Electronic Poster: Sloan-C 6th Annual International Symposium on Emerging Technologies for Online Learning (April 10, 2013 in Las Vegas)

1. Sloan-C 6th Annual International Symposium on
Emerging Technologies for Online Learning
Consistency in Virtual Learning Spaces:
Impact of using a Course Template on
Teaching and Learning
Mrs. Shawndra T. Bowers,
eLearning Coordinator
Dr. Agnes Helen Bellel,
Director of Distance Education and Off-Campus Sites

2. The History of Distance Education
at Alabama State University
Comprehensive regional institution with over 50 graduate
and undergraduate programs
Considering online degree programs for the over a
decade
Established a distance education committee – almost ten
years ago to…
• “come up with some guidelines and some recommendations on
what we needed to do for distance education”
• review and approve the syllabi of faculty who want to
implement an online course.

3. DE Committee Recommendations
December 2002
Establish Academic Computing Director
Adopt Learning Management System (Blackboard)
Develop Online Course Approval Process
• Quality Matters Standards
• Seven Principals of Quality Instruction
Provide Faculty Training
• 4-week Online Teaching Certification training
• NEW: Expanded to 6-weeks to include development & delivery
• NEW: Added 3-week Online Evaluator Training

4. The History of Distance Education
at Alabama State University
Over 100 courses offered each semester – undergraduate
and graduate
Institutional goal is to have 2 fully online programs in each
academic unit by 2014
Current online degree programs:
• Marketing (Bachelor)
• Computer Science (Bachelor)
• Library Education Media (Master)
• Applied Technology (Master)
• Physical Therapy (Doctorate)

5. Statistics on Distance Education
Courses and Faculty
Fall 2012 Courses: Spring 2013 Courses:
• Undergraduate • Undergraduate
o Online: 54 o Online: 47
o Hybrid: 21 o Hybrid: 30
*All but 19 core curriculum courses • Graduate
• Graduate o Online: 37
o Online: 37 o Hybrid: 8
o Hybrid: 9 • Certified Faculty: 113
• Certified Faculty: 98 **Another 20 in the spring cohorts

6. Literature Review:
Instructional Design in
Distance Education

7. Literature about Instructional Design:
Online Instruction
“Being a good teacher means that in addition to being a good
educator you have to be a good organizer and designer of
information, communication, didactical implementation and
media integration.” (Barajas & Owen, 2000, p. 42).
Online instruction is a labor-intensive process
Approximately 64% of faculty it takes more effort to teach
Nearly 85% believe it takes more effort to develop online
courses (Seaman, 2009; Nkonge & Gueldenzoph, 2006; Gerlich, 2005; Lao
& Gonzales, 2005; Sellani & Harrington, 2002; McCarthy & Samors, 2009).

8. Literature about Instructional Design:
Definition
Instructional design is defined as the
“systematic development of instructional
specifications using learning and instructional
theory to ensure the quality of instruction. It is the
entire process of analysis of learning needs and
goals and the development of a delivery system to
meet those needs. It includes development of
instructional materials and activities, and tryout and
evaluation of all instruction and learner activities”
(Srinivas, 2009).

9. Literature about Instructional Design:
Virtual Learning Environments
The development of instructionally effective virtual
learning environments that meet pedagogical needs
require the application of appropriate instructional
design principles.
The literature suggests that there are gaps between the
bodies of knowledge relating to learning theories,
instructional design principles and student learning in
higher education (Siragusa, Dixon & Dixon, 2007).

10. Paradigm Shift in Online Education
Constructivist
Principles
Knowledge
Transfer
(Barajas & Owen, 2000)

11. Literature about Instructional Design:
Course Structure
Standardized layout, design, arrangement of materials,
location of information and use communication tools
to enhance and facilitate learning and course
navigation and ambiance (Lee, Dickerson & Winslow,
2012)
Especially meaningful in online courses, due to the
need for self-direction by students and a natural
unfamiliarity and/or inexperience many learners have
with online learning environments

12. Literature on Instructional Design:
Course Structure
“The structure of an online course, including the
navigational interface, visual design of materials and
information, as well as the communication tools to
facilitate learning, can affect
students, instructors, programs and educational
organization” (Lee, Dickerson & Winslow, 2012).

