Exploring how blended learning can support a faculty development community of inquiry

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• Exploring how blended learning can support a
  faculty development community of inquiry
• AMTec2005Powering Up New Learning Communities
  Conference
• Norm Vaughan Learning Commons, University of
  Calgary
• nvaughan_at_ucalgary.ca

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Overview

• Faculty development issues related to educational
  technology integration
• Community of inquiry framework
• Blended faculty learning community model

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Reflecting on Faculty Development
Examples
Processes

Faculty DevelopmentPrograms
Issues
Advantages
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Faculty Development Issues

• Program examples?
• Program issues?

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Issues with previous faculty development
initiatives related to educational technology

• One off workshops faculty come to a workshop
  get excited about using educational technology
  but then go back to their offices and do not have
  the time to put their new ideas into practice
• Educational technology project development work
  (semester or academic year) - lack of opportunity
  for faculty to share their ideas and concerns
  with others who are also going through the same
  development process
• Educational technology institutes positive in a
  sense that there is time to clearly link theory
  to practice (good mix of discussion and hands-on
  sessions), sense of community and sharing among
  participants disadvantage, the lack of follow
  up connections often prevents extensive
  implementation of the projects

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Challenges in Higher Education

• Lack of time to participate in face-to-face
  faculty development activities
• Perceived uptake of educational technology by
  faculty..BUT..concerns about workload are
  faculty layering the technology on top of
  everything theyve always done and continue to
  do?

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Blended Learning

• combining the best features of in-class teaching
  with the best features of the online environment
  to create active, self-directed learning
  opportunities for students with added flexibility
  and a reduction of
• seat time.
• (Garnham Kaleta, 2002)

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Faculty Learning Community (FLC)

• A FLC consists of a cross-disciplinary group of
  5 or more faculty members (8 to 12 is the
  recommended size) engaging in an active,
  collaborative, yearlong program with a curriculum
  about enhancing teaching and learning and with
  frequent seminars and activities that provide
  learning, development, interdisciplinarity, the
  scholarship of teaching and learning, and
  community building.
• (Cox, 2003, p.1)

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Community of Inquiry

• Definition
• A critical community of learners, from an
  educational perspective, is composed of teachers
  and students transacting with the specific
  purposes of facilitating, constructing, and
  validating understanding, and of developing
  capabilities that will lead to further learning.
  Such a community encourages cognitive
  independence and social interdependence
  simultaneously.
• Randy Garrison Terry Anderson, E-Learning
  in the 21st Century A Framework for Research
  and Practice, 2003, p. 23.

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Community of Inquiry Framework
Social Presence The ability of participants in a
community of inquiry to project themselves
socially and emotionally as real people
(i.e., their full personality), through the
medium of communication being used.
Cognitive Presence The extent to which learners
are able to construct and confirm meaning
through sustained reflection and discourse in a
critical community of inquiry.
Teaching Presence The design, facilitation and
direction of cognitive and social processes for
the purpose of realizing personally meaningful
and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes.
Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2000)
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Community of Inquiry Framework Adapted for a
FLC on Blended Learning
Supporting Discourse
InquiryProcess
Community
Faculty Development Experience
SettingClimate
SelectingContent
Blended Support
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Inquiry Process within a FLC for Blended Learning
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Community Presence within a FLC on Blended
Learning
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Blended Support within a FLC on Blended Learning
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Using Internet Technologies to Support a
Community of Inquiry

• How can Internet-based technologies be used to
  support an inquiry process within a blended
  faculty development context?
• Think
• Pair
• Share

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Using Web-based technologies to Support a Blended
Inquiry Cycle

• Before session
• During session
• After session
• Preparation for next session

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Blended Faculty Learning Community Model
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Stage One Before a Face-to-Face (FTF)
Session
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Pre-readings
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Self-assessment quizzes (knowledge probes)
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Examples of Web-based tools to support
inquiry-based learning

