Syllabus

Online Pedagogy,  ED F655, 3 credits

Prerequisites

Students must either be admitted to the School of Education M.Ed. program or obtain instructor permission to enroll in this course.

Meeting Information

This is an online course. You are currently viewing the class blog.  Grade data will be available on  Blackboard.  Most work will be completed asynchronously, following weekly deadlines.  Students will attend several  synchronous check-in meetings via Blackboard Collaborate.

Instructor

Owen Guthrie
email: obguthrie@alaska.edu
Phone: 907-455-2069
Office hours: By appointment
Office Location: 131 Bunnell Building, or online (Collaborate, Skype, chat)

Required Texts

Anderson, T., & Elloumi, F. (Eds.). (2008).  Theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed.)  Athabasca, AB, Canada: Athabasca University.  Available for download:  https://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book

Fink, L. D. (2013).  Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Required Readings

Baker, C. (2010).  The impact of instructor immediacy and presence for online student affective learning, cognition, and motivation.  Journal of Educators Online,  7(1), 1—30.

Benander, R. (2009).  Experiential learning in the scholarship of teaching and learning,  Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 9(2), 36—41.

Brooks, C. F. (2010). Toward ‘hybridised’ faculty development for the twenty-first century: blending online communities of practice and face-to-face meetings in instructional and professional support programmes.  Innovations in Education & Teaching International, 47(3), 261-270.

Brown, J. (2006).  New Learning Environments for the 21st Century: Exploring the edge.  Change, 38(5), 18-24.

Cox, M. D. (2004).  Introduction to faculty learning communities.  New Directions for Teaching & Learning, (97), 5-23.

Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000).  Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education.  The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105.

Krathwohl, D. (2002).  A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy: An Overview.  Theory Into Practice, 41(4), 212.

Siemens, G. (2005).  Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age.  International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning 2(1).

Stewart, D.P. (2008).  Classroom management in the online environment.  MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 4(3), 371-374.

Swan, K., Garrison, D.R., & Richardson, J.C. (2009).  A constructivist approach to online learning: The community of inquiry framework. In C.R. Payne (Ed.),  Information technology and constructivism in higher education: Progressive learning frameworks  (1st edition, pp. 43-57). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development,  Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies, Washington, D.C., 2010.

Yorke, M. (2003). Formative assessment in higher education: Moves towards theory and the enhancement of pedagogic practice.  Higher Education, 45(4), 477-501.

Course Description

A study of theory, tools, and methods for teaching online courses. Topics include prominent learning theories, affordances of new technologies, strategies for assessment, and techniques for classroom management in an online environment. Students will develop and articulate a personal philosophy of teaching and learning appropriate for the 21st  Century.

Alignment with School of Education Mission

This course supports the UAF School of Education’s mission by providing students with the skills necessary to design thoughtful individualized instructional environments utilizing technologies and strategies appropriate to all learners. Students will acquire skills in the management and implementation of technology that will enhance their professional qualifications based on ISTE and Alaska teacher standards for technology and instructional design.

Writing Standards

Citations and references should adhere to the American Psychological Association (APA) Formatting and Style Guide. Homework and projects will be evaluated for proper spelling and grammatical usage.

Technology Requirements

This is an online course. Students will use a computer to communicate, to access online multimedia (audio, video, Flash), and to create multimedia. Consistent Internet access and a computer with the ability to record and broadcast sound via a built-in or external mic or a headset will be required.

Students are expected to be active participants in online exchanges with MITI cohorts and with other colleagues and mentors through a personal learning network. Additionally, there will be periodic online interaction with the instructor using Blackboard Collaborate.

Students will be expected to have the most current versions of several applications that will be used in this course, including QuickTime, Flash (Mac|Windows), and Java.

Course Fees

There are no fees associated with this class. Software used in the course will be available as freeware, shareware or trial versions for both Windows and Macintosh operating systems. A personal web domain will have been established in ED 431 Web 2.0 Fundamentals.

Course Goals

  • Compare dominant learning theories
  • Consider evolving literacies and competencies of the 21st Century
  • Explore instructional methods for online education

Student Learning Outcomes

Students in the course will:

  • develop and document their own personal learning network
  • create a concept map to identify layers of understanding
  • develop a project-based lesson plan that emphasizes student exploration, interaction, creation, and feedback cycles
  • compare strengths and weaknesses of online tools and methods
  • articulate a personal philosophy for teaching and learning

Instructional Methods

A variety of instructional methods will be used in this course, including Internet research, reading assignments, discussion, reflection, presentation, and peer evaluation.

Course Calendar

See the schedule tab of this site for a detailed course calendar and specific assignment due dates. We will cover these topics:

  • Orientation (1 week)
  • Teachers as Learners (1 week)
  • Historical Perspectives (2 weeks)
  • 21st Century Teaching and Learning (1 week)
  • Integrated Course Design (3 weeks)
  • Assessment and Feedback Strategies (2 weeks)
  • Survey of Emerging Tools (2 weeks)
  • Classroom Management Techniques (1 week)

Instructor Response Time

I will typically respond to e-mail requests for help within 24 hours. If you don’t hear from me after 24 hours, contact me again–I may have missed your message! Due dates for the course are Saturdays; I will do most grading over the weekend. You can expect to receive a grade and/or feedback within seven days of the assignment due date. Both grades and feedback are provided through  Blackboard.

