ITC 2008-2009 Professional Development Calendar
Here is our list of upcoming professional development audioconferences through December 2008. If you are unable to make any of the live presentations, an archived version of the call will be available on the phone bridge for 60 days after each live event. We only have 35 spaces for the live event – first come, first served. However if you register for the live event, you and/or any member of your staff, are free to access to the archive (note that ITC owns the copyright for these audioconference so we appreciate your not making or storing any copies).
The registration fees are the same to access the live and archived versions: any 20 calls for $460 ($23 each) or one call for $25. These fees are double for non-ITC members. Since we don’t have 20 calls scheduled yet, you can choose any of the 11 we have so far and carry a credit for what is left over.
Register online at http://www.itcpayments.org/audioconference/index.cfm. If you have questions please contact Ginger Park at gpark@itcnetwork.org or 202/293-3132.
A big thank you goes to Dallas TeleLearning for contributing the use of their phone bridge to us so we can keep our costs down! Please send us your ideas for topics or presenters as we develop the schedule of audioconferences which begin in January 2009!! We hope you value this ITC member service and we would love to hear from you! Drop me a line at cmullins@itcnetwork.org or call 202/293-3110. Thank you!
Chris.
September 2008
Innovative Techniques for Teaching a Hands-On Lab Course Over the InternetSept. 16, 2008 – 2:00pm-3:00pm Eastern Time
Presenter: Jennifer A. Herzog, Assistant Professor of Biology, Herkimer County Community College
A stumbling block for offering entire degree programs online is the requirement that students complete at least one lab science course to graduate. In response, Jennifer Herzog developed an online general biology course for non-science majors taught with an accompanying hands-on laboratory component. This course is completely asynchronous, and open to traditional and non-traditional students. She devised several methods for conveying the on-campus learning environment over the Internet. For the course’s lecture section, she uses movies, novels, TV shows and interactive Web sites to reinforce concepts and principles, while students analyze current biological issues by threaded discussions. Students purchase a lab kit and manual from AtHomeScience.com so that they can perform hands-on experiments at home. Course assessment is built directly into the modules: students can use online office hours, question and “talk to the professor” areas to provide instant feedback on activities, examinations and Herzog’s teaching methods. Students provide more in-depth responses through a culminating activity in a questionnaire format.
Authentic Learner Assessments for the eLearning Environment
Sept. 23, 2008 – 2:00pm-3:00pm Eastern Time
Presenter: Jean Runyon, Dean, Virtual Campus, Anne Arundel Community College
Assessment is taking the center stage in the eLearning environment. Assessments designed to evaluate student performance in traditional courses are often ineffective for the e-Learning environment. Educators must develop and utilize assessment strategies that align with and promote the achievement of course learning outcomes while being authentic, reliable, and engaging. Participants will explore principles of authentic assessment and examine assessment methodologies that can be used in online and hybrid courses to assess course-related knowledge and skills, student attitudes and values, as well as reactions to instructional methods.
Online Program Advising
Sept. 30, 2008 – 2:00pm-3:00pm Eastern Time
Presenters: Lynn Ward, HIT and HICS Program Director, Faculty, and Ryan Schrenk, Director of Technology-Facilitated Learning, Montana State University Great Falls
As a new program director working from a distance, Lynn Ward developed a way to advise students from a distance through the use of Montana State University-Great Falls’ learning management system. While working for MSU from her home in Maine, Lynn developed a course shell that is used for advising students in her Health Information Technology and Health Information Coding programs. This audio conference will cover the needs for the course shell, how it was developed from both the faculty designer and distance education department perspective and how the course shell has helped Lynn keep in touch with her advisees from a distance.
October 2008
Intellectual Property Rights and Ownership of Online Courses
Oct. 14, 2008 – 2:00pm-3:00pm Eastern Time
Presenter: Dr. Stephanie Bulger, Vice Chancellor for Curriculum and Learning Technologies Wayne County Community College District
Is your institution developing more online courses and training more faculty to teach online than ever before – often with a limited understanding of its actions on the institution’s and faculty’s intellectual property rights? Is interpreting the intellectual property rights of online courses relatively new ground for you? Participants in this audioconference will hear the results of a survey of ITC member institutions about their intellectual property rights (IPR) policies and practices, an analysis of their IPR policies, and how case law informs IPR. Join us to discuss this provocative subject and discover potential areas for improving IPR policies and practices at your institution.
Using Controversial Topics as an Effective Teaching and Learning Tool in the Online Classroom
Oct. 21, 2008 – 2:00pm-3:00pm Eastern Time
Presenters: Darlene Smucny, Professor and Academic Director, Social Sciences, and Katherine Humber, Assistant Professor and Academic Director, Gerontology, School of Undergraduate Studies, University of Maryland University College
Discussion of controversial topics can be a powerful pedagogical tool; however, instructors may be hesitant to deal with such topics in the asynchronous online environment. We identify challenges to addressing controversial topics in the online classroom, and provide best practices, including: establishing “ground rules” for each discussion, using misunderstandings as teachable moments, and assigning students to online study groups to debate a variety of perspectives. Above all, instructors need to create and actively foster an atmosphere of safety and respect in the online classroom. Once established, controversy can actually serve as the basis for effective teaching and learning opportunities in the online classroom.
