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Enhancing Courses with Video Interviews - DE Oracle
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An Online Learning Magazine for UMUC Faculty
Center for Support of Instruction
Enhancing Courses with Video Interviews
Heloisa Siffert
Senior Instructional Support Specialist
Center for Support of Instruction
Published: January-February 2008
Category: » Online-pedagogy » Teaching-strategies
Video interviews can enhance learning process, engage
students and provide real life experiences through experts'
perspectives.
During the span of two years, a series of video interviews were
developed for TMAN 636, Knowledge Management (KM). The
instructor, Dr. Flavia Fonseca, capitalized on her personal
contacts in the knowledge management field to arrange
interviews with professionals in the area. Dr. Fonseca facilitated
several interviews that took place at the interviewees' office
location. Heloisa Siffert, a staff member from the Center for
Support of Instruction (CSI), assisted with the recording, editing and publishing of interviews to Dr.
Fonseca's classroom.
The key idea for conducting the video interviews was to provide students with concrete descriptions of
various KM practitioners' experiences in order to complement class discussions and written case
studies. The main advantage was to show what worked and what didn't in these KM implementations.
The World Bank case exemplifies this approach with two different facets being presented: Information
Technology through the vision of the CIO (Chief Information Officer) and Knowledge Management
through the view of its CKO (Chief Knowledge Officer).
Another important aspect of the interview series was to bring new KM topics that are currently in
development. For example, Dr. Blair, the author of several books and studies on KM, was invited to talk
about new approaches that are still being tested, such as Personal Knowledge Management. The video
interview was used in combination with the author participation as a guest speaker in the classroom.
Mr. Kahan was invited to discuss some specific tools and methods that are particularly important to KM
programs. In his interview, Mr. Kahan brought his views about development of Communities of
Practice.
From the production aspect, the video interviews were low cost but had a high impact result. Each
video was recorded, edited, transcribed and ultimately published as a webpage. The page served as a
package for that respective interview, and included information about the speaker and relevant support
references.
Students' feedback was extremely positive to all videos. Particularly successful was the video of the
World Bank Case where different scenarios were represented with more than one interviewee. The
students appreciated the fact that they could see the interviewees, which helped to break the
text-based routine of the online classroom, as well as the ability to submit questions that were used to
guide the interviews.
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The lesson learned from this experience suggests that it was relatively easy to produce a project with a
high impact on the course. However, close involvement from both the faculty and the CSI staff member
was essential to the development of the multimedia objects.
The method is relatively simple to replicate for other courses such as foreign language, biotechnology,
etc. The video object can easily evolve into a "learning object" by associating it to other web links and
documents, which support a subject discussed in an interview. Video interviewing is ideal for enhancing
educational experiences, particularly in those subjects where there are limited multimedia resources to
supplement instruction.
About the Author(s)
Heloisa Siffert Senior Instructional Support Specialist, Center for Support of Instruction, develops and delivers faculty training
programs, and collaborates with the academic units on online classroom setup, course design, learning objects development
and implementations of new technologies. Her areas of expertise include graphic design and web/multimedia development.
Flavia Fonseca Adjunct Associate Professor at UMUC since 2005. Extensive Knowledge Management consulting experience
around the world, Brazil, Africa and Asia. In the USA, she was Chief Information Architect and Manager, at the World Bank
until 2001. There she accumulated a substantial experience in managing large projects and also helped to develop, since its
beginning, a very comprehensive program in Knowledge Management which is considered by many as a model in this area.
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Enhancing Courses with Video Interviews - DE Oracl
Discussion question design and administration
No full textDiscussion questions are a critical aspect of online education and can often determine the difference between a positive student learning experience verses courses being a chore at best. While discussion questions are often the last task addressed in designing and teaching a course, they may be the first in importance. Hard research is needed on the effect of question composition on student participation and satisfaction. This could be performed by analyzing questions and discussion threads of multiple sections of courses.
Good discussion questions enable students to simultaneously function as both teachers and students; probably the best learning facilitator. And this applies to faculty members as well as students.Benson: Discussion Question Design 1
DISCUSSION QUESTION DESIGN AND ADMINISTRATION
Ronald G. Benson, Ph.D.