Course Policies

Students bring a variety of experiences and knowledge to the class cohort. Each student’s unique perspective is an important component of the learning experience for his or her peers and colleagues–students will be expected to contribute and collaborate actively.

Assignment Due Dates

This is a cohort-based class with assignment and activity deadlines. Late assignments will be penalized at 10% per day unless an excused exception has been arranged with the instructor.

Unless otherwise noted, assignments are due on Saturdays at 11:59pm AST. You can expect feedback on your submitted assignments within seven days of the deadline.

Please Note:  Students who do not complete Orientation Assignments in the first two weeks of the semester will be dropped from the course. Students who have not participated significantly by the sixth week of the course may be withdrawn. Significant participation includes the following minimums: four writing posts, two research article reviews, and weekly online interaction with classmates.

I do not give No Basis grades.

If you fall behind in the course, please contact me.  Under extenuating circumstances,  you may request a temporary Incomplete grade and additional time to complete the course. Be advised that UAF policy only allows an Incomplete grade if you have completed the majority of the coursework and if you have a grade of C or better.

Plagiarism and Academic Honesty

Plagiarism is representing someone else’s ideas and work as your own. Plagiarism includes not only copying verbatim, but also rephrasing the ideas of another without properly acknowledging the source. As work is prepared and submitted to meet course requirements, whether a draft or a final version of a paper or project, take care to distinguish personal ideas and language from information derived from sources. Sources include published primary and secondary materials, electronic media, and information and opinions gained directly from other people. The  UAF Student Code of Conduct  is adhered to in this course.

Evaluation

Final course grade will be calculated using the following formula:

  • weekly writing: 15%
  • review of five scholarly articles: 25%
  • interaction through discussion, comments, and feedback: 10%
  • critical evaluation of tools and methods: 10%
  • project-based lesson plan: 25%
  • personal philosophy of teaching and learning: 15%

Course Assignments

Assignments will be posted to the Class Blog. You will engage with other students in the class through social media tools:

  1. Posting comments and feedback on classmates’ assignments
  2. Using class tags (e.g., in Twitter and Diigo) to share resources and ideas

Weekly writing–15%

The instructor will provide weekly writing and activity prompts.

Article reviews–25%

Each student will select and review five relevant scholarly articles.

Personal philosophy–15%

Near the end of the semester, each student will publish a personal philosophy of teaching and learning supported by scholarly research.

Discussion, comments and feedback–10%

Students will regularly review writing and assignments posted by their classmates, providing constructive comments and feedback. At a minimum, students should provide feedback to three other students each week. Beyond this minimum requirement, grading will be based on the quality of participation, not on the number of posts.

Critical evaluation of tools and methods–10%

Tool and method reviews will be negotiated among class members and may be completed as a group study project. Scoring will be based on thoroughness of testing, pertinent examples, and concise summation.

Project-based lesson plan–25%

The culminating project for the course will be a unit-sized lesson plan, complete with learning objectives, learning activities, and an assessment plan with feedback cycles. Students will write an accompanying paper to describe audience, context, tools, methods, and rationale. Scoring will be based on thoughtful consideration of outcomes and learning theory, combined with a reasonable defense of tool and method choices.

Portfolio

Students enrolled in the M.Ed. ONID program will transfer key assignments to their degree portfolio. The instructor will review and comment on each assignment. Most assignments will also undergo a peer review process before they are included in the student’s portfolio.

Support Services

The Division of Student Services provides student-centered programs and services  designed to assist students in achieving their personal, academic and career goals. In collaboration with the academic deans, we lead the university in recruiting a diverse student body. With the use of ongoing assessment we support and develop programs and communities that contribute to the retention, success and leadership development of students. Go to  https://www.uaf.edu/ses/  to learn more.

UAF eCampus provides student service support for this online course. See their website at:  https://ecampus.uaf.edu

Writing support services are available to UAF students through the Writing Center, located in 801 Gruening, 474-5314, online at:https://www.alaska.edu/english/writing-center/. You are encouraged to use this resource to meet writing expectations.

Technology support services are available through the OIT Support Center, 450-8300 (Toll Free: 800-478-8226), online at:https://www.alaska.edu/oit/sc/about/contact.xml, and via email to  helpdesk@alaska.edu.

Disabilities Services

UAF has a Disability Services office that operates in conjunction with UAF eCampus. Disability Services, a part of UAF Center for Health and Counseling, provides academic  accommodations  to enrolled students who are identified as being eligible for these services. If you believe you are eligible, please visit the  Office of Disability Services  at  https://www.uaf.edu/disability  or contact a student affairs staff person at your nearest local campus. You can also contact Disability Services on the Fairbanks Campus at  (907) 474-5655,  uaf-disabilityservices@alaska.edu. The instructor will work with the Office of Disabilities Services to provide reasonable accommodation to students with disabilities.