13. Literature about Instructional Design:
Seven Principles for Good Practice
Chickering and Ehrmann considered the application of communication
technologies to Chickering and Gamson’s seminal 1987 Seven Principles for
Good Practice in Undergraduate Education
Eventually a rubric was developed based on national standards of best
practices in distance education with eight general standards identified
(Shattuck, 2007) :
1. course overview and introduction
2. learning objectives (competencies)
3. assessment and measurement
4. learning resources and materials
5. learner interaction
6. course technology
7. learner support
8. accessibility

14. Literature about Instructional Design:
Organizational Approaches
Three organizational approaches to online course
structures (Lee, Dickerson & Winslow, 2012):
Fully Autonomous Approach
Basic Guidelines Approach
Highly Specified Approach
All have their benefits and drawbacks as it related
to student and faculty satisfaction, quality, and
cost controls.

15. Literature about Instructional Design:
Mistakes
“Inattention to the educational issues, can result in mere
transposition of traditional teaching approaches to the computer,
and result in a poor learning experience which is ineffective”
(Stiles, 2000).
Some of the most serious errors in course design have included:
Failure to engage the learner
Mistaking "interactivity" for engagement
Focusing on content rather than outcomes
Mirroring traditional didactic approaches on the technology
Failure to recognize the social nature of learning

16. Literature about Instructional Design:
Student Engagement
In online courses, interaction can occur in three ways:
• Students interacting with course content
• Students interacting with one another
• Students interacting with the instructor
It is a good practice to intentionally design for all
three of these types of interactions to occur in online
courses.

17. Online Course Template:
Pilot Implementation

18. Rationale for a Course Template
for Faculty
The online course design template models a consistent, easy to follow
course structure based on the principle of alignment in instructional
design.
The use of a course template should help faculty -- most of whom have not
had formal or extensive training on instructional design theories -- spend
less time on determining the most effective layout of course materials.
It supports faculty by allowing them to focus their creativity on producing
high-quality course content instead of worrying about online course design.
The online course design template provides scale by reducing faculty course
design/development workload; thereby providing online faculty the ability
for improved engagement and interaction with more students.

19. Rationale for a Course Template
for Students
Consistency across courses enables students to quickly familiarize
themselves with the layout and course navigation from one course
to the next so that they can focus on the content learning.
A template supports students by providing a clear, consistent and
coherent learning environment that includes specific aspects and
resources that help reduce anxiety, confusion and feelings of
isolation of online learners.
Student satisfaction and higher retention result from a logical,
consistent course design that allows them to focus on course
content and interact with their instructor (Burgess, Barth & Merserau,
2012).

20. Rationale for a Course Template
for the Institution
“Lastly, if organizations move forward into large-
scale online course delivery without an operational
philosophy of online course structure, they run the
risk of having inconsistent course and program
quality, yielding diminished student learning and
negative reputations for the program and faculty”
(Lee, Dickerson & Winslow, 2012).

21. Pilot Implementation of the
Online Course Template
Began Spring 2013
Template pre-loaded into all “online” courses
Provided faculty the opportunity to start building online courses in
the new format and offer feedback on the course structure -- what
works and does not work well for online students.
Optional training sessions provided on how to use and modify
the template
eLearning Community created in BlackBoard for faculty
FORUMS: “Technical Q&A” and “Course Design & Delivery”
Online Journals for feedback (thoughts and experiences)
Online Student Survey

22. Essential Components for Online
Courses
The ten components identified derived from research on distance education
(Ausburn, 2004; Boettcher & Conrad, 2010; Draves, 2007; Garrison & Anderson, 2003;
Hanna, Glowacki-Dudck, & Conceicao-Runlee, 2000; Jiang & Ting, 2000; Lee, Dickerson &
Winslow, 2012; Stein, 2004):
1. Announcements
2. Course Information
3. Instructor Information
4. Course Modules
5. Discussions
6. Submissions
7. Assessments
8. Grades
9. Send Email
10. Course Support

23. ASU Online Course Template
Course Orientation
Detailed Syllabus
Course Expectations/Objectives/Outcomes
Interaction (Content, Peer, Instructor)
Modular Learning
Reflection

24. ASU Online Course Template
Quality online courses are well-organized
and easy to navigate.
Uniform design should improve interaction
between the faculty, student, and content
by providing ease of navigation and
improvements to time management for
learners.
Faculty are provided with a highly structured
navigation menu which can be expanded to
meet individual course needs.

