InterInstitutional Collaborations Using Online Learning Technologies

1
Inter-Institutional Collaborations Using Online
Learning Technologies
Shari McCurdy and Ray Schroeder University of
Illinois at Springfield Maureen Yoder and Mimi
Gilman Lesley University
2
Higher Education Collaboration

• Inter-Institutional Collaboration via web
• Common modes
• Guest speakers any time / anywhere
• Time/geographic boundaries no longer matter
• Faculty exchanges without leaving campus
• Student exchanges without leaving dorms
• Joint degree programs seamless
• Joint faculty appointments
• Shared laboratories, libraries (OCLC), and
  learning objects , and collaborative writing

3
Collaboration Modes
4
University of Illinois at Springfield

• Established in 1970 became a campus of the
  University of Illinois in 1995
• 4,300 students
• First online class in fall 1998
• Rapid online growth of 30/year
• Eight online degree programs
• 1,450 students taking at least one online class
  accounting for 2,350 enrollments
• Extensive system of faculty support - OTEL
• Stipends, formal classes, one-on-one pedagogical
  support, technical support, array of synchronous
  and asynchronous online tools
• 12 minority enrollment

5
Lesley University

• Established 1909 in Cambridge, MA as a two-year
  normal college
• Now offers degrees through the Ph.D.
• Recently became a fully co-ed institution
• 85 of graduates enter public service in fields
  such as teaching, counseling, and human services
• Distance learning has expanded rapidly
• Technology in Education is a leading field of
  study

6
Elluminate
Login
7
UIS/Lesley University

• Education Class Collaborations
• UIS - Shari McCurdys class
• Lesley Univ. - Mimi Gilmans class
• Nature of collaborations
• Virtual guest speaker
• Outcomes

8
Best Practices Synchronous

• Establish netiquette for the classroom ahead of
  time
• Be sure class is well prepared to use the tools
• Allow participants extra time prior to session
  start to perform audio/video tests
• Make sure user privileges are as equal as
  possible
• Establish recording procedures (at least for
  Elluminate which doesnt automatically record.)
• Plan for plenty of sidebar discussions via
  email/phone between faculty members
• Understand that there may be students who could
  be overwhelmed by the need to speak into a
  microphone and hear their own voice.
• Open classroom to avoid scheduling problems
• Consider using asynchronous tools to assist in
  organizing

9
CSU/UIS HECA

• State of Illinois Board of Higher Education
  Higher Ed Cooperation Act Grant in 2001 began a
  continuing partnership (SBC Match Gift)
• Technical training for staff
• Pedagogical training for faculty
• Exchange visits to two campuses
• Blackboard
• 2004 partnership matured into a true
  collaborations in online classes
• Goal engage urban/minority and rural/white
  perspectives in classes

10
Administrative Arrangements

• Students enroll at home institution
• Blackboard approved sharing since same-level
  licenses between campuses
• Elluminate license not restrictive
• Faculty members receive stipend from grant for
  extra efforts in collaborations
• Faculty members grade own students
• Negotiate a shared syllabus
• Exceptions noted as needed for campus-specific
  requirements

11
Blackboard Discussions
12
Best Practices Asynchronous

• Begin faculty joint planning at least one full
  semester before offering
• Confer on teaching styles and important areas of
  instruction for each individual
• Establish licensing constraints with vendors
• Work out details of responding to students in
  advance
• Which faculty member responds at what time to
  which students (anytime? All?)
• Pre-plan how to handle disagreements between
  students disagreements between faculty
• Establish parallel schedules for responses,
  posting of grades, etc.
• Plan for plenty of sidebar discussions via
  email/phone between faculty members

13
Expanding Collaborations

• UIS / CSU / Columbia NYC March 2005
• Synchronous session joining students and faculty
  from Internet and American Life at UIS/CSU with
  class in Computer Mediated Communication at
  Columbia
• Students in NY, IL, CA, FL, Taiwan
• UIS / Warsaw School of Economics Fall 2005
• Merged Philosophy class
• UIS/University of San Francisco Fall 2005
• Podcast collaborations
• Prof. Margaret Maag Ray Schroeder

14
Future of Collaborations

• Digital online collaborations in higher education
• Breaking down geographic, cultural, and
  institutional barriers
• Promoting diversity - broader understanding
• Sharing resources laboratories, libraries,
  hardware, software, and more
• Sharing faculty and staff expertise
• Offering under-enrolled classes
• Stretching the curriculum

15
Resources

• Webliographyhttp//online.uis.edu/collaboration/
  
• JALN article for upcoming special issue on
  Collaboration INTER-INSTITUTIONAL ONLINE
  COLLABORATION PROMOTING ACCESS, DIVERSITY AND
  QUALITY
• http//www.sloan-c.org/publications/jaln/index.asp
  

16
Contact Information

• Ray Schroeder, Director - Shari McCurdy,
  Associate Director
• schroeder.ray _at_uis.edu - mccurdy.shari_at_uis.edu
• Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning
• University of Illinois at Springfield
• Maureen Yoder - Mimi Gilman
• myoder_at_lesley.edu - mimigilman1_at_mac.com
• Technology in Education
• Lesley University
• This Presentationhttp//people.uis.edu/rschr1/aln
  05.ppt