Running head: MODULES 6 THROUGH 10 SUMMARY AND REFLECTION - FINAL

Modules 6 through 10 Summary and Reflection - Final EDIT 5370 Final Mike Lichtenauer Texas Tech University

SUMMARY OF MODULES 6 THROUGH 10 AND REFLECTION - FINAL Abstract This paper summarizes the information and module content from modules six through ten in course EDIT 5370 as part of a final. Distance education courses cannot simply be converted from traditional classes, but created from careful planning utilizing a systematic approach to instructional design. Online learning should engage students and create an active learning environment. There are multiple strategies for instructors to create an effective online course,

from synchronous chats to asynchronous discussion forums as well as group projects. In order to begin an online learning program, institutions must determine the needs of the student population and meet those needs if cost effective. Online learning is not a bandwagon to jump on, but rather another resource for students who have a desire for continued learning and education. With any learning program, it is imperative to understand the laws regarding copyright and fair use. New laws are attempting to alleviate the confusion, such as the TEACH Act, by providing guidance as to how digital information can be used and reproduced in online learning.

SUMMARY OF MODULES 6 THROUGH 10 AND REFLECTION - FINAL Distance education refers to learning that does not depend on location or time. Students can prepare from a distance, learn when they need to, and can work both synchronously and asynchronously with their peers and instructors. Once the decision has been made to design a course for distance learning, instructors and institutions have to decide the hows, whos, and whats. In order to design a course, the instructor has to be reflective throughout the process, taking into consideration student needs and learning styles. The instructor will need the support of administration from their institution, both in resources and academic support; this includes

time, money and accreditation of the coursework. As the Internet has become a tool for learning, both for research and as a delivery tool for courses, instructors also have to think about the legal aspects of their coursework. How do they prevent copyright infringement? How do they prevent plagiarism? How do they deliver the information they would in a traditional course considering fair use laws? There are many considerations to take into account when designing a course and both students and the institution must be part of the design. When beginning to design a course, instructors should go through a design process that defines critical elements as well as allowing time to reflect and evaluate the course for changes to be made. There are many models an instructor can use like the ADDIE or the Dick and Carey Instructional Design models. ADDIE stands for analyze, design, develop, implement and evaluate (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012, p. 9). The Dick and Carey model breaks out the steps to identifying goals, instructional analysis, writing objectives, developing instruments and strategies, and conducting evaluations (both formative and summative) allowing the designer to reflect and revise the instruction and design at any point in the process. Although both of these models are systematic and seem linear, the instructor should be evaluating the process as he or she designs a course. Throughout the design, there are characteristics that should be paramount

SUMMARY OF MODULES 6 THROUGH 10 AND REFLECTION - FINAL to course design: the design should be student centered, focused on overall goals of the course, focused on meaningful performance and problem solving, have measureable objectives, reflective and evaluative, and usually conducted by a group (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012, pp. 1011).

As the instructor designs the course, careful time and planning should be taken in order to deliver the best course possible. The focus should be on the learners, course content, strategies to be used and the learning environment itself. Learner characteristics and their needs should be a primary source for effective course design. In distance education, where learners may not be together, their needs should be part of the initial analysis for the course. Activities and lessons should be designed to meet those needs, from relevant activities, to why they are taking the specific course. Characteristics to be considered should be the following: cultural backgrounds, interests, education backgrounds, familiarity with the delivery methods (technology), and how to arrange the class to meet the students needs (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p. 156). As instructors develop content, they need to think about how the information will be used and what the objectives are. Content should be relevant and meet the desired outcomes of the course as well as relate to the overall needs of the students. Students should be able to provide feedback throughout the learning and design process as a means for the instructor to continually evaluate the course. Finally, as an instructor is designing a course, careful consideration should be made as to the tools used to deliver the content. There are multiple course management systems (CMS) that can be used to organize readings, assignments, and discussion groups to promote problem solving and critical thinking. Instructors should check with their institutions to see what methods are already being used or licensed for their use.

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When designing these courses, instructors, coupled with the instructional design models, can employ the Unit-Module-Topic Model (Simonson, et al., 2012, p.180). This model helps instructors break down their objectives and activities into manageable units of learning. It is a top-down model in which the instructor develops their unit (3 per semester), and designs 3-5 modules per unit. Each of these modules will have 3-5 topics that cover that overall theme. The topics will each cover a specific objective of the module to facilitate learning. By creating an outline like this, an instructor will be able to break down the information for the semester to provide students with the information as well as an outline for the course work. This information can be used to design the course in the CMS and broken out into these modules. As a course is being designed, the focus should be on the learner. From adult learners to those in K-12 learning, their learning characteristics and styles should be taken into consideration in the planning and design of the course. Characteristics such as attitude or interest, prior experiences, cognitive abilities, and learning abilities will all have an impact (Simonson, et al., 2012, p.220). Without these learners or their needs, there would not be a need for distance education. There are differences in these types of students. Adults tend to take courses to advance their careers, or take courses that they need. It is typically a choice for them to enroll in a course; they want the course to be relevant to their career needs. Students, on the other hand, may have no choice in taking a distance education course. The course they take may only be offered online, and could be a requirement for graduation. They also may have an easier time with the technology as they can be used to the different technology methods in their personal lives. Understanding these initial learner characteristics will help in implementing the design and content of the course.

