MU High School

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Semester-Based Independent Study Familiar Route,
New Road
University of Missouri High School AACIS
Conference November 2008
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Independent Study/Semester-Based

• Open enrollment
• 9 months to complete
• Asynchronous
• Self-paced
• Contact instructor via student services
• E-mail
• No group discussion
• No class size limit

• Enroll prior to Day 1
• 4 month calendar
• Start/end dates
• Due dates
• Online communication
• Chats
• Forums
• E-mail
• Limited class size

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Semester Courses

• Advanced Placement Courses
• English Literature Composition
• Statistics
• Calculus
• European History
• Psychology
• U.S. Government and Politics
• U.S. History
• Latin I
• 9th, 10th, and 12th Grade English
• Algebra II

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Transitioning

• Tighter timelines
• Registering students returning forms
• Setting dates years in advance
• Scheduling exams
• Coordinating student services with book store and
  tech folk
• Instructor reimbursement (more responsibilities)

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Online Delivery Method

• CDIS Web site
• Standard in-house template
• Interactives designed to reinforce
• Moodle
• Trial run using in-house instructors
• Instructors are more independent

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Instructor Responsibilities

• Communicating with students
• Timely and accurate
• Follow up with students and/or MUHS
• Communicating with MUHS
• Concerns with students
• Problems with the course
• Submitting student grades

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Challenges (Faculty)

• Varied technical expertise
• Access to list serve and chat from school
  accounts
• Synchronizing chat schedules
• Unexpected cancellations
• Part-time instructors
• Submitting grades on time

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Challenges (Students)

• Accurate e-mail addresses
• Access to list serve and chat from school
  accounts
• Completing required paperwork before class begins
• Completing course on time

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Karen Scales

• English Instructor

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Mapping the Route

• The Course Calendar
• Provides structure for students who may struggle
  with self-discipline or self-motivation when
  studying independently
• Creates a smooth transition for students who may
  be new to independent study

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Road Hazard

• Established independent learners may be
  unaccustomed to managing deadlines and working
  with a class.

• Solution
• Structure the calendar with some purposeful
  flexibility

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Sample Calendar AP English

• Begin Unit One Defining Moments
• Monday, September 15Progress evaluations for
  Lessons 1, 2, and 3 due by midnight Central Time 
• Begin Unit Two Plot and Point of View
• Friday, September 26 Unit 2 Chat 300-400 PM
  Central Time
• Monday, September 29Progress evaluations for
  Lessons 4, 5, and 6 due by midnight Central Time
• Begin Unit Three The Bluest Eye

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Road Hazard

• Individual schedules and a variety of time
  zones make real-time chats difficult to organize.

• Solutions
• If possible give students a variety of scheduling
  options.
• If the instructors schedule is restricted, use
  the chat room for regular office hours and
  utilize other methods for class participation
  credit.

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Sample Chat Schedule

• Unit One Defining Moments
• Thursday, September 11 900 1000 AM
• Unit Two Plot and Point of View
• Friday, September 26 300 400 PM
• Unit Three The Bluest Eye
• Tuesday, October 7 400 500 PM
• Midterm Exam Review
• Friday, October 10 1000 1100 AM

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Road Hazard

• Out of sight, out of mind
• Invisible distance educators must track student
• progress and encourage students who struggle to
• keep up.

• Solutions
• Enforce consequences for late work
• Utilize technology online grade book, class
  announcements web page, e-mail listserv

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Roadside Assistance

• Teacher/Student Interaction
•  
• Accessibility allows students to ask questions
  and get help when they need it.
•  
• Instructors track student progress and provide
  encouragement when necessary.
•  
• In a classroom atmosphere, students may feel less
  isolated and more like part of a learning
  community.

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Road Hazard

• Instructors must devote more time and
• energy to class management monitoring
• student progress, due dates, discussion
• forums, class chats, and student correspondence.

• Solution
• Utilize technology (class listserv and online
  announcements) to make group communications
  efficient

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Sample Online Gradebook
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Road Hazard

• Distance amplifies the challenge of back of
  the class students who are reluctant to
  participate in class discussions and group
  projects.

• Solutions
• Incentivize class participation with point value
• Require multiple postings for each thread of a
  discussion forum
• Send advance instructions for live chats

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Sample Chat Preparation Instructions

• There are essentially three levels of questions
  that active readers
• ask themselves as they read
• 1.   Level One Answer can be found directly in
  the text.
• 2.   Level Two Answer (or possible answers) can
  be inferred from the text
• 3.   Level Three Answer goes beyond the text by
  exploring a broader concept that is raised within
  or illustrated by the text.  
•  
• Devise three questions about "A Rose for Emily,"
  one for each of
• the three levels discussed above, that you will
  pose and discuss
• with your classmates. Prior to the chat, you will
  want to review the
• story carefully to refresh your memory of the
  characters, key
• events, and central ideas.

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Greg Johnson

• Math Instructor

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Online Mathematics Instruction

• Seating Chart
• MU High School Advanced Placement Statistics F07

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If were chatting, it must be Tuesday
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Class Participation

• Weekly online Chat
• Forums available any time
• Glossary

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Online Chat - Preparation

• Students have specific textbook topic and are
  motivated by upcoming quiz
• We do not discuss upcoming quiz and exam
  questions in chatbut similar exercises are fair
  game for discussion.
• Teacher should prepare questions to ask students,
  images, tabular data, etc.

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Online Chat - Example

• Fall 2007 Advanced Placement Statistics, just
  after midterm
• 8 students present for early chat. A late
  chat the same day had 3 students.

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Chat example 1
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Chat example 2
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Chat example 3
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Chat example 4
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Chat example 5
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Chat example 6
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Chat example 7
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Chat example 8
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After the chat

• At entry to chat transcript, list highlights of
  topics covered.
• Turn unresolved questions into forum topics.

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Online Forums

• News Forum
• Teacher announcements
• Class Discussion Forum
• Student driven Questions Answers, Reviews,
  In the news
• Opinions Forum
• Anyone can post a question
• Students cant see responses to a question until
  they have given a response!

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Forum example 1
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Forum example 2
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Other class participation

• Glossary
• Blogs / Journals
• Wikis
• Audio submissions
• Video submissions
• I have so far used only the group glossary.

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Math Challenges

• Mathematics notation
• Solution 1 Use calculator notation such as
  sqrt(a2 b2) for
• Solution 2 Asciimathml filter converts these
  typed calculator expressions to traditional
  mathematics notation.

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Some Insights

• Establish solid email communication
• Prepare
• Encourage speculation, opinions, and reasoned
  response explicitly and by example.
• Demonstrate chat protocol and cues
• Summarize

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More Insights

• Use system logs to track student progress. Notify
  students proactively.
• Email counselors, at least so counselors know
  there is a real live teacher.
• Use icebreakers and humor to encourage
  participation.
• Keep up-to-date and ask questions with academic
  and technical forums.

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Questions?
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University of Missouri High School

• FoxBY_at_missouri.edu
• ScalesKA_at_missouri.edu
• JohnsonG_at_missouri.edu
• Web Site cdis.missouri.edu
• Toll Free 1-800-609-3727
• Address 136 Clark Hall
• Columbia, MO 65211