25. ASU Online Course Template
An easy way to organize course
units or modules.
Courses that are separated into
self-contained segments
(modules) are easily discernible
to students of varying learning
styles and can be used to assess
student mastery before moving
forward in the course or
program (NEA, 2000).

26. ASU Online Course Template
When presenting course materials
online, breaking them into small,
manageable units or modules
increases student awareness of the
conceptual structure of each unit
and also allows for greater flexibility
in pacing their learning (Johnson,
2003).
Modules should include all reading
assignments, lecture materials,
supporting websites or activities,
links to discussion board threads,
assignments instructions, etc.

27. Research Study:
Faculty and Student Feedback

28. Commentary from Faculty:
Questions
Is your online course an undergraduate or graduate level course?
Is your online course a synchronous or asynchronous? Describe.
Are you building your online course using the template provided? If not, please
explain.
Describe your experience so far with uploading content and/or providing
instruction within the template structure.
How have students responded to the layout so far? What feedback have they
given you?
What online tools have you used to encourage students to interact with you
and with one another within the course?
How does the amount of time it takes you to develop this online course using
the new template compare to the FIRST time you had to initially develop an
online course? What has been the difference between the two experiences?
What do you like about the template? What do you dislike about the
template? Do you have any suggestions for improvement?

29. Commentary from Faculty:
Positive
Most adjuncts and full time faculty reflected they had a positive
experience and more effective in using the template.
The template forces faculty to be organize in putting content in
a structure format for delivery of instruction
Students appeared to enjoy the format
Tools used to enhance the teaching and learning were Skype and
Google Hangout to gain more face-to face interaction with
students
Collaboration (Virtual Office, Chat is good)
Some faculty liked the standard “Start Here”, “Technology
Info”, “Help Links”

30. Commentary from Faculty
Negative
According to some faculty, some students had problems
and felt overwhelmed/frustration in navigating the
template. They were not aware that the “Learning
Modules” were the same as “Assignments” in their
previous online template of Blackboard.
Some faculty felt it was too much “clicking” for the
students to navigate
Deleting items as headers such as “topics” is cumbersome
Academic Freedom and Intellectual Property

31. Commentary from Faculty
Negative
Template should have been discussed at the Distance Education
Committee before it was forced on faculty to use. The Distance
Education Committee should have been the clearing house for the
template.
Faculty was concerned that they did not have enough time to
plan, design/develop the course and may reflect in the course evaluation
from students.
A poor evaluation from students on planning, designing/development
of the course could have an impact on tenure and promotion for faculty.
Virtual Classroom does not work well- Functions needs to improve.
Need more memory to upload videos, therefore, I created a webpage to
share videos with my students.
Arrows and color in the banner need to be changed within BlackBoard.
“A Lot of Work” -- “Time” issue of rebuilding content within the new
format rather than copying from a previous course.

32. Student Survey
Google Form (all students
have an ASU Google
account) link emailed from
within online courses:
Demographic Information
Technology Use
Comparison of Formats
Course Experiences
Course Satisfaction

33. Student Responses
Student Survey Respondents
19%
Graduate - Doctorate
Graduate - Masters
Undergraduate - Bachelor
56%
25%

34. Student Responses
Course Type
25% 25%
Hybrid
Online (asynchronous)
Online (ssynchronous)
50%

35. Student Responses
Previous Virtual Courses
25%
31%
None
1 Course
2 Courses
3 Courses
4 Courses
5 or More
0%
13% 25%
6%

36. Student Responses
Technology Expertise
0% 0%
13%
37%
Novice
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Expert
50%

37. Student Responses
Average time spent using a computer/Internet
per day: 5.625
Average time spent using a computer/Internet
for education per day: 3.206
Average time spent on virtual course per day:
1.9375