SUMMARY OF MODULES 6 THROUGH 10 AND REFLECTION - FINAL There are many different factors to take into account in order to design an effective course. Research has shown that building a sense of community leads to higher student satisfaction. As students are often working separately, both in time and location, the instructor should create activities that promote collaboration between students and peers. This can be accomplished both synchronously and asynchronously. Group projects, synchronous chats and discussion forums can be utilized for students to work with their peers and keep from feeling

isolated while working at a distance. Instructors should understand that students bring their own experiences with them when taking a course. These experiences can be general in nature, in how they will impact their learning to how they have utilized distance learning before. This will help the instructor understand how to create activities that are relevant to all of the students. Instructors should create ice-breaker activities at the beginning of the course to get to know his or her students and understand these experiences. It should also be understood that students will have prior knowledge and different learning styles that can help to facilitate learning and be crucial to design. Instructors can use surveys and other tools in order to gather this information. Some students will learn better visually while others may be auditory learners. Instructors can create activities that develop these strengths and help students to learn. Finally, throughout this module on students, students have an equal share in the learning process as well. They have a responsibility to be prepared for their courses. First, students should have a basic understanding of the technology they are to use throughout their learning. This can involve the CMS or other tools that the instructor is utilizing. It is their responsibility to ask questions and look for help if they need it. Second, the students need to understand the time requirements for the class. As these courses will require the students to manage their own time, they will need to be prepared for the activities and assignments. They need to set aside time to

SUMMARY OF MODULES 6 THROUGH 10 AND REFLECTION - FINAL work on the modules, have group discussions and participate in synchronous chat sessions. There will not be traditional face time in class to be reminded of assignments to complete. Communication and participation are paramount to their learning. Student will need to interact with their peers and instructors. They will need to be prepared to ask questions if they are confused or to work on projects. Participation through discussions and chats are usually a portion of their grade, and students should take these assignments seriously. Finally, it is up to

the student to learn. Most distance education is learner centered, facilitating the learning process for which the student will take control. To create an effective online learning environment, instructors have tools and resources that can promote problem solving and lead to higher level thinking in distance education. Instructors should create activities that are learner centered, moving away from a prescriptive style, allowing students to synthesize what they learn. Students should be allowed to draw on previous experiences and apply what they know to what they have researched and created in these new courses. By its very nature, online education demands that students become engaged in the learning process (Simonson, et al., 2012, p.195). The students should become active participants in their learning; instructors should promote interaction (from peer to peer and between peers and the instructor) and allow students to take control of material and resources. As instructors begin designing courses, communication with the students should be key to providing an active and dynamic learning environment. After determining goals and objectives of a new course, and analyzing learner characteristics, instructors should beginning creating a syllabus as a guide for students. A syllabus is more than a document listing office hours and email addresses of the instructor. A syllabus takes into account policies of the institution, states objectives and goals,

SUMMARY OF MODULES 6 THROUGH 10 AND REFLECTION - FINAL and shows the overall purpose of the course. The students should understand what the course

offers, and what is expected of them, both academically and institutionally. The syllabus can be broken down into four key elements: course logistics, course policies, instructional activities, and assessment information (Simonson, et al., 2012, p.243). Course logistics lists critical information about the course. This information includes course purpose and title, instructor information, and required materials for the course. Course policies include attendance and participation policies for the course as well as any institutional policies (such as policies on plagiarism, and other services offered by the institution). The majority of the syllabus is comprised of the instructional activities. There should be an overview of course objectives and expectations of the students. Students should be able to see what projects, participation and assignments will be included in the course. This section leads to the assessment portion of the syllabus. These go hand in hand in identifying grades associated with each assignment, as well as overall grading for the course. If the student is confused about anything included in the syllabus, he or she should request additional information from the instructor. This should be positive feedback for the instructor to reflect on and update the syllabus for future courses. Assessments are one of the most important parts of any course, online or traditional. Assessments allow the student to demonstrate knowledge as well as provide feedback to the instructor about the success of an activity and mastery of content. The textbook defines an assessment as the process of measuring, documenting, and interpreting behaviors that demonstrate learning (Simonson, et al., 2012, p. 263). Assessments should be carefully planned and executed in order to provide feedback to the students as well as be informative about the class in general. These assessments and feedback should be provided to the student often to allow the student to know how he or she is progressing. It does not make sense to only provide

