SUNY Effective Online Practices Award Program
This practice uses Microsoft Access and the tools available within Access to process and track a large number of course records selected for migration of course content from ANGEL to Blackboard
The Scavenger hunt activity allow learners to engage with and to learn about resources, experts, and other sources of knowledge important to their discipline of study and consistent with their individual learning needs. In a traditional learning experience discussion and application is often limited to the interest area of the professor or the most vocal participants in the discussion. Use of the scavenger hunt transforms the learning experience as learners explore course concepts by visiting designated online sites or by searching for content related to a specific concept or objective. As the outcomes of the scavenger hunt are shared, the richness of the experience becomes evident. The scavenger hunt activity brings the real-world perspective to course concepts.
The template allowed for consistent training of faculty migrating from ANGEL to Bb. Additionally it is my first step toward a more consistent look and feel to courses.
A poorly designed discussion forum adds little teaching presence and can actually be detrimental to an effective online learning environment if it is perceived by the learner as a waste of time or as busy-work. By applying the principles of Self-Determination Theory and Self-Regulated Learning, the discussion forum design I advocate becomes an enjoyable and vibrant interactive learning activity with empirically demonstrable pedagogical value.
The use of an effectively designed participant survey, which is administered at the outset of an online course, can provide information that is useful in the management of the learning environment and in its subsequent redesign. Providing such information can help to clarify the participants’ prior experience, expectations, concerns, and even anxiety. The very act of inquiring about the learner also signals the instructor’s social presence, relational interest, and desire to enter into an authentic dialogue during the learning engagement.