University of Maryland University College
2007 Summer InstituteBenson: Discussion Question Design 2
DISCUSSION QUESTION DESIGN AND ADMINISTRATION
Barker (2001) notes that there are four essential components of online education: “1) the web based resources that are used to provide basic content, 2) an online support infrastructure (tutors and technical help), 3) communication strategies that underlie course-related online dialog and student discussions, 4) the various learning tasks undertaken by students during a given course.” The third one of these is more of an art than a science and student satisfaction has been found to be highly correlated with interactions in the course room (Kirby, 1999; Mazzolini and Maddison, 2003). Lim (2004) discusses six issues that need to be considered for effective inquiries which address components 3 and 4 of the above. These are 1) seeking a balance between a system-generated guide and human facilitator, 2) visual representation of the inquiry process, 3) motivating learners with the right question, 4) engaging learners in various learning activities, 5) guiding the inquiry process with various scaffolds, and 6) maximizing learning by coordinating resources, tools and the community of inquiry. Issue #3 on Lim's list, “motivating learners with the right question," is the focal point for this paper concerning the design and administration of discussion questions.
A distinguishing feature of online education verses the face-to-face education mode are class discussions. In a face-to-face environment, class discussions typically are spontaneous interplay. A minority of the students are actively involved They are haphazard in their preparation, intent and results with participants appearing to be mostly the verbal-oriented and self-confident members of a class. Data to evaluate and improve discussion questions is mostly, if not always, anecdotal. Discussions often are a presentation technique to avoid lecture lethargy or sleepiness and not considered a prime facilitator of the education process.
In contrast, in an asynchronous online environment, discussion questions are planned and students and faculty respond with considered answers. Faculty can carefully craft questions to fit content and student needs. Respondents, both students and faculty, can carefully research and craft their responses. The achieved learning from online discussions is potentially much greater than in a face-to-face environment. Discussion design and facilitation has an indispensable role in online education and is dependent on carefully crafted questions.
This paper will discuss two major topics: objectives that can be achieved via discussion questions, and conference (set of discussion questions) administration. The content is based on a combination of scholarly articles (see references) and observations from the author's academic experience. This includes 20 years of face-to-face teaching of Operations Management and Information Technology courses and administrative positions of Department Chair, MBA Coordinator and Business School Dean. The online experience includes seven sections in the masters level Technology Management program at the University of Maryland University College and additional doctoral level courses in organization and management at another university. In 1990-1992, the author Benson: Discussion Question Design 3
participated in a research project funded by IBM concerning designing courses for an “Advanced Technology Classroom” at Western Connecticut State University which involved guided discussions and visualization.
Discussion Question Objectives
Learning objectives define the end results that are to be achieved in a course and learning unit. Discussion questions are a critical means to achieving these. Discussions have other subsidiary roles which are also important. Following is a discussion of these two areas.
Reading of assigned materials
It is all too easy for students to read without learning, or tempting to not read assigned material at all. A common objective of discussion questions is to ascertain that students have read and especially have comprehended the assigned material. The mini-lectures provided by the instructor, assignments and exams assist in this as well, but discussion questions enable this in a practice mode, and in a peer motivated manner. Motivation to read and study the assigned materials comes from knowing that not only the instructor but fellow students will be reviewing their work. It also allows trial answers, and insights to be gained from other student’s answers. There is a gut check involved in clicking on “Submit.”
Questions need to be composed that use terms or concepts found in the reading material which cannot be answered without having read the material. They should not request a mere repeating of something from the reading material. A question such as “What are the three points that the author made concerning innovative idea?” does not leads to discussion nor even a confirmation of knowledge acquisition. An alternative might be “Illustrate one of the author’s concepts on promoting innovation by citing an example of an innovation that illustrates this.”
Critical Thinking
Bloom’s taxonomy provides useful objectives for developing and evaluating discussion questions. And they have a direct correlation with desired management competencies making the categories critical considerations in management oriented curriculums. Appendix A contains a version of Bloom’s taxonomy. Table 1 uses this to list the Bloom competencies in column one and shows a possible renaming of these to manager competencies/responsibilities in column two. Example discussion questions for each are shown in the third column, which were taken from the authors classes: TMAN 611 Introduction to Technology Management and TMAN 622 Systems Development, Acquisition and Management.
Critical thinking competencies are focused on the last four areas: application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation (Bissell & Lemons, 2006). The table by the Learning Skills Program of the University of Victoria (2005) in Appendix A contains a list of verbs that are particularly helpful in composing discussion questions that address the higher order competencies. One conclusion that derives from using these is that discussion questions Benson: Discussion Question Design 4
are often not questions but rather imperative statements: apply this; explain; integrate, recommend, etc.
Blooms taxonomy is a useful classification system that provides a source of question ideas and a check list to develop questions. A revised Bloom’s taxonomy is shown in Appendix B that can offer further perspectives. (Chyng & Stepich, (2003); Krathwohl, 2002).
