Altilab2005 - Distance Education Blog

The following is based on insights I have gained from supporting new e-moderators in two distance education institutions over the last 18 months.

Courses that have previously been delivered without the use of online technologies can be dramatically changed by the affordances of online technologies. In traditional distance education programmes, students generally receive materials via the post, which they are expected to work through in solitary isolation, supported only by a personal tutor (either e-mail or phone), and in some cases, a tutorial group of peers which meets infrequently. The tutor’s role is well defined, and is usually limited to helping students interpret the course materials and giving feedback on assignment drafts. When institutions that offer these kinds of programmes start using a virtual learning environment (VLE), tutors may suddenly find themselves with an expanded job description that includes the role of e-moderator. Many of these new e-moderators feel overwhelmed by the challenges that are presented by this transition, and do not feel that they get sufficient support from their institutions in addressing them. Below are some of the key issues that came up for me in liaising with such tutors, all of which point to the importance of tutor support when making the transition from paper-based to online distance education.

1. The need to reconceptualise the course design to take account of the collaboration opportunities provided by the online technology. The existing materials are likely to be based on a philosophy of individual constructivism (if any approach to learning design is discernible at all). The introduction of discussion forums and other online tools for collaboration implies a transition to a social constructivist model of learning, which some new e-moderators think of as ‘cheating’, or time-wasting. Whatever the e-moderator’s views, she or he is often not supplied with a newly designed curriculum when moving to online delivery, with the result that the e-moderator may decide to simply use the VLE as a content repository and avoid using the interactive features altogether.
2. Uncertainty about the best way to make use of the discussion forum, and lack of understanding as to how its purpose differs from all the other ‘spaces’ available in the VLE, such as wikis, blogs and virtual classrooms. In the absence of support from the institution, the e-moderator may well end up using only one tool (most commonly the discussion forum) and ignoring the others, thereby depriving the students of potentially dynamic and enjoyable opportunities for information sharing and knowledge construction.
3. Fears about the extent to which online technologies will impact on the flexibility of the course for students. E.g. What if some students don’t have easy access to the internet; what if some students don’t like collaborating; what if some students are unable to participate in e-tivities within the stipulated time-frames? These fears may lead e-moderators to make the interactive aspects of the course optional, with the result that there is very little student engagement on the VLE, and the course continues to be run along very traditional lines as before.
4. Anxiety about the amount of time that will be required for the e-moderators to learn how to use the new technology – and the amount of time required to actually e-moderate the course – leading again to the minimum possible use of the online platform.
5. Worries about a perceived increase in opportunities for plagiarism (e.g. students copying and pasting from their peers’ online contributions), leading to an avoidance of online interaction for any assessment-related tasks, with the knock-on effect that students see very little point in participating, and there is minimal engagement.
6. Fears about the possible challenges to the e-moderators’ subject matter knowledge as a result of student interaction on discussion forums and virtual classrooms. These fears can be particularly stressful and disempowering, as they go to the heart of the person’s sense of professional competence, and can result, again, in minimal encouragement for students to use the online platform by the e-moderator.

All of these challenges and fears are real and need to be addressed at an institutional level when introducing online technologies. Some ways of addressing them that seem to be successful are:

1. Support for tutors in the redesign of their courses to use online technologies  in enabling ways (e.g. the University of Leicester’s ‘Carpe Diem’ workshops).
2. A consultative process for redesigning the institution’s student support system. This may involve re-allocating resources (e.g. reducing the amount of individual support provided by tutors and re-allocating funds towards e-moderation of groups or cohorts).
3. An online community of practice (e.g. ‘Learn with Maggie’, now moved from Ning to Facebook) where e-moderators can share knowledge with colleagues informally, while also learning to use online communication tools effectively for their personal benefit.
4. Training workshops for staff in the use of the new technologies. (However, a once-off workshop or training course is not enough. Tutors, like students, need ongoing support when making the transition to technology-enhanced education.)
5. The use of a teaching fellow model, in which a person with subject matter knowledge as well as expertise in the use of educational technologies is ‘embedded’ in the course team, to provide support for tutors and students in the use of new technologies.

As India steps into its 64^th Independence Day, what better ways to celebrate the true spirit of freedom than the new developments in the field of higher education. Education shapes, builds and creates leaders out of the present generation for the future. India is the world’s second most populous country but a meagre 12% of its population undertakes higher education. But one institution has been making rapid strides towards its goal of offering education to all. It is the Sikkim Manipal University Distance Education (SMU-DE).

In a country plagued by problems of lack of suitable education infrastructure, exorbitant fees and an education system that stresses more on theory than practicality, SMU-DE is a welcome breather and a pioneer. Voted as the best distance learning institute of India in teaching efficiency and results and the third overall by an independent survey conducted by Careers360 magazine and validated by Hindustan Times, the leading English daily, SMU-DE has an alumni base exceeding 3 lakh students and close to 1.77 lakh students on its rolls presently.

Offering a plethora of courses across multiple disciplines, SMU-DE over the years has created a benchmark for quality education that is practical and industry oriented. The disciplines include Banking & Finance, Allied Health Sciences, Information Technology, Mass Communication & Journalism, Biotechnology, Apparel & Fashion Designing, Hospitality, Telecom Technology, Commerce and Management. SMU-DE has recently launched ProDegree courses in BSc Networking and B. Com with specializations in Export-Import Management, Supply Chain Management and Financial Planning.

