students can go find resources, share, and create an online group workspace.
Social Networks provide an informal space that lets learners exercise their own thoughts, reflections, make their own connections and be able to compile a body of evidence that would normally slip through the cracks with the more highly structured approach.
How do I get started?
Check out the following sites and register for an account. Then start to search for topics that interest you. Before long you will have many new contacts to keep you interested in Social Networking.
http://www.facebook.com/ Facebook - Facebook is a social networking website that allows users to communicate with other members, upload photos, and join networks.
https://www.linkedin.com/ Linkedin - is a business oriented social networking site, mainly used for professional networking. You start by creating your professional profile and adding your contacts, creating a group. Then your contacts add their contacts, and everyone in the same group can view all the contacts. It is a great way to network with other professionals online.
http://www.ning.com/ Ning - Ning is an online platform for creating social websites and social networks that can be tailored to a specific audience. Ning is easy to use and offers many different templates for your social network.
http://www.flickr.com/ Flickr - Flickr is an online photo sharing website and an online community platform. Flickr members are allowed to start and join photo groups within Flickr. Members can upload pictures, share their pictures with friends and contacts or even submit their photos into a group pool. My Flickr site is - http://flickr.com/photos/mkudel/
http://elgg.org/ eLGG - eLGG is an open source social platform that is customizable. Described by its founders as a 'learning landscape', eLGG provides each user with their own weblog, file repository (with podcasting capabilities), an online profile and an RSS reader.
IDEAL's 3 week Online Faculty Training Program
The Next 3 Week ONLINE Faculty Training Program: February 5th - 23th
What BGSU faculty are saying:
“All of it was valuable. Perhaps most useful was seeing what could be done, the detailed instructions and being in a position of being forced to complete assignments........seeing it through the eyes of the student.”
“Overall, I found this extremely valuable and will recommend it to colleagues.”
An online course is much more than a repository of information. It is an interactive, collaborative, and informative method of instruction. What better way to learn how to teach effectively online than to experience it from the student's point of view. Join your colleagues for 3 weeks in learning how to harness the power of online instruction by participating in a completely online workshop via Blackboard and facilitated by a distance learning specialist. Just like most distance courses, this course works around your schedule rather than vice versa. After completing this workshop, you will receive an IDEAL Certificate of Training and you will join the ranks of other leaders in e-Learning at BGSU as a member of the BGSU e-Learning Colloquium.
Click here to learn more and enroll in the online training program or for more information call 419-372-6843, or e-mail ideal@bgsu.edu
NOTE: This course is most beneficial for instructors somewhat new to facilitation and course design in the online environment.
The Next 3 Week ONLINE Faculty Training Program: February 5th - 23th
The Distance Learning newsletter is published bi-monthly by IDEAL (Interactive Distance Education for All Learners) to provide faculty with current news and initiatives in online learning at BGSU. Each newsletter will contain online pedagogy articles, training and workshop dates, online teaching tips, online teaching resources, and interviews with BGSU faculty or staff who teach online.
"BGSU is accredited from the North Central Association for its distance learning programs at BGSU and has also been granted the "Best Practices in Student Services" designation by the Ohio Learning Network."
TSC is now supporting Blackboard for Face-to-Face Instructors 
IDEAL Lunch Hour Series Topics - Fall 2007
Instructional Design Tips for Online Learning 
Subscribe to the IDEAL Podcast Feed (