• Before FTF Session
• Communication
• Announcements section of your course web site
• Group email feature
• Posting or linking to pre-reading assignments
• U of C Library - Electronic Indexes and Abstracts
  http//www.ucalgary.ca/library/gateway/indabs.html
  
• Digital learning objects
• Learning Object Repositorieshttp//www.mtroyal.ab
  .ca/adc/adc_learningobjects.htm
• Self assessment quizzes
• Test manager tools
• Anonymous surveys
• Survey manager tools

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Stage Two During a FTF Session
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Quiz survey feedback
Display quiz survey results
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Digital learning objects/resources
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Displaying assignments/faculty work
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Examples of Web-based tools to support
inquiry-based learning

• During FTF Session
• Displaying quiz or survey results
• Online grade book results (for anonymous surveys)
• Overheads of information printed out from the
  Blackboard online grade book
• Displaying digital learning objects and resources
  
• Objects uploaded to the course web site and links
  to external learning object and resource sites
  (e.g. animations, video clips, PowerPoint
  presentations)
• Merlot - http//www.merlot.org/
• Displaying assignments and faculty work
• Assignment folders within course site which
  contain the assignment handout, tutorial,
  resources and examples of past student work

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Stage Three Between the FTF Sessions
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Anonymous end of session survey
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Online discussion forums
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Project Support and Development Areas
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Links to Projects
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Examples of Web-based tools to support
inquiry-based learning

• After FTF Session
• Anonymous feedback surveys
• Communication
• Announcements section of your course site for
  student to do list
• Group email feature for the student to do list
• Individual email feature for individual student
  questions or clarification (try to put common
  questions into a Frequently Asked Questions
  discussion forum)
• Online discussion forums to facilitate student
  moderated discussions
• Virtual classroom tools for synchronous sharing
  sessions among student groups
• Individual and Group Project Work
• Assignment folders within course site which
  contains the assignment handout, tutorial,
  resources and examples of past student work
• Groups work area within course management systems
  which contain communication tools (email,
  discussion forum, virtual chat) and a digital
  drop box for sharing documents
• Opportunities for further exploration
• External links section within Blackboard for
  enrichment resources

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Stage Four Next FTF Session
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Anonymous survey feedback
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Archive survey feedback
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Comments from Faculty Participants

• This FLC experience provided me with the
  incentive, time, support and encouragement to
  re-examine and reflect on my teaching practice,
  course curriculum and use of educational
  technology.
• Prior to this FLC experience, I had been using
  Blackboard and other educational technologies to
  package and disseminate content resources to my
  students where as now I am using technology to
  create a process and structure to help my
  students become more intentional and reflective
  about their learning. In essence, to learn how
  to learn.

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Questions, Comments, Discussion
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Resources

• Cox, M.D. (2003). Faculty Learning Communities
  What Are They? . http//www.units.muohio.edu/flc/i
  ndex.shtml
• Garnham, C. and Kaleta, R. (2002). Introduction
  to Hybrid Courses. Teaching with Technology
• Today, 8 (6). http//www.uwsa.edu/ttt/articles/ga
  rnham.htm
• Garrison, D.R. Anderson, T. (2003).
  E-Learning in the 21st Century A Framework for
  Research and Practice. London RoutledgeFalmer
• Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., Archer, W.
  (2000). Critical thinking in a text-based
  environment Computer conferencing in higher
  education. Internet and Higher Education, 11(2),
  1-14. http//www.atl.ualberta.ca/cmc/CTinTextEnvFi
  nal.pdf

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Resources

• Novak, Greg (1999). Just-in-Time Teaching.
  http//webphysics.iupui.edu/jitt/what.html/
• Portland State University (2001). Classroom
  Assessment Techniques Examples.
• http//www.oaa.pdx.edu/CAE/cat.html
• Twigg, C.A. (2004). The Roadmap to Redesign
  (R2R). http//www.center.rpi.edu/R2R/R2R_PlanRes.h
  tml
• University of Wisconsin _at_ Milwaukee (2002).
  Hybrid Course Website. http//www.uwm.edu/Dept/LTC
  /hybrid.html/