Case studies work exceptionally well with discussion questions when addressing Bloom competencies. Cases can vary from a few sentences describing a unique situation to a 30 page description of an entire organization or industry. A vignette could be as short and yet complex as follows and the responses will cover the range of Bloom competencies. Note that this particular question, although within the course context, was not related to particular course content and was intended to encourage critical thinking in an area related to student interest.
Consider a situation where the CEO of a company requests an Enterprise Resource Planning implementation and the IT manager thinks the present systems are just fine. The IT manager starts a project mostly to placate the CEO. Offer advice to the person who is put in charge of the project that reports to the IT manager.
Table 1: Bloom’s Competencies and Manager Responsibilities
Competency
Typical Management Situation
Possible discussion Questions
Knowledge
Understand basic job tasks
(Included in all of the following)
Comprehension
Summarize a problem situation.
Find a source that describes how to effectively create PowerPoint (or other vendor) presentations, and summarize the main points.
Application
React to environmental situations or changes
Describe any lessons you personally learned from the International Air case? Anything particularly hit home? Was there anything in the case that you think needs to be emphasized or communicated, or that is commonly done poorly?
Analysis
Determine root causes of problem situations.
Why did the International Air “make” option fail, while the “buy” option succeeded?
Benson: Discussion Question Design 5
Synthesis
Derive problem solutions
Compose a job description and requirements for a Chief Technology Officer.
Evaluation
Report results or progress. Develop performance measures/techniques
How do you know if sufficient planning has been done? How much planning is enough planning? Can you over plan? If so, what are the symptoms and problems? How do you know if the plan has not had sufficient thought? Intuition?
There is some research evidence that critical thinking skills are more effectively taught in an online mode. Conceico (2005) in a phenomenological study recorded the following faculty reaction.
There’s a tremendous gratification in [online teaching] because of how well I get to know the [learners], and I believe the opportunities I have to assess their application of the knowledge and skills that we’re talking about during the semester…. I feel like I can have a greater impact on each individual [learner].
Library Appreciation
Students often note, after a little experience, that the online library capability is “awesome.” It is immediately available from the course room at anytime and with little effort. The non-productive physical efforts of library usage have been removed in the online mode. Discussion questions can lead to very creative searches for information not in the reading material, but relevant to the course. Further the question can be tailored to the particular interests of each student. An example is “Find and summarize an article on organizational critical success factors that is relevant to the company in which you are or have been employed.”
Information search habits
An educated person is one who seeks knowledge in response to a situation, instead of merely opining personal biases. This is a habit that needs to be cultivated among students. Library searches fit in this realm, but internet searches are progressively becoming a critical source of data. The word data is used because the results needs to be evaluated, compared, synthesized etc. before use; that is apply critical thinking skills. Discussion questions that require searching create an awareness of the vast amounts of data available on the internet. Student discussions can assist in looking at results with a critical eye. An example is the question related to the comprehension category in Table 1 PowerPoint presentations are not taught per se, and of course this is a common manager Benson: Discussion Question Design 6
requirement, and often done poorly. Another effective way of addressing this is to provide an example PowerPoint presentation that has problems, and have students critique it using the criteria from a web site of their choice. Later Topic Preparation
One can create interest or develop some background for a forthcoming topic in a course by posing a discussion question related to the topic. For instance interest and background concerning technology transfer can be setup by a question that requires a search in the United State Patent and Trade Office web site for a patent related to some topic of student interest. Students then have a perspective, hopefully interest, concerning technology transfer and its limitations before the topic is covered. This also can be used to reduce stereotypes or biases before a topic is introduced. For instance, a question could be, “Discuss the pros and cons of globalization.” This starts a thinking process in motion that helps them focus when reading upcoming assignments and answering future discussion questions.
Course Community Development
The “Quest for Community,” to use the title of Nesbitt’s (1953) book, is an inherent longing for most and therefore an important objective. Discussion questions, over time, spontaneously create an appreciation of colleague roles, senses of humor, demeanors, etc. all of which would be missing without the discussion questions. Questions that prompt some personal information at the start of the course start this process. This is critical to student satisfaction and student retention. It also helps in the setting of norms for interpersonal behavior in the course room, and probably outside the classroom.
Student retention is a critical consideration. University survival (and faculty positions) depends on retention of students. Getting students involved in meaningful discussions creates a community and seemingly could thereby contribute to retention.