SUMMARY OF MODULES 6 THROUGH 10 AND REFLECTION - FINAL feedback after a summative assessment at the end of a semester. This does not provide the

student time to improve their skills or to actively learn. These formative assessments throughout the course can also provide the feedback to the instructor as to the success of the course. A formative assessment provides information about a learners progress toward mastery of the objectives (Simonson, et al., 2012, p.271). An instructor has spent careful time and planning on creating measurable objectives, and these formative assessments allow him or her to evaluate the students progress. A summative assessment is used at the end of a module or course to determine overall success and mastery of a concept. Finally, there are many types of assessments that an instructor can employ. There are quizzes, both online and to be submitted as an assignment, asynchronous and synchronous discussions for participation grades as well as allowing students to demonstrate understanding of a topic, projects, and portfolios allowing students to show growth and overall mastery of content. The instructor will need to decide what type of assessment makes the most sense to allow a student to demonstrate mastery; assessments should not just be easy for the instructor to grade, but should be relevant to the students experience and learning. The final two modules in this course dealt with the business side of distance education. These modules discussed management of distance education as well as copyright and fair use issues dealing with online learning and in general. When developing a new online course, or considering creating a distance education program, management and institutions need to determine whether there is a need for the new courses. A needs analysis or feasibility study needs to be conducted to determine effectiveness of a program. Studies from the National Center for Education Statistics have shown that 65% of all higher education institutions offered distance education courses for college credit (Simonson, et al., 2012, p.319) and with the high

SUMMARY OF MODULES 6 THROUGH 10 AND REFLECTION - FINAL cost of implementation, institutions need to determine if new courses are needed for their

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geographic area or in content that is underrepresented. It is up to management to not just jump on the distance education bandwagon if there is not a need for it. Course design takes time to develop and can be costly if not implemented properly and effectively. Management has to take an active role in supporting any new or current online learning programs. Staff and students needs should be taken into consideration when developing these programs. The administrative process goes beyond determining costs and course offerings. Management needs to determine staffing needs and levels. They have to determine whether staff want to or are willing to offer a new course online, understanding that it is not as simple as converting a traditional course to an online one. There will be a lot of planning and design to create an effective course. Management must also ensure that support services (for students and staff) and technology are sufficient to support the online learning environment. Students should expect the same amount of support from the institution; this includes library access (online and in person), as well as access to instructors and materials that are required for these courses. Finally, management must ensure that the technical resources are enough to support the influx of students and the potential strain on the system. Technology resources should be sufficient to handle the load, from servers and networks to the availability of programs and access. The quality of these online resources should be equal to those provided to traditional courses and learners for the program to succeed. From a regulatory standpoint, management will be responsible for creating policies and accrediting the courses. There are many policies that will be created or updated from their traditional form in order to create an effective program. The institution will need to create policies regarding regulatory issues, course and student issues, logistical issues as well as

SUMMARY OF MODULES 6 THROUGH 10 AND REFLECTION - FINAL accessibility and legal ones. These policies should dictate or represent how the institution will manage the program. Students should be able to identify needs and responses from the

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institution. These policies will also be a part of the accreditation process for the institution. Any new program will need to be accredited in order to be successful. The final module and step in designing and supporting an effective distance education program are understanding copyright and fair use laws. There are many myths about the online environment stating that everything is fair game and in the public domain if it is posted on the Internet. However, this is not true, unless explicitly specified otherwise. Student and instructor work are equally protected online as it is in a traditional sense. Research, articles, and journals, are protected by copyright; just because they are online does not mean they are not protected under the law. There has been confusion over how and what can be used in distance education and the TEACH Act of 2002 attempted to reduce the confusion. This Act was in response to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998; it was to clarify copyright laws and how they applied to distance education. The TEACH Act applies to accredited institutions and those that have policies about copyright for students and instructors. It was created to loosen the restrictions for these courses. Materials that would normally be utilized in a traditional course can be used in a distance-learning course (videos presented, photos used, and other materials). However, these materials must still be acquired legally and used for educational purposes. They must follow the same laws that apply from the DMCA. When determining whether material can be used for any course, fair use must be determined. In order to determine fair use standards, four criteria must be met: the purpose and character of the use, including whether the use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; the nature of the copyrighted work; the amount and substantiality of the

SUMMARY OF MODULES 6 THROUGH 10 AND REFLECTION - FINAL portion used; the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work (Simonson, et al., 2012, p.298). These criteria must be examined and met in order to claim fair use. There are online resources to help students and instructors to not infringe on

