Miguel Llovera Da Corte Proposal for Teaching a Blended Class EDTC 5503 April 28, 2013

ACADEMIC STRATEGIES: THE STARTING POINT FOR A SUCCESSFUL EDUCATION According to Frank Newman (1999) higher education in this country is in a period of change and turbulence that is likely to bring about substantial transformation of the system of higher education and, for many students, the nature of going to college. The projected changes in the higher educational environment for the 21st century can be explained by a continuous shift in demographics, a new pattern of expectations established by instructors and students, and the existence of new delivery systems that make education accessible for those that need to respond to the needs of todays global era. In fact, some higher educational institutions have gone from the rigidity and methodology of the traditional academy to a new system that satisfies the needs of a generation of learners that benefit from asynchronous instruction.

Empirical evidence at Tulsa Community College shows that approximately 10% to 15% of students currently enrolled in classes take at least one or two online classes during their first semester. New TCC proficiency requirements state that any degree-seeking students, who are first-time college students with low ACT scores or placing in remedial classes after taking the COMPASS exam, will be required to enroll in and successfully complete ENGL 1003_Academic Strategies within the first two semesters of attendance. The estimated increase in student enrollments in Academic Strategies for Fall 2013-14 is approximately 1400 students (based on numbers of previous fall semesters). Consequently, teaching Academic Strategies in a blended format (50% face-to-face and 50% online) will make the distribution of these students into approximately 53-63 sections a smoother process.

Academic Strategies is a course that orients students to TCC campuses and college services, emphasizing personal and social strategies to increase student involvement in college

2 and community activities. Tulsa Community College now has four years of data documenting how Academic Strategies significantly improves student persistence, retention, and graduation rates, as well as increases success in developmental and gateway courses. Based on empirical data, compared to first-time students who did not take Academic Strategies, those enrolled in the course had significantly higher rates of fall-to-spring persistence and fall-to-fall retention (15% 20% increase).

The overall design of this blended Academic Strategies course is based on traditional and non-traditional students that are considered first-time freshmen at the community college level. This course is a good fit for those students that have little knowledge of what college is all about. The blended format will allow instructors to have the opportunity to work on a one-oneone basis with those students that enroll in the class; therefore, limiting this blended section to 15-20 students should be considered reasonable. These first time freshmen will have limited knowledge of study techniques and behavior patterns essential to college success. It is assumed that the majority of the audience members will require information on how to apply critical and creative thinking skills to solve academic and social problems, and construct goals and time plans to balance work, school, and family.

Given the nature of the course, students will need to have Internet access to complete their online assignments. If the students do not have Internet at home, they can access the web by logging-in at any of the computer labs at any TCC location. For the online part of the course, qualified faculty members will be using Blackboard as the main channel for communicating important announcements, assignment guidelines, tests, and sharing resources that will enhance the content of the course. Faculty members are also encouraged to use a website created by a graduate student in the Educational Psychology program called Academic Strategies 101 www.academicstrategies101.weebly.com, as a tool to help students rehearse and master the materials to be learned throughout the semester. For the face-to-face component of the class, sessions will include direct teaching, whole group discussion, lab work, small group work, formal workshops with community leaders and speakers from different TCC Student Services Departments, and individual conferences with professor.

3 With this information at hand, the following are the essential elements that will be incorporated in the Academic Strategies Course Management System (Blackboard):

1. Announcements: having an announcement section on Blackboard will help students keep track of their workload, especially if the class has an online component. Also, the announcements section comes in handy if the class is not in session or if any other information needs to be communicated immediately to students. 2. Faculty Profile: brief information about faculty background and credentials, as well as expectations for the class and office hours will be posted on this section. Although this information is provided to the students in their syllabus, it is highly beneficial when they see the same information over and over again. 3. Course Documents: Ko and Rossen explain that in terms of the overall organization of an online classroom, it is best to divide the course into units according to week or topic or some combination of both (p. 145). Under this section several folders will be created; one will include the class syllabus, agenda, and grading policy. The other folder will be labeled Learning Paths and will contain several subfolders organized by topic. The content of each subfolder will be enhanced with Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and didactic materials in the form of media files downloaded from the Internet. Last but not least, there will be a third folder containing assignments, online quizzes, and extra-credit activities. All written assignments will have to be submitted via Blackboard through Safe Assign to detect any traces of plagiarism. Online quizzes will be created through Blackboard as well. 4. Discussion Board: to allow students to construct most of what they learn, the online component of the class will foster an online learning community in the form of a WIKI using Google Docs. The discussion board of the Academic Strategies Blackboard site will have three forums; one labeled water-cooler, a second forum labeled and the lesson of the week is, and a third forum labeled online office in which students will post their ideas/concerns when required to work collaboratively with other classmates. When addressing students concerns, faculty will be encouraged to use VoiceThread recordings as a means of adding life to the virtual classroom.

4 5. E-mail: this section will facilitate the communication process between the classmates and classroom facilitator. At Tulsa Community College, communications in the form of e-mails are sent to the students TCC account. 6. Student Grades: This section will help students keep track of their academic progress throughout the semester. Faculty will be required to post grades within 5 business days. To enhance the online grade-book, faculty will be able to include some statistical measures so that students can gain a better understanding of their performance compared to the rest of the class.