38. Student Responses:
In comparison to a traditional face-to-face class,
in this virtual course…
Increased Somewhat No Somewhat Decreased
Increased Difference Decreased
the amount of interaction with other students 6.25% 18.75% 31.25% 25% 18.75%
the quality of interaction with other students 6.25% 18.75% 50% 25% --
the amount of interaction with the instructor 18.75% 25% 43.75% 6.25% 6.25%
the quality of interaction with the instructor 31.25% 6.25% 56.25% -- 6.25%
my motivation to participate in class activities 12.5% 43.75% 31.23% 6.25% 6.25%
I understood what was expected of me 37.5% 18.75% 43.75% -- --
I was able to find information and instructions 37.5% 25% 37.5% -- --
the amount of time I spent working on
25% 43.75% 25% 6.25% --
coursework
the quantity of learning that took place for me 31.25% 6.25% 62.25% -- --
the quality of my learning experience 31.25% 12.5% 50% 6.25% --

39. Student Responses:
How would you rate the tools used
in the virtual course to your success?
Not Used Somewhat Importance Very Critical
Important Important
Announcements 6.25% -- 6.25% 31.25% 56.25%
Learning Modules -- 6.25% 6.25% 18.75% 68.75%
Discussion Boards -- 12.5% 43.75% 12.5% 31.25%
Collaboration Tools 25% 12.5% 12.5% 31.25% 18.75%
Blogs 31.25% 12.5% 25% 12.5% 18.75%
Wikis 37.5% 6.25% 18.75% 25% 12.5%
Video or audio lectures 12.5% 6.25% 12.5% 31.25% 37.5%
Quizzes and Exams -- 6.25% 18.75% 6.25% 68.75%
Virtual Office Hours 25% 6.25% 12.5% 12.5% 43.75%
Wimba Virtual Classroom 50% 12.5% 6.25% 12.5% 18.75%

40. Student Responses:
Strongly Disagree Agree Strongly
Disagree Agree
The virtual course in BlackBoard was easy to navigate. -- 6.25% 56.25% 37.5%
It was easy for me to use technology to participate in
-- 18.75% 25% 56.25%
the course.
The virtual course allowed for social interaction. -- 12.5% 50% 37.5%
The virtual course provided a reliable means of
-- -- 62.5% 37.5%
communication.
I felt I learned a great deal about the subject matter in
-- -- 43.75% 56.25%
the virtual course.
The virtual course provided an experience similar to
6.25% 25% 31.25% 37.5%
the classroom.
The virtual course was what I expected. 6.25% 6.25% 43.75% 43.75%
My overall educational experience was good in the
-- -- 43.75% 56.25%
virtual course.
I felt successful in the virtual course. -- -- 50% 50%
I would take another virtual course if offered. -- -- 43.75% 56.25%

41. Student Responses
What aspect of the virtual course most
contributed to your success?
Communication between student and instructor
Work on own time with a deadline
Ability to return to archived material
Convenience – saving time and gas expense
Coursework around work and family schedule
Access to study guides, test and quizzes
Learning modules, assignments and group discussions
Interact with classmates via audio

42. Student Responses
What aspect of the virtual course was most
problematic?
Bad links and unclear instructions
Knowing what the instructor wanted
Technical difficulties with Wimba
Internet connectivity
Archives not working
Presenting synchronously

43. Student Responses
What suggestions do you have for improving
virtual courses offered at the university?
Instructors not giving timely feedback
Scheduling at least one face-to-face meeting during the
semester
Shorter Wimba sessions
Wima on tablet or smartphone
Use BlackBoard more
Design certain for virtual courses that all professors may
use
Offer more virtual courses

44. Conclusions
“Short Amount of Time” was an issue for faculty
learning that they had to use the template without
notice
It appears that navigation was an issue for faculty, but
not necessarily for the students.
Once understanding the organized format was a
positive experience for most of the students and
faculty.

45. Where Do We Go From Here?
Establish a Distance Education Office with support
staff with a focus on fidelity and quality control
Instructional Designer – assist faculty in the
development of high quality course development
Instructional Technology Specialist – assist faculty with
the creation and/or integration of high quality
multimedia and instructional activities
Incorporate feedback into template improvement
Provide more intensive training for faculty
Provide more development time for faculty

46. Associate VP of
Academic Computing
Director of
Director of Online Director of Campus
Instructional Support
Education Technologies
Services
Online Enrollment Microcomputer System Integration
Specialists Specialists Specialist
2 Positions – Grad
and Undergrad
Online Academic LMS administrator
Advisors
2 Positions – Grad
and Undergrad
Instructional
Instructional Technology Specialist
Designer
Technical Support
College Liaisons
Specialist
Faculty appointments
in each college – 2
course reduction