An interesting side effect of good questions is that they sometimes provide discussion topics for students at their place of employment. Discussion questions that prompt higher levels of thought have led to student postings stating something like “I posed this question at a coffee break today, and found a unique perspective to this.” Not only does this broaden the search process, but it may be functioning as a recruitment vehicle for future students. Congruence
The “bottom line” of creating discussion questions is to assure that they are congruent with learning objectives for the course and the learning unit. Almost all course objectives contain references to the competencies typical of the Bloom competencies. Chyung and Stepich (2003) provide a useful approach to checking this that also illustrates a revision to the Bloom taxonomy shown in Appendix B. Benson: Discussion Question Design 7
Ineffective Discussion Questions
It may seem trivial at this point to note tasks for which discussion questions are not appropriate, but these do periodically appear, even in training sessions. Basically, questions should provide opportunity for discussion. If they do not, then they should not be used.
Factual questions for which there is only one answer and for which responses are binary, (yes/no, true/false) serve no purpose in a discussion. The only discussion might be whether an answer is right or wrong and discussions of this sort tend to negate the collegial environment needed for successful discussions.
Questions that amount to little learning and therefore are merely busywork are inappropriate. Examples are questions that ask for information that requires little more than a retyping of another document. Question Criteria
In summary, a simple set of criteria to review questions, especially new ones, is as follows.
Questions should:
•
be open ended enough so everyone can answer differently based on their backgrounds, knowledge or perspective—no one correct answer,
•
be challenging enough to separate those who are more knowledgeable or capable, and.
•
be challenging enough to require a search for information.
Conference Administration
Posing questions is only part of the effort that faculty must make. This section addresses administrative issues of conferences made up of multiple discussion questions.
Question Choices
It is effective to offer alternative discussion questions and let students choose those that match their work experiences (or lack thereof), learning styles, or other characteristics pertinent to them. For instance, those with minimal work experience can focus on questions that involve library tasks. Requiring students to answer any three of five questions works well for classes of approximately twenty students. Larger sections may need more questions to choose from. Smaller classes may need fewer (answer 2 or 3?) to ensure that all questions are adequately addressed.
Student backgrounds vary greatly in the amount and breadth of work experience, undergraduate education, academic areas and interests. This is viewed by some online instructors as a definite positive with online teaching. One of Conceicao’s (2006) participants noted that they “learned a lot more from his online learners than face-to-face learners because the profile of the online learners had a tremendous influence on how the Benson: Discussion Question Design 8
experience evolved.” Another noted “I have learned … from my online [learners] a lot more than I have learned the previous 15 years from my on-campus [learners].”
Online students also have differing learning styles and question choices offer a means for students to self select a style that fits. Table 2 illustrates this for activist, theorists, pragmatists and reflectors (Muir, 2001). Again, allowing students to choose from among questions caters to differing learning modes.
Table 2: Learning styles and student response characteristics.
Learning Style
Respond well
Respond poorly
Activists
New problems, being thrown in at the deep end, and team work
Passive learning, solitary work, and precise instructions
Theorists
Interesting concepts, structured situations, and opportunities to question and probe
Lack of apparent context or purpose, ambiguity and uncertainty, doubts about validity creates a lack of basis for learning
Pragmatists
Relevance to real problems, immediate chance to try things out, and experts they can emulate
Abstract theory, lack of practice or clear guidelines, no obvious benefit from learning do not allow pragmatists to apply learning to real-life situations.
Reflectors
Thinking things through, painstaking research, detached observation
Being forced into the limelight, acting without planning, time pressures creates a tense learning environment.
Constructed from information in Muir, D.J. “Adapting Online Education to Different Learning Styles”, In Building on the Future. NECC 2001: National Educational Computing Conference proceedings (22nd, Chicago, IL, 2001)
Students should be instructed to read all postings and a goal is to have discussions stimulating enough to intrinsically motivate this behavior. Of course, there is not an objective way of knowing if all are read. A downside to this is that as discussions threads lengthen, the reading work load increases for both students and faculty, perhaps causing thread lengths to diminish. Knowledge application from experiences
Content is not knowledge unless it can be used. So-called “war stories” provide a medium for thinking about course content. Using life experiences to illustrate concepts contributes greatly to internalizing knowledge; helping to bridge the gap from mere facts to usable knowledge (higher Bloom competencies). Faculty experiences also make good responses to student postings. And faculty experiences can be used to craft good Benson: Discussion Question Design 9
discussion questions. The effort required to compose and enter (type) these provides a natural governor to control the length and relevancy of these.