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others work. There is Creative Commons that allow users to see what has been approved by the owners to be digitally reproduced. There is also the Copyright Clearance Center which allows users to request permission to utilize certain works; it is a clearinghouse that assists in finding the owners and requesting permission. When in doubt about fair use and copyright law, it is best to secure permission for use before utilizing the material as part of a course pack or in a course presentation. The final five modules of this course have covered instructional design models to policy creation and copyright law. Instructors should take the time to carefully plan and design courses that are learner centered and actively engage the students. Initial consideration of new courses should take a systematic approach to design and should facilitate learning that meets the needs of the student as well as the institution. There are many resources and strategies that instructors can utilize in order to create a successful learning environment. They include both synchronous and asynchronous learning methods, group projects, and other online tools and resources. Assessments should measure objectives that have been created and should be part of a continually reflective process. Just because a course is offered online, or that information is found online does not negate the fact that the information is equally protected under the law. Students and instructors must understand the law and know how to navigate the requirements for utilizing information found on the Internet.

SUMMARY OF MODULES 6 THROUGH 10 AND REFLECTION - FINAL Reflection

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This course on Distance Education has been helpful in developing course design as well as the business side of creating an online course. As a designer, we have to consider the student first. Activities, learning styles and characteristics of the learner are paramount to a successful and effective course. Students bring prior knowledge and experience that can help an instructor create relevant activities and continue to develop a successful course through formative evaluations. The most important aspect, yet most challenging, in this course has been the introduction of copyright laws and fair use in distance education. I had originally thought that education was more insulated from copyright infringement; not that a student or instructor would knowingly plagiarize or steal information, but would utilize photos or documents for educational purposes that may fall outside of the law. It is these topics that I will utilize in future course design and development to introduce my students to these laws. The best parts of this course were what I learned. Distance education seems to be the bandwagon approach that many institutions are jumping on in order to increase enrollment and revenue. However, these courses require more time and planning than many traditional courses and cannot be created just for revenue purposes. Institutions must perform analyses on whether the courses are even needed. This was surprising to me. I was unaware at the amount of time and money that could potentially be spent on developing these programs. In order to even begin, students have to be at the center of learning and the focus of the course work and design. We have to take into account the different learners, from adults to K-12 learners, as their needs are all different, from career development to requirements to graduate. Most distance education is taught through asynchronous methods and students may never meet face to face. Based on research I did, interactions between peers and creating a sense of

SUMMARY OF MODULES 6 THROUGH 10 AND REFLECTION - FINAL community in an online course led to overall student satisfaction. As I begin to work in

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technology integration and in designing courses, this will be the most important aspect that I take with me. Just because we are separated by time and geography does not mean we should not try to build rapport with out students or create a collaborative environment. I am very social in nature and appreciate being able to communicate with my peers and instructors, even if asynchronously. Feeling a sense of community and part of the group makes it easier to facilitate discussions as well as not being afraid to ask questions. Creating icebreaker activities to get students communicating with one another is a great way to start off a course. Students have the ability to introduce themselves to the class as well as let the instructor know the different learning styles that may prefer as well as any prior knowledge they bring to the class. It is a great way to take an initial survey of the students. Throughout this course there were many challenges. Learning about copyright law and fair use was very difficult. The laws do not seem to be very black and white. There seems to be room for interpretation as well as updates to the laws to incorporate more of distance education as a whole. Throughout that module, I found myself questioning myself at every scenario we had to create. I began to doubt myself as I thought up these scenarios and I am still not 100% sure as to how I would respond. I feel this will be a great lesson and activity to create for all of our students that use any type of media or instruction, from computers and the Internet to paper and pencil. I think a little fear instilled in the students will help prevent cheating and plagiarism when they realize that their own documents are immediately copyrighted upon saving or printing them, and they will not want their ideas infringed upon either. I feel that copyright and ethics should be taught at the beginning of a course so that students understand the law and

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expectations before they begin researching and looking for ideas to include in their projects and papers. Throughout this semester, every module has shown me something new from course design and instructional models to laws intended to protect the rights of others. Each module has built on the previous one in order to assist us in understanding distance education as well as how to develop a meaningful and effective course online. We have to step back and ask questions of our students, continually evaluate ourselves and evaluate our courses to make them better; we need to make them relevant to all students who take them. Courses cannot simply be converted from traditional ones, but need their own analysis for goals, objectives, activities and assessment. Assessments are the best tool and strategy an instructor can employ. Not only do they allow students to demonstrate their understanding of content, but allow us, as designers, to continually improve our own courses.

SUMMARY OF MODULES 6 THROUGH 10 AND REFLECTION - FINAL References Reiser, R., & Dempsey, J. (2012). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

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Websites The Copyright Clearance Center (CCC). Retrieved from http://www.copyright.com The Creative Commons. Retrieved from http://creativecommons.org