minutes from the hybrid meeting

  1. people who met today shared their approach to blended learning. We discussed probably equally tools / technology and methodology. It seemed that everyone was happy with the information exchanged.
    David and Patience, apologies for not going by your choice of day and time; please let me know, if you want to meet separately.
  2. Most of the conversation regarding tools / technology revolved around D2L. Deb had a very good observation that we might want to start logs in in the blog, which reflect different issues and solutions.
    g., we are starting a log “D2L issues and fixes”
    https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/blendedonline/d2l-issues-and-fixes/
    where each of us can contribute with their own “findings” and help the others

Another such log is “Rubrics,”

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/blendedonline/rubrics/

Please consider also the resources share on the following blog page:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/blendedonline/resources/

  1. Deb Japp very astutely noticed (and others agreed) that we have to discriminate between the MnSCU mandated definition of “hybrid” and determine what we, faculty, “see” as hybrid. In that sense, please feel welcome to share your characteristic of your “hybrid” teaching, so it can help others determine how they teach in “hybrid.”
  2. Please consider the “online” group meeting for December 9, 1PM in MC 205
  3. otherwise, the next “hybrid” group meeting link to the Doodle poll for January 2017: http://doodle.com/poll/5rwviiqbvwi6edv4
  4. If neither December 9, nor January 2017 is convenient, please consider this blog request form:
    https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/blendedonline/requests-questions/
    where you can request a one-on-one meeting and/or suggest topic for discussion

minutes from our first meeting

  1. Thank you for coming today to our first meeting for the faculty support group.
    Thank you for extremely important and honest feedback; the fastest we go through the logistics of forming the group, the fastest we can start working and enjoying the results.
  2. Please have a short outline of our conversations today:
  3. Twenty faculty from different departments, with different focus and with different level of expertise came today
  4. The present faculty voiced preference to have the upcoming meetings on Wednesday 2PM. However, considering that other faculty were not able to attend at that time, we are also opening a Doodle poll
    http://doodle.com/poll/86e39qg65ytktduq
    to determine the most convenient time for a “general meeting.” At a “general” meeting, we all can meet and exchange information and ideas
  5. Further, the faculty agreed that it might be useful to split into groups/clusters of interests, level of advancement, topics etc.
    Thus, we can organize ourselves into subgroups/clusters based on:

    1. Hybrid versus online
    2. Technology versus methodology versus organization of online education
    3. Beginners versus intermediate versus advanced
    4. We agreed to experiment in the next several months and cluster our topics using these three types of division/split and sometime next semester decided (at a “general” meeting) on the best split/organization
  6. We agreed that all of us will familiarize ourselves with the MnSCU definitions of hybrid and online learning, so we can identify our working definitions, so we are able to assess and determine our needs and relay them to the other using these definitions.
    Here is the “online” definition as per Barry Dahl:

All courses where the delivery method is entirely or predominately online, are to be setup with the media code set to 03 – Internet Delivered Course.

Predominately = where all, or nearly all, course activity occurs in an online environment. One to two activities may occur face-to-face in a classroom, with the maximum being two activities.

http://desire2blog.blogspot.com/2010/01/mnscu-online-course-definitions-part.html

 

Google could not find anything by MnSCU on “hybrid” and/or “blended” but a document by proxy: http://mnsufa.org/Notes/extended_092612.pdf  , which refers to MnSCU definitions:
An online course is any online course that has no more than one face-to-face meeting and that face-to-face meeting has to be at an off-campus course site.
And

Hybrid courses (Media Code 09) – As it relates to Extended Learning any course that requires more than one face-to-face meeting , but has a combination of online and off-campus face-to-face sessions. Extended Learning cannot fund faculty salary for hybrid courses that have face-to-face meetings on the Mankato Campus.

 

I will let Greg Jorgensen search further for the MnSCU definitions, but for the time being, I really believe that we, the SCSU faculty have to work on our “own” definition. Thus, we are NOT opposing any MnSCU decisions, but only revising, assessing, evaluating and enriching the multifarious appearance of hybrid and online education, which the MnSCU definition very possibly was not able to capture in its diverse forms.
Bases on the samples above, please do feel most welcome and encouraged to verbalize YOUR definition for hybrid/blended and online, based on your experience, classes and other knowledge and experience you have.

 

  1. As proposed in the tentative plan for today’s meeting:
    https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/blendedonline/2016/11/16/plan-first-meeting/
    and with your agreement, each of us will try to lay out a personal plan regarding your personal goals and ideas for accomplishing a transition to a hybrid/blended or to an online environment. To help you start such personal plan and orient yourself about the questions you want to ask yourself, please use these infographics: http://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2016/11/11/elearning-infographics/
    if you still have difficulties starting the process and you need to brainstorm, please let me know (pmiltenoff@stcloudstate.edu) and I will work with you.
    Please share your plan in the comments section of this blog entry:
    https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/blendedonline/2016/11/16/minutes-from-our-first-meeting/

    1. Thus, we will be able to cluster by similar interests, experience and goals.
      If you desire anonymity and do not want to post it openly, please share your plan with me (pmiltenoff@stcloudstate.edu) and I will share with the others your parameters, so we can match you in the best fitting cluster/group.
  2. Here are the two cluster groups’ next meeting proposals via Doodle:
    “Hybrid” cluster/group, please vote for your preferable day/time here:
    http://doodle.com/poll/ywqhcs6p2frc9x97
    “Online” cluster/group, please vote for your preferable day/time here:
    http://doodle.com/poll/dr77iwrrq2xex3ab
  3. Some of you expressed immediacy of your upcoming courses and need to act quickly. If you need help with hybrid/blended and/or online course creation, which cannot wait for these meetings assistance, please contact me immediately (pmiltenoff@stcloudstate.edu), so we can assess and start working on your course[s]s ASAP.
  4. Please add here any other issues/suggestions, which were missed to be mentioned and/or discussed

plan first meeting

Hybrid Online Faculty Support Group, November 16, 2016

Plan

  • Please share your emails and similar electronic contact info
  • Figure out what we are doing
    • Hybrid
    • Online
  • Figure out how often to meet
  • Figure out what is needed
    • Technology
    • Methodology / pedagogy
    • Students’ preparation for hybrid and online classes

 

  • Today’s TakeAway

Rework syllabus

  • Learning objectives
  • Outline
  • Goals and benchmarks, expectations are clearly stated. Explain the value of the course
  • Multimedia for your content
  • Practice activities / group work / knowledge checks

 

 

Possible topics for next time meeting (please select):

  • How to set up group exercises
  • How to keep up students’ interest in online course
  • Easy and fast use of multimedia (audio, video)
  • Quality Matters
  • D2L Content structure
  • Adobe Connect applications
  • Social Media for robust online presence