Case studies work exceptionally well with discussion questions Cases can vary from a few sentences (vignette) describing a unique situation all the way to a 30 page description of an entire organization or industry. Responses often cover the range of Bloom competencies. Instructor Involvement in Conferences
An issue related to designing discussion questions is the type and frequency of responses by the course instructor. A large study covering three semesters and 20 sections found an interesting correlation that the more an instructor participates, the less that students participate. (Mazzolini, 2003)
the percentage of instructor postings within a forum showed a significant negative correlation with the length of discussion threads (N = 29, R = −0.67, p < 0.01).
Students appeared to consider instructor postings as “the last word’ on discussion threads. Interestingly and almost contradictory, the authors also found that student satisfaction and views of instructor enthusiasm were positively correlated with the percentage of instructor postings. Students comments did indicate that instructor involvement that consisted of questions, as opposed to answers, was favored by students but statistics were not available on the effect of this on thread length. Another variable not considered was how open-ended the original questions were and whether the questions required critical thinking. But there seems to be an optimal amount of interaction, rather than merely more is better.
Problems
Online education is a new paradigm for some students and problems do arise. Open ended and complex questions require extra effort and time for students. Late responders require students to backtrack to previous units which can be distracting and time consuming. Students who have done well in their undergraduate career via an approach of memorize and recite (Bloom’s knowledge competency only) can get highly frustrated. And they can not hide in a corner. Some students will write voluminous answers that frustrate other students, and are probably ignored. It usually is effective to post Pascal’s (1657) quote on short/long letters: “I
Classroom Commentary_ Case Studies on Faculty-Student Interaction_combined - DE Oracle
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An Online Learning Magazine for UMUC Faculty
Center for Support of Instruction
Classroom Commentary: Case Studies on Faculty-Student Interaction
Laurie Hulcher
Assistant Director for Graduate Student Relations
Graduate School of Management and Technology
Published: September-October 2007
Category: » Fac-resources » Faculty-development
The Graduate School of Management and Technology introduces a new feature, Classroom
Commentary: Case Studies on Faculty-Student Interaction, an online faculty development
workshop that explores issues related to faculty-student classroom interaction. Based on research
which shows that high levels of quality interaction (faculty to student, student to faculty, and student to
student) and frequent feedback are as vital as strong curriculum when it comes to student academic
success, the workshop uses a case study model to explore the causes, prevention, and handling of both
typical and unexpected classroom interaction challenges. A team comprised of members representing
faculty relations, student relations, and media support, developed the workshop which highlights some
unique challenges of working with non-traditional students in a blended learning environment. Each
case study provides multiple perspectives: faculty, student, administration, and policy; and is coupled
with expert advice from seasoned academic staff members to strengthen and support skills in these
areas.
Video Case Studies
The case study model has long been seen as an important means of instruction -- bridging theory,
practice, and application; and encouraging the analysis of multiple viewpoints and resolutions. This is
particularly true in the areas of teaching and student development because theory and best practices
cannot be set apart from a clear understanding of the human factors. Through the video vignettes
presented in Classroom Commentary, UMUC staff members hope to open a window to some interaction
challenges faced by faculty in both the online and face-to-face learning environment. The cases are
based on real-life experiences, and were created specifically to help faculty prevent these types of
issues from arising in their classes, and to handle them fairly and equitably in the event that they do
occur. Current topics include Using the WebTycho Gradebook, Faculty Presence in the Online
Classroom, and Handling Allegations of Academic Dishonesty. While viewing the videos, faculty
are encouraged to consider the questions provided on the website to stimulate thought about proactive
classroom behavior and evaluate the likely outcome of various solutions. At the conclusion of each
video, you will want to take a look at the feedback video to hear the perspective of Graduate School
chairs and program directors.
Video Format
The case studies available in this online workshop are streaming videos with accompanying text
transcripts. The latest free version of the RealPlayer plug-in is necessary to view the video clips. To
download the free player, visit RealNetworks (http://www.realnetworks.com/products/media_players.html) .
Commitment to Faculty Success
The video vignettes available in Classroom Commentary: Case Studies on Faculty-Student
Interaction workshop are intended to support UMUC faculty success. After visiting the site and
viewing the materials available, please share your comments and suggestions for other case study
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topics by clicking on the Share Your Ideas link at the bottom of each workshop page.
The authors extend special thanks to the staff and administrators who gave their skill and expertise to
the video productions.
About the Author(s)
Laurie Hulcher, Assistant Director, GSMT, handles a vide variety of student communication, liaison, and case issues including
student academic petitions and grievances. Within this role, she also provides guidance to faculty and graduate students on
equitable processes for implementing the University's academic policies.
