Blending Online Elements into Traditional courses

Presenters:  Kari Wergeland, Ted Chandler, Tom Doyle, Jodi Reed, Dave Raney, Rik Barnes, Tim Phillips, and Susan Haber

http://cis2.cuyamaca.net/jreed/workshop/blendingTech.asp

We've struggled with recreating traditional teaching methods for the online environment.  Guess what?  Many of these techniques are also useful for traditional classes!  We now use these "online" strategies in our face-to-face classes to improve learning and make our lives easier.  Here's a whirlwind tour of the strategies that give us the greatest results with the least amount of effort.   We'll share quick ways to:

  • post handouts and course materials online
  • set up and use chat and discussion
  • set up and use quizzes
  • post grades
  • provide lecture components
  • use student presentations

For technical support, we've included contact information for specific things, but you can also call the tech help desk (660-4395) with any questions you have.

Posting handouts and course materials online

Why put materials online?

  • if student misses class, they can get materials from the Web
  • students can review PowerPoint presentations
  • you can include links in PowerPoint and Word documents to interactive movies, animations or sites
  • serves as a backup for your work

Blackboard and WebCT are used for course management (posting handouts & grades, quizzes, discussion, email, etc.).  To choose one, ask your colleages for suggestions or check with your textbook publisher for materials.  You can attend a workshop or contact Rik Barnes for training.  Request a WebCT or Blackboard account from Jerry Williamson, jerry.williamson@gcccd.net.

Course management with BlackBoard, PowerPoint (Ted)
  • A very quick look at an existing Blackboard course
  • Posting PowerPoint presentations
Course Management with WebCT (Tom)

 

 

An easy way to post your existing documents online (Jodi)
  1. If you don't already have one, request a Web container from Rocky Rose (rocky.rose@gcccd.net) or the help desk (660-4395).  Usually, your URL will be http://www.cuyamaca.edu/username (with the same user name you use to log in to campus e-mail).
  2. Select My Network Places from your Windows start menu.
  3. If you don't see your site listed, click Add a Network Place.  When prompted, type or paste in your URL. 
  4. Enter your name and password. 

    login screen shot
  5. Once you connect, your web site will look like a folder on your desktop, so you can create folders and copy files there just like you always do.  To share with students, give them the full URL of the document:  http://www.cuyamace.edu/username/foldername/filename
  6. Some tips:
    • Make sure folder and file names have NO SPACES.
    • Students will need Word processing software to view Word Docs & viewer software to view PowerPoint slides.

 

Using other Web sites in teaching - a few quick ideas  (Jodi)
  • Print out or point to specific sites for assignments, remediation, supplementation, or frequently asked questions.
  • Ask students to compare & contrast sites.
  • Ask students to find and review sites.
  • Use sites to gather learning materials for your lectures (images, movies, animations, quotes, etc.).
  • To find learning materials & ideas for assignments, start with www.merlot.org, a collection of peer reviewed learning materials.
  • Build more complex online learning activities:  check out the WebQuest model & Web-and-Flow, a tool for building online learning activities.
  • Give your students an online survey to test understanding - try Zoomerang

 

Chat and discussion board

Instant Messaging (Jodi)
Discussion Board (Dave)
Practical teaching strategies for discussion (Tom & Susan)

 

Quizzes

Quizzes can be helpful learning/review activities for students.  Online quizzing allows multiple tries, randomized quiz banks, optional feedback for whole question or specific answers, and automated grading.  (Yeah, we like that part!)

Blackboard (Ted)
WebCT (Tom)
Quiz Builder Sites (Jodi)

 

Posting Grades

WebCT (Tom)
Micrograde (Rik)
Making the Grade (Susan)

 

Other Quick Tips

Student Presentations (Tom)
Lecture Components (Kari)