E-Learning Corgi focuses on distance training and education, from instructional design to e-learning and mobile solutions, and pays attention to psychological, social, and cultural factors. The edublog emphasizes real-world e-learning issues and appropriate uses of emerging technologies. Susan Smith Nash is the Corgi's assistant.
There are a number of "one stop shopping" cloud solutions, but they can be expensive or limited. You can build your own solution if you use low-cost tools.
The members of associations and professional societies share common goals and interests; the most important of these tends to be professional advancement, enhanced knowledge, and networking.
At the center of achieving professional development is often formal training taught by experts, with credits officially awarded at the end, and records maintained by the organization.
Because the organizations represent the profession, they are under an ethical as well as a practical obligation to maintain high quality. However, it’s not always easy to develop a course template or set of criteria.
For convenience, here is a quick checklist of content and quality attributes to be sure to include in your courses. Keep in mind that this is simply a quick checklist. If you would like a more detailed description, and an explanation of how to build the course itself for online, on-site, or hybrid delivery, there are a number of in-depth guides which I refer to at the end of this post.
Checklist of Content and Quality Attributes
Here are the essential elements that you need to include in your courses. You may wish to formalize the list, format, fonts, etc in what is commonly referred to as a Course Design Document (CDD), which also includes instructional design guidelines.
At the same time, you may wish to create a template.
• Title of the course and the reason for its relevance
• Learning objectives: What will the measurable outcomes be? What should the learner be able to do or demonstrate at the end of the course? What are the criteria for success?
• Overview / brief description of the course
• Bullet point of topics covered
• Course materials: Map them to the learning objectives
* Main content
* Engagers
* Check your knowledge / interactive activities
• Collaborative and individual activities: Map them to the learning objectives
• Assessment strategy:
Activities in course – do they count? How much? Why?
Class participation and collaborations – How do they count?
Final projects or exams
Rubric
Minimum passing score
Practice for multiple choice
Checklist of Instructor Qualifications
In order to satisfy quality standards, it is important that your instructor and main subject matter expert(s) and that they have pertinent experience.
• Relevant Experience
• Educational qualifications
• Experience in instruction
Checklist for Utilizing Learning Analytics and Effective Evaluations to Ensure High Quality Training:
As you review your course and the way you anticipate that the students will interact and engage with it, take a moment to develop a profile of your learners, their attributes, and learning goals. What are their needs? Understanding the audience will help shape the following:
Learning Outcomes
Course outcomes
Course Design Document to tie LOs to content and assessment
Types of analytics that are available
Mastery learning
Time on task
Collaborations
Discussion
Formative evaluations
Engaging analytics (Did You Know?)
Summative evaluations
Assessments tying to learning outcomes
As you plan the courses, be sure to make sure that they are up to date, relevant, and they address current and emerging needs and trends.
References (please contact Susan for a free pdf of each).
In some institutions it’s called “concurrent enrollment.” In others, it’s “dual.” In both cases, the goal is the same: take courses that count toward both high school graduation and a college degree (usually a two-year associate’s degree.) Under ideal circumstances, it's a "win" for everyone -- students get a head start toward their degrees, parents save money and time, professors get to work with motivated students, colleges boost enrollment, and high schools can offer courses they could not ordinarily afford. But, like every utopian scenario, there's a dark side here. Promising honor students -- sophomores, perhaps even freshmen in high school, run the risk of developing a college transcript that is pock-marked by scholarship-killing C's and D's. If you're considering getting involved in dual-enrollment on any level, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the pro's, con's, and strategies for success for dual enrollment courses.
What is “dual enrollment”?
In the past, students could get a head start on college credit by taking Advanced Placement courses (AP) and by taking credit by exam tests (CLEP, etc.). But, with high school budget crises, being able to offer the courses and the prep courses became too onerous. So, many colleges and universities have decided to offer “dual enrollment” courses, which are offered to high school students, who can take them online.
What are the main benefits of “dual enrollment”?
The great benefit of dual enrollment is that after taking the courses, the students will graduate with a two-year associate’s degree as well as their high school diploma. Plus, they will have completed their general education requirements.
How old is the average student?
I’ve been surprised to find that students in the dual enrollment courses are as young as 15. They are bright and eager, but I often wonder if their parents realize how high the stakes are if they are not able to retake courses and replace the grades in their transcripts.
College Courses: Until now, the courses have focused on the adult learner
Also, the courses that are developed for universities are often developed with adult learners in mind. In doing so, they utilized Malcolm Knowles’s notions of androgogy (as opposed to pedagogy), and rely a great deal upon scaffolding and building on experience and prior knowledge. Not many 15 year olds have the life experience and prior knowledge of an adult who is returning to school. And yet, many community colleges have as their primary mission to reach the adult students who are returning to school many years after high school. The result is that the instructional materials, instructional strategy, and assessment strategies may be out of sync.
What is the student expected to do?
The student is expected to be prepared to take online courses offered by the college provider. They have been developed in accordance with best practices and accreditation requirements.
Is the young high school student REALLY ready for dual enrollment courses originally designed for returning-to-school adults?
The short answer is “hardly ever.” The average high school student will often have a steep learning curve as well as serious time management problems, not to mention feelings of frustration with a format that is very unlike that of high school.
What is the situation and how can a dual enrollment student succeed?
I recommend that the student work with a qualified coach and mentor, ideally one with a master’s or Ph.D. with experience in both online programs and working with adults, at-risk, and high school students.
A Personal Perspective
I have worked with dual-enrollment students over the last two years at two different institutions. I have come to the conclusion that a significant percentage will fail under ordinary circumstances.
And, if they do not fail, they will fall far short of their actual potential, primarily because of
a) technical difficulties;
b) communication issues;
c) failure to self-regulate;
d) frustration;
e) poor understanding of the way to prepare yourself for today’s online courses;
and, above all,
f) the need for a guide and/or mentor who will coach them through it.
In conclusion, here are a few pointers for dual enrollment students and the instructors who work with them:
1. Remember how students can get off to a bad start: They often check in late, and do not review the entire course to familiarize themselves. They do not make a calendar for themselves, or create a checklist of requirements.
2. Avoid misunderstanding the role of the discussion board: Students often do not realize that the purpose of the discussion board is interaction, and they do not write substantive responses, nor do they read the posts of other students.
3. Avoid procedural errors – back up and building blocks: Students often write their answers directly into the empty answer box in the learning management system, rather than writing it into a Word document, which can then be copied and pasted into the answer block.
4. Remember to communicate with your professor in more than one way.
5. Plan. Don’t miss deadlines. Remember that some professors will lock down the discussions and dropboxes.
6. Keep in mind that your fellow students can help you. Peers mean help, support, and a learning community.
7. Avoid reading, re-reading, and still not understanding – Develop a good note-taking approach.
8. Practice for great test resuls – Develop test-taking strategies
9. Focus on good writing skills – Remember that neglecting the small things will add up to big problems
10. Don't forget to read the texts – Learn how to read them and not get lost.
11. Employ active reading, probing and outlining – Develop frameworks for your brain.