Betsy Alperin, Assistant Dean, GSMT, manages faculty academic affairs. Her responsibilities include promoting programs to
develop, reward, and retain faculty and enhance their effectiveness. She also teaches EDCP 100, Principles and Strategies of
Effective Learning for SUS.
Heloisa Siffert, Senior Instructional Support Specialist, Center for Support of Instruction, develops and delivers faculty training
programs, and collaborates with the academic units on online classroom setup, course design, and resolving technical issues.
Her areas of expertise include graphic design and web development.
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Classroom Commentary: Case Studies on Faculty-Student Interaction - DE Oracle
DE Oracle @ UMUC
An Online Learning Magazine for UMUC Faculty
Center for Support of Instruction
Classroom Commentary: Video Series
Laurie Hulcher
Assistant Director for Graduate Student Relations
Graduate School of Management and Technology
Published: July-August 2007
Category: » Fac-resources » Faculty-development
Welcome to Classroom Commentary, a video series of case studies on faculty-student interaction.
Research shows that quality classroom interaction and feedback is as vital as quality curriculum when it
comes to student academic success. Through these video vignettes we hope to open a window to some
of the unexpected interaction challenges faced by faculty in both the online and face-to-face learning
environment. The cases are based on real-life experiences, and were designed specifically to help
faculty prevent these types of issues from arising in their classes, and to handle them fairly and
equitably in the event that they do occur. Each case presents you, the case analyst, with multiple
viewpoints on a classroom situation: faculty, student, administration, and policy.
Directions
The case studies in this series are streaming videos with accompanying text transcripts. Simply click on
the topic links below to view each of the case studies (Note: The latest free version of the RealPlayer
(http://www.realnetworks.com/products/media_players.html) is necessary to view the video clips).
At the conclusion of each case study video, please view the Feedback from Academic Directors
video to hear the perspectives of Graduate School chairs and program directors.
Finally, at the bottom of each page you will find a list of UMUC resources that are essential to handling
the issues present in the case study.
Case Study Topics
Using the WebTycho Gradebook
Faculty Presence in the Online Classroom
Handling Allegations of Academic Dishonesty
Share Your Ideas
We hope you find these video vignettes useful. Please share your comments and suggestions for other
case study topics by clicking on the "Share Your Ideas" link located at the bottom of each page.
Share Your Ideas
(mailto:[email protected])
About the Author(s)
Laurie Hulcher, Assistant Director, GSMT, handles a vide variety of student communication, liaison, and case issues including
student academic petitions and grievances. Within this role, she also provides guidance to faculty and graduate students on
equitable processes for implementing the University's academic policies.
Betsy Alperin, Assistant Dean, GSMT, manages faculty academic affairs. Her responsibilities include promoting programs to
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develop, reward, and retain faculty and enhance their effectiveness. She also teaches EDCP 100, Principles and Strategies of
Effective Learning for SUS.
Heloisa Siffert, Senior Instructional Support Specialist, Center for Support of Instruction, develops and delivers faculty training
programs, and collaborates with the academic units on online classroom setup, course design, and resolving technical issues.
Her areas of expertise include graphic design and web development.
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An Online Learning Magazine for UMUC Faculty
Center for Support of Instruction
Case Study 1: Using the WebTycho Gradebook
Laurie Hulcher
Assistant Director for Graduate Student Relations
Graduate School of Management and Technology
Published: July-August 2007
Category: » Fac-resources » Faculty-development
Introduction
John H., a student in Dr. Green's class, has concerns about the calculation of his final grade for the
course. In this scene, John contacts Dr. Green seeking clarification.
Looking Ahead
As you view this Video Case Study consider the following:
1. What faculty-student interaction problems are demonstrated in this scene?
2. What is the view of each participant?
What are the alternatives for handling the situation effectively from this point forward? What are the
advantages/disadvantages of each?
3.