Reducing Math Anxiety in an Online Classroom
Oct. 28, 2008 – 2:00pm-3:00pm Eastern Time
Presenter: Dr. John Beyers, Professor and Academic Director, Mathematics and Statistics, University of Maryland University College (UMUC)
Many have tried to define math anxiety – some refer to medical or psychological terms, others attempt to describe the symptoms, while others include the causes and effects. Sheila Tobias’s popular definition in “Overcoming Math Anxiety” (1995) describes math anxiety as “feelings of tension and anxiety that interfere with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of problems in a wide variety of ordinary life and academic situations.”
College math classes are generally offered in more than one delivery mode or format. Each modality presents a whole new set of challenges to consider. At UMUC, math classes are offered in three formats: traditional (face to face), traditional with Web enhancement, and distance education. Some math-anxious students choose a distance education format to avoid some of the negative experiences they expect with traditional classes. This may be their greatest educational experience or their worst nightmare. Often students do not choose a delivery format based on the best match for their learning style. They choose a format for convenience or because their life circumstances will not allow other choices. When this is the case, we need to help students adapt to distance learning. John Beyers will discuss the cumulative experiences of more than 100 faculty and thousands of students in online math classrooms over several years. His presentation is based in part on an online workshop some leading experts at the University of Maryland University College developed called “Reducing Math Anxiety.”
The Distance Practical Nursing Program at Northland Community and Technical College
Nov. 4, 2008 – 2:00pm-3:00pm Eastern Time
Presenter: Barbara Forrest, Practical Nursing Instructor, Program Director, Northland Community and Technical College
A description will be coming soon!
Complying with the TEACH Act and Copyright Issues in Distance Education
Nov. 18, 2008 – 2:00pm-3:00pm Eastern Time
Presenter: Fritz Dolak, Copyright and Intellectual Property Manager, Copyright and Intellectual Property Office, Ball State University
What does the TEACH Act mean for distance educators? TEACH amended the U.S. Copyright Act to allow educators at accredited highed education or recognized K-12 institutions to transmit portions of legally acquired audiovisual works over distance learning networks, without having to first obtain permission from the work’s copyright owner. Fritz Dolak will also review the list he created for the Indiana Partnership for Statewide Education Do’s and Don’ts for transmitting copyrighted materials. Learn how to use the TEACH Act and the CONFU Multimedia Guidelines to legally use those portions of copyrighted works for you distance education classroom.
Sustainability: Teaching Environmental Science Online
Dec. 2, 2008 – 2:00pm-3:00pm Eastern Time
Presenter: Christopher A. Nichol, Sr., Natural Science Department – Earth Science, Oceanography and Marine Biology, St. Petersburg College
Christopher Nichol will outline the evolution of today’s environmental buzz-word, “sustainability.” This concept is changing as fast as the PC and not only presents challenges in its definition but in the teaching of such a dynamic concept. He will highlight his new online course, “Sustainable Systems, Design and Development” and examine how an instructor can use a multidisciplinary perspective to help learners not only create a personal definition that will inform their actions, but examine the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability. Nichol will discuss how this concept can be taught online and describe the various “hands on” experiences he has incorporated to make the class come alive. He will explore the pitfalls of teaching such a course in the online environment and how to overcome them.
Social Networking for Beginners
Dec. 9, 2008 – 2:00pm-3:00pm Eastern Time
Presenter: Mathew Erins, Center for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching, Miami University
Students use Facebook to build connections and make friends with people from around the world. Why can’t professors? With the growing use of personal profiles and the sharing of documents and media, online communities are moving to the forefront. This presentation will give participants an in-depth look at various forms of social networking that can serve to enhance their courses and learning communities.
Teaching Geology Online – Including Labs!
Dec.16, 2008 – 2:00pm-3:00pm Eastern Time
Presenter: Dr. Robert Altamura, Professor, Montana State University, Great Falls, MT
Robert Altamura will describe an online introduction to geology course he designed and teaches, in which he introduces geologic principles with an emphasis on processes (ex. plate tectonics, mountain building, weathering and erosion, water, etc.), earth materials (minerals and rocks – igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic), and geologic hazards (ex. volcanoes and earthquakes). The course covers geologic time, water and mineral resources, landforms, and glaciers. A laboratory portion guides students in the areas of mineral and rock identification; topographic map reading; basic interpretation of geologic maps; and other activities dealing with topics covered in lecture.
Course objectives are similar to those for the on-ground introduction to geology courses Altamura has taught. These include: becoming familiar with geology terminology, examining the theories of plate tectonics and mountain building, using observations of different properties to identify minerals and rocks, differentiating the three principal rock types – igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic, understanding the nature of volcanoes and earthquakes and the hazards they pose, learning about water and mineral resources and appreciating they are limited, and examining the origin and nature of variety landforms including coastal features.
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