Through a widespread network of 725 University recognized Learning Centres across 310 towns, fully equipped with faculty and certified counsellors, SMU-DE makes sure that every students gets individual attention and guidance. Add to that the multi award winning internet based learning platform, EduNxt. EduNxt allows students to access faculty mentors, industry experts, counselling, virtual classrooms, self-learning materials and over a million journals. All this can be done 24×7 helping students to plan their studies beforehand. Students can also collaborate with their batch mates on projects and assignments. And the results are always declared on time which means saving up on student’s time and the student does not have to wait for long periods before pursuing chosen career path.

An institute that is revered across industry circles for its industry ready course material creating professionals, this presents an unique opportunity to boost one’s career path by joining SMU-DE.  It’s the freedom that is valued here; the freedom to study anytime, anywhere and the student gets an UGC recognized degree which is on par with any regular college. Add to that the freedom to work while you earn and specialise in the skill sets needed in the chosen profession. All the courses have syllabus designed and validated by industry experts and hence have inbuilt skill sets that are needed in specific industries.

No other institute upholds and practices freedom like SMU-DE. After all freedom is on everyone’s mind at the stroke of midnight on August 15^th, and SMU-DE gives students not just the independence to study what they want in their own way but also the platform to a great career ahead. A brighter generation for a brighter India.

For more info visit: http://www.smude.edu.in/AboutUs/Pages/DistanceEducationranking.aspx

The explosion in demand for qualified nurses has really pushed the development of online degree programs for nurses. But what if Nursing is not in your career plans? What if you already have a nursing degree but you want to push it further ? There are lots of options for online study in fields within healthcare, but that aren’t necessarily nursing degrees.  Many of these involve healthcare administration which requires far less direct interaction with patients but that still puts you in an exciting and demanding environment and where your efforts are crucial to the success of the entire operation. Distance learning degrees in fields like medical assistance can also be good choices.

Online Healthcare Degrees are a Great First Step

Administrative and assistant careers are good first steps toward studying any number of other healthcare-related fields. Online coursework in administration or assisting can definitely qualify you and get you an entry level job. Many online courses will also qualify you for a job quite a bit more advanced, too. An online degree in Medical Records, Billing and Coding might lead you later to advanced study in Healthcare Information Systems. It could also be a very good choice for later study in any of the advanced HealthCare Administration degrees. Many institutions that train healthcare professionals also offer advanced online degrees in Public Health, Counseling and in Human Services. There’s no reason not to study online for exactly the healthcare field that’s best for you. Some other options include emergency management, addiction counseling and even respiratory therapy.

Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Healthcare

For students who don’t want to jump right into a full time nursing program, there are still rigorous online study courses in fields that are related, but not nursing. Options for studying online that don’t require full time nursing school, include bachelor’s degrees in Medical Imaging Science, Advanced Patient Care, and Bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration that concentrate in healthcare management. Online study in nutrition is one more field where you can earn a good Bachelor’s degree that will qualify you to work in any number of jobs in the exploding field of healthcare. Any way you look at, the healthcare field is a very good place to spend your career. The jobs are definitely there, but the online training that you need to pursue a career in healthcare is also available.

If you are teaching two or more sections of the same course using MyMathLab and feel like you are needlessly doing double work to post an assignment, change due dates, or post an announcement, there is a way to improve this. In MyMathLab you can create a coordinator course that will cut your effort. The coordinator is like a parent course, and once it’s created you can create a member (or child) course for each section you are teaching. Assignments & announcements can be created in the coordinator course and they will trickle down to the member course.

Creating a Coordinator Course

Begin by creating a standard course. This could be a course you create from scratch, or a copy of a previous course you taught. I prefer to copy a course I have already taught, because it comes preloaded with my old assignments and announcements. If you have a series of your own material that you post through “Chapter Contents” or “eBook”, I’d recommend preloading these before making your member courses, because these materials from the Course Compass side do not trickle down to the member classes in the middle of the semester.

Once you are happy with your course, it is time to set it as a coordinator course. Go to the MyMathLab group in Control Panel and click on “Settings and Group Admin”. In the top section labeled General Settings, click “Edit” and change your course from a Standard Course to a Coordinator course. By the way, you cannot make a course into a coordinator course once students are enrolled in the course. Also, do not give the Course ID for the coordinator course, you will need to give them the Course ID for their specific member course.

Creating Member Courses

This is pretty easy. All you need to do is copy your coordinator course. (On your main screen, click on Copy an Existing Course and select the Course ID of your coordinator course.) This will import all of the content you have already created, and you can manage any dates or create new assignments/announcements from within your coordinator course. Give your student the Course ID that corresponds to their member course.

Managing Courses

To create an assignment for each course you are teaching, open your coordinator course and create an assignment just as you would for a standard course. When you finish, this will trickle down to each member course. If you want to change details for one class, you can then open your member course and make adjustments there.

The same set up holds true for creating a quiz, changing due dates for a homework assignment or quiz, or posting an announcement through the MML Homepage Manager. If you want to do something for all sections of the course, use your coordinator course. If you want to do something for just one section of the course, use your member course.

My Experience

Last semester I used a coordinator course for the first time with my Intro Stats class, and it really was a time saver. My only regret was that I had to post supplemental materials in the eBook of each member course because I did not realize this needed to be preloaded. However, once the semester ended, I have a perfect version to develop my next coordinator course from. By the way, once the semester ends, if you want to copy your coordinator course to create a coordinator course for the next semester you must change it back to a standard course, or you will end up with a member course instead of a coordinator course.

If you have any experience with coordinator courses, or if you have any questions about them, please share by leaving a comment, or reaching me through the contact page at my web site – georgewoodbury.com.

-George

I am a math instructor at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, CA. Each Monday I post an article related to MyMathLab on my blog. If there’s a particular topic you’d like me to address, or if you have a question or a comment, please let me know. You can reach me through the contact page on my website – http://georgewoodbury.com.