Online learning with ETAP687: Summer 2008

What I’d like to reflect on next for my second reflection post for module 3 is the learning experiences I have gained in building my online hiking course so far.  First I don’t think I could have built it in the way I did without all of the help in the assigned readings, presentation, guiding examples on how to use moodle presented by Alex.  By the way, I’d like to learn a little bit more about how to build a screen shot presentation the way Alex did for us on using Moodle.  So a reply about that would be appreciated.  I will post a question in the module, if I don’t get a reply about that here. – thanks.  

So in thinking about what I have learned so far in building my online course, it really wasn’t until I learned about the different ways we could sequence our course modules and learning activities that I developed a real sense for the structure of my course. After our written assignment, I felt like I could see the “whole course”.  I submitted my written assignment and felt pretty good about the organization and structure, but I realized it is not complete, rather it is a work in progress and I should not feel frustrated if I didn’t “see how it should have been laid out” initially.  I hope that it is okay that even after I submitted my written assignment, while I was building the course documents and activities, I changed a few things towards the end of my course.  It differs slightly compared to what I submitted in the written assignment.  It is all part of the creation process.  Here are some points that I’d like to share where I struggled:

1.    My first 2 weeks includes the ice breaker activities as well as the activities that would normally be taught in a 2 week period.  This doesn’t leave much time to break the students into the online environment, but I think it will be okay.

2.    All of the modules are 2 weeks (module 1 – 7), then I have a module 8 which is a 1-week module.  I’m not sure if I have two many tasks for that last 1-week module.  In module 7, students are doing a lot of work.  In addition to the normal 2-week learning activities, the students are putting together a hiking portfolio.  My thinking is it shouldn’t be too bad because they should have been collecting the information for the portfolio all along throughout the course.  Then I have them submit the hiking portfolio sometime during the 7^th module (at least by closing of the 7^th module).  In the final module (8), which is the 1-week module, I want the students to critique each other’s hiking portfolio.  So my question is the timing of it all.  I ask them to submit it in module 7, but then in order to critique it, should they resubmit it in module 8?  If someone submits it early in module 7, can students begin to critique it, knowing they will have to do so in the final module?  I can’t get my brain around the timing of it and will it be too much for the final week?  I’ll work on this, but comments will be much appreciated. 

3.    I wasn’t quite sure about some of the other activities (other than forum) that we should be considering at this time while using moodle to create our structures.  For example, how would I build a survey of questions?  I think that will come later in the course. 

4.    Although I built the sequence of learning activities, I have not thought through completely what the written assignments will be in my hiking course.  I think that will come naturally after I have more time to think about it.  But it was a little tough for me because I am still thinking about whether or not students should submit some things offline directly to me, or for the whole class to see and comment on and learn from.

These struggles indicate to me that I am advancing in my learning of the materials presented so far.  I would not have thought about these things so much in detail if my own learning wasn’t improving.  So far, module 3 has had the most impact on my learning in this course and I love it!

Geralynn (4)

References:

Pickett, Alejandra (2001). “Keys to Success: Are you ready to develop an online course?” – ETAP687.

Assigned readings from module 3 in ETAP687:

Plez, W. E. (2004). “(My) three principles of effective online pedagogy”. JALN 8.3.

Foundation for Critical Thinking. (2007). “The role of questions in teaching, thinking and learning”. http://www.criticalthinking.org.

Shea, P., E. Fredericksen, and A. Pickett. (2003). “A preliminary investigation of teaching presence in SUNY learning network”.

Observations of exemplar online courses – Module 3, ETAP687.

External sources:

The critical thinking community(2008). The art of redesigning instruction. http://www.criticalthinking.org/page.cfm?PageID=520&CategoryID=63 Retrieved from www.criticalthinking.org 6/29/2008.