Poster Presentation at Sloan-C 2009 in Orlando, FL

1. 15th Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning Supporting Faculty Content Experts as Members of Online Course Development Teams

2. Team of Experts Instructional Designer/Project Manager (ID/PM) Scheduling Course structure, navigation Faculty Content Expert/Subject Matter Expert (SME) Content approval Assessment design and approval Multimedia Developer Streaming video Flash, Graphic design LMS troubleshooting Design Assistant/Editor Content transfer Open Education Resources Copy, formatting, usability

3. Course Development Process

4. Open (and/or Free) Tools & Resources Scheduling Google Calendar Collaboration Google Docs, Spreadsheets DimDim Skype Evaluation/Data Collection Google Forms LMS/Website Sakai Wordpress HTML Editors Notepad++ YouTube TeacherTube Edutopia OpenCourseWare Consortium MIT Open Courseware VoiceThread CiteULike Hot Potatoes

5. Preparing Faculty Experts to Serve as SMEs

6. Connect with training on LMS Online Tutorials Existing Tech Support and Distance Course Design offices on campus – check the workshop schedules! Connect with training on online instruction Facilitating online discussion (asynch/synch) Instructional strategies – selection, pros/cons for online delivery Encourage networking with peers Faculty who have worked with the design team previously Access to developed courses, examples Provide easy-to-edit formats Work with existing skill /comfort levels Outline clear-cut responsibilities and tasks Weekly meetings with assigned tasks (for all team members) and specific deadlines Review the project’s production schedule periodically

7. Develop a written agreement (MOA) Signed by SME, ID/PM, and Department Chair Project Purpose Compensation Timeline Responsibilities Copyright/Acknowledgements Communication and Meetings Foster a supportive climate Encourage creativity, innovation, input and feedback Communicate often Work with existing skill /comfort level: phone, email, written reports, etc.

8. Feedback from Faculty Content Experts Previous experience? 50/50 – have worked with or taught online courses before Commitment to project: Time required was more than expected Also involved in teaching, researching, service/community Perception of innovation: New ways to communicate with students New ways for students to interact with content and each other Increased awareness of the potential applications of technology Changes to teaching strategies as a result of the project

9. Feedback from Faculty Content Experts Satisfaction with the development process: Challenged by? Time constraints Acquiring copyright permissions Moving to completely online format Most Time consuming? Own learning curve Keeping content flexible for other instructors to use Finding materials online Planning the course schedule Excited about? Reaching a greater audience than F2F Using new technology tools Working with online students Having a complete course template for future use

10. Feedback from Faculty Content Experts Anticipated issues with course delivery: Adjusting for students with lower skills with technology Loss of interaction with local community/ experts (e.g. in class guest speakers) A lot of grading Keeping up with feedback for students, especially discussion posts Facilitating thorough asynchronous discussions Using available synchronous technologies

11. Melissa A. Venable, PhDmvenable@kaplan.eduwww.mvenable.wordpress.com