4. What recommendations do you have to lessen the chances that the situation will occur again?
5. Which UMUC academic policy(ies) might the situation relate to?
(http://marconi.umuc.edu/ramgen/GSMT/flo/case_01.rm)
View Case Study (http://marconi.umuc.edu/ramgen/GSMT/flo
/case_01.rm) | Read Transcript
Case Study 1: Using the WebTycho Gradebook - DE Oracle
(http://marconi.umuc.edu/ramgen/GSMT/flo/response_01.rm)
View Feedback (http://marconi.umuc.edu/ramgen/GSMT/flo
/response_01.rm) | Read Transcript
Additional Resources
UMUC Faculty Handbook (http://www.umuc.edu/faculty/FacultyGuide.pdf) (pdf file)
UMUC Policy 170.71 Grade of Incomplete, Grade Pending, and Withdrawal (http://www.umuc.edu/policy
/aa17071.shtml)
UMUC Policy 158.00 Academic Levels of Progress (http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15800_fall.shtml)
UMUC Policy 130.80 Procedures for Review of Alleged Arbitrary & Capricious Grading
(http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa13080.shtml)
Other Case Study Topics
Faculty Presence in the Online Classroom
Handling Allegations of Academic Dishonesty
Share Your Ideas (mailto:[email protected]) |
Return to Main Article
About the Author(s)
Laurie Hulcher, Assistant Director, GSMT, handles a vide variety of student communication, liaison, and case issues including
student academic petitions and grievances. Within this role, she also provides guidance to faculty and graduate students on
equitable processes for implementing the University's academic policies.
Betsy Alperin, Assistant Dean, GSMT, manages faculty academic affairs. Her responsibilities include promoting programs to
develop, reward, and retain faculty and enhance their effectiveness. She also teaches EDCP 100, Principles and Strategies of
Effective Learning for SUS.
Heloisa Siffert, Senior Instructional Support Specialist, Center for Support of Instruction, develops and delivers faculty training
programs, and collaborates with the academic units on online classroom setup, course design, and resolving technical issues.
Her areas of expertise include graphic design and web development.
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Comments
James Stewart -- Aug 1st 2007
Compliance with the GSMT policy to post grades with feedback within one week of
assignment submission would avoid the problem presented here.
The grading comments box in WebTycho is too small to allow the amount of feedback
generally expected, so a file attachment is necessary to provide the feedback.
Perhaps a WebTycho improvement would be to directly invite the attachment.
Use of audio, employing a program such as the free PureVoice, is one way to
efficiently - from the professor's time standpoint - increase the amount of feedback
provided.
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Case Study 1: Using the WebTycho Gradebook - DE Oracle
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An Online Learning Magazine for UMUC Faculty
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Case Study 1: Using the WebTycho Gradebook - Transcript
Laurie Hulcher
Assistant Director for Graduate Student Relations
Graduate School of Management and Technology
Category: » Fac-resources » Faculty-development
Case Study 1:
Using the WebTycho Gradebook
Professor (Dr. Green)
Graduate school. Professor Green speaking.
Student (John H.)
Hi, Professor Green. This is Jon in your online class. Thanks for letting me call you about my grades.
I'm getting pretty worried because the semester is almost over.
Professor (Dr. Green)
Sure. What seems to be the problem?
Student (John H.)
I didn't know any of my grades for our earlier assignments, because they weren't posted online.
Thanks for answering my email the other day. It helped me that you gave me a list of my grades, but I
really had no idea they were so low. Now all we have left is a short paper and the final.
Professor (Dr. Green)
Jon, I'm afraid your work has been borderline this semester. For some of the assignments, your work
was even below acceptable standards. You can see this from the list I emailed.
Student (John H.)
I'm really surprised. I've had a very busy semester. I'm a single parent with two small children. Also, I
had to take on more responsibility at work; so I've been putting in extra hours. However, I thought I
was doing pretty well. I had no idea that my grades were so low.
Professor (Dr. Green)
I know what you mean. It's been a busy semester for me too. I've had to balance several obligations
and I couldn't post the grades as I had hoped to.
Student (John H.)
Professor, I really need to pass this class. If I don't get at least a B in this class, my company will not
reimburse my tuition. Is there anything extra I can do to improve my final grade?
Professor (Dr. Green)
Let me think about the options and I'll get back to you.
Student (John H.)
Professor, I'm looking at your email again; are you even sure these grades are accurate!?
About the Author(s)
Laurie Hulcher, Assistant Director, GSMT, handles a vide variety of student communication, liaison, and case issues including
student academic petitions and grievances. Within this role, she also provides guidance to faculty and graduate students on
Case Study 1: Using the WebTycho Gradebook - Transcript - DE Oracle
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equitable processes for implementing the University's academic policies.
Betsy Alperin, Assistant Dean, GSMT, manages faculty academic affairs. Her responsibilities include promoting programs to
develop, reward, and retain faculty and enhance their effectiveness. She also teaches EDCP 100, Principles and Strategies of
Effective Learning.