In a 16-week semester, students enrolled in the Academic Strategies course will learn how to: 1. Use personal and social strategies to succeed in and enjoy the college experience and to become involved in college and community activities; 2. Identify and apply college and academic terminology; 3. Construct short-term and long-term goals, balancing personal skills, interests, personality, and values. Construct and monitor weekly/ monthly time plans to balance work, school, family, and social activities;

5 4. Locate and apply college resources and support systems and incorporate these into the learning process (Career Center, Advisement, Financial Aid, Learning Resource Center, Computer Labs, and Support Labs); 5. Analyze and modify study techniques and behavior patterns to successfully complete homework, reading assignments, exams, and special projects; 6. Apply critical and creative thinking skills to identify and solve academic and social problems.

When assessing students in the context of the course discipline it is important to comply with certain educational laws outlined by the North American Council for Online Learning. The objectives described above are compatible with Standard A1 of the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL), which states that the online teacher knows the primary concepts and structures of effective online instruction and is able to create learning experiences to enable student success. In enabling student success, faculty members teaching the course will incorporate the premises of the Constructivist Learning Theory. This theory explains that humans construct most of what they learn; thus, engaging them in a discovery learning process. Therefore, students will be encouraged to identify and implement the tools they think will be beneficial in their college and professional careers.

To ensure consistency and uniformity in the delivery of online materials, faculty will incorporate NACOL Standard C2 for online teaching. This standard explains that the online teacher plans, designs, and incorporates strategies to encourage active learning, application, interaction, participation, and collaboration in the online environment. As a result, the following strategies will be used: Attendance and In-class Participation (10%), Two Exams (1 online exam15% and 1 paper-based exam- 15%), Blackboard Project, Community Building Activity, WIKI, and Online Debate (10%), Career Project (two Workshops, Cover Letter, Resume, and Job Interview -15%), Oral Presentation (Pre-writing, Draft and Peer Critique, Tutoring Appointment, Essay 10%), Time Management On-line Assignments using free online interactive applications (10%), Learning Resource Center Project, Final Portfolio, and Community Service Project

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Information adapted from the National Standards for Quality Online Courses: iNACOL October 2011, Version 2. Information adapted from the National Standards for Quality Online Teaching: iNACOL October 2011, Version 2

6 (15%). Percentages for each assignment are relatively equal to ensure that learners with different learning styles feel motivated to try different activities that are not strictly related to their comfort zone. It is important to note that online debates and groups discussions are a key element in most, if not all, online courses. Online debates are an excellent strategy to develop cognitive learning processes among individuals whose learning and social functioning cover a wide spectrum. These debates will be used in the blended class as a means of reducing the sense of isolation that students tend to feel when immersed in an online environment, and to examine students understanding and applicability of concepts. Susan Ko and Steve Rossen suggest that in order to make online debates and the role-playing process work online, students need to be given the information or scripts necessary to play their roles, or they need to be directed to research the relevant material. [] To provide an exciting learning activity online, role playing can be combined with a simulation of a changing situation. Such simulations usually start with a scenario and evolve with planned or unplanned actions, news bulletins or other interventions supplied by the instructor (p. 189). Taking into consideration NACOL Standards E and F3 for online teaching, the blended class will model the following principles to ensure that learners feel safe in an online and traditional classroom learning environment as they progress towards the achievement of their educational goals: 1. Attitude the attitude a student takes toward learning affects the students success in a course. Students will be shown how to take responsibility for their own learning. 2. Student Code of Conduct: students will be expected to abide by the rules and regulations in TCCs Student Code Handbook. 3. Contacting Instructor: students will learn how important it is to keep professors informed of their situation in the course. 4. Respect: during small group sessions, students should treat group participants with respect and consideration. Student comments should be directly related to the group topic and not directed at members of the group.
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Information adapted from the National Standards for Quality Online Teaching: iNACOL October 2011, Version 2

7 5. Universal Design: Accommodations for qualifying students in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act will be provided to all students that self-identify throughout the course of the class. One of the goals of instruction for the blended Academic Strategies class to be taught during the upcoming fall semester will be to incorporate the Seven Principles of Universal Design4: Equitable Use: alternative course information will be provided instead of graphics for users who are blind, or whose learning style is verbally oriented. Flexibility in Use: students will be able to choose from various methods to demonstrate their mastery of content (WIKIS). Simple and Intuitive Use: large blocks of text will be broken into smaller paragraphs, with headings and bulleted and numbered lists. Perceptible Information: videos, if any, will be captioned. Tolerance for Error: numbered lists will be provided for step-by-step procedures. Low Physical Effort: all required readings and activities for a given unit will be located in one place (Course Document section of Blackboard). Size and Space for Approach and Use: controls for videos and audio content, if any, will be made available to students. Technological advances have forced many institutions, including Tulsa Community College, to develop and implement distance-learning programs to satisfy the needs of a more computer-savvy generation. In todays global era, it seems like students can experience simulations of environment and events that they never could in regular classes, receive instruction from and communicate with others over long distances, and interact with large knowledge bases and expert tutoring systems (Schunk, 2012). By orienting faculty efforts towards the promotion of accessible learning, students taking Academic Strategies in a blended format will evidence that technology is a tool to support knowledge construction, an information

Information adapted from Academic Impressions: Improving Accessibility Through 7 Principles of Universal Design.

8 vehicle for exploring knowledge to support learning by constructing, and a social medium to support learning by conversing and doing (Schunk, 2012).

9 References Ko, S. & Rossen, S. (2010) Teaching online: A practical guide (3rd. ed.) New York, NY: Routledge. Newman, E (1999, March 5). The transformation of American higher education. Future Project,1.Retrieved from http://www.nerche.org/futuresproject/publications/american_education.pdf Schunk, D. H. (2012). Learning theories: An educational perspective (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.