Heloisa Siffert, Senior Instructional Support Specialist, Center for Support of Instruction, develops and delivers faculty training
programs, and collaborates with the academic units on online classroom setup, course design, and resolving technical issues.
Her areas of expertise include graphic design and web development.
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Case Study 1: Using the WebTycho Gradebook - Transcript - DE Oracle
DE Oracle @ UMUC
An Online Learning Magazine for UMUC Faculty
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Case Study 1: Using the WebTycho Gradebook - Academic Director
Feedback Transcript
Laurie Hulcher
Assistant Director for Graduate Student Relations
Graduate School of Management and Technology
Published: July-August 2007
Category: » Fac-resources » Faculty-development
Case Study 1
Using the WebTycho Gradebook
Feedback from the Academic Directors
Academic Director 1:
This situation is an example of the problems that can come up when there is an excessive delay in
posting grades. Here we have a sincere instructor and student, who are both balancing multiple time
demands. The student’s anxiety level was raised because he was not aware of his academic standing in
the class. The student is clearly upset, so I wouldn’t focus on defending the situation. I would express
some understanding and concern for the student’s problem. Then, I would look at what might be done
to maximize the opportunities for this student, as well as the other students in the class, to be
successful with little time remaining in the semester.
Academic Director 2:
The first step would be for the faculty member to post all the grades for all students previous
assignments, with feedback. This should be done right away, so that students can prepare for the final
exam. It would also be helpful for the faculty member to post an announcement in the on-line
classroom, inviting questions about the end-of-semester assignments. An on-line conference could be
opened where the faculty member would answer these questions, so that the responses would benefit
all the students.
Academic Director 1:
There are also two potential scenarios that we need to consider. The first is that the student might
request extra credit or permission to re-do some earlier work. To be fair, if extra-credit, or the option
to resubmit assignments, is available, then it should be available to all students in the class; not just
the one who asked. The second potential scenario is a grade appeal. When students don’t understand
how they have been evaluated, then the grades may appear arbitrary, and this could lead to an appeal.
Academic Director 2:
Yes. Timely feedback is essential to classroom management. An excessive delay in providing feedback
may generate complaints from students. The professor should follow-up with the Program Director,
who is available to work on grading strategies for future semester.
About the Author(s)
Laurie Hulcher, Assistant Director, GSMT, handles a vide variety of student communication, liaison, and case issues including
student academic petitions and grievances. Within this role, she also provides guidance to faculty and graduate students on
equitable processes for implementing the University's academic policies.
Case Study 1: Using the WebTycho Gradebook - Academic Director Feedback Transcript - DE Oracle
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Betsy Alperin, Assistant Dean, GSMT, manages faculty academic affairs. Her responsibilities include promoting programs to
develop, reward, and retain faculty and enhance their effectiveness. She also teaches EDCP 100, Principles and Strategies of
Effective Learning.
Heloisa Siffert, Senior Instructional Support Specialist, Center for Support of Instruction, develops and delivers faculty training
programs, and collaborates with the academic units on online classroom setup, course design, and resolving technical issues.
Her areas of expertise include graphic design and web development.
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Case Study 1: Using the WebTycho Gradebook - Academic Director Feedback Transcript - DE Oracle
DE Oracle @ UMUC
An Online Learning Magazine for UMUC Faculty
Center for Support of Instruction
Case Study 2 - Faculty Presence in the Online Classroom
Laurie Hulcher
Assistant Director for Graduate Student Relations
Graduate School of Management and Technology
Published: July-August 2007
Category: » Fac-resources » Faculty-development
Introduction
At mid-semester, Dr. Gold receives an unexpected message from a student in his current online class:
"I'm not sure you've noticed, but some of us are lost in this class, especially in
How to Develop Effective Discussion Questions - Part I_ Introduction and Discussion Question Objectives - DE Oracle
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An Online Learning Magazine for UMUC Faculty
Center for Support of Instruction
How to Develop Effective Discussion Questions - Part I: Introduction and
Discussion Question Objectives
Ron Benson
Adjunct Faculty
Graduate School of Management and Technology
Published: September-October 2007
Category: » Online-pedagogy » Classroom-communication
Part I | Part II | Part
III
Introduction
Discussion design and facilitation has an indispensable role in online education and is dependent on the
development of carefully crafted questions. Student satisfaction has been found to be highly correlated
with interactions in the classroom (Kirby, 1999; Mazzolini, 2003). Barker (2001) identifies essential
components of online education that are more of an art than a science: "communication strategies that
underlie course-related online dialog and student discussions," and "the various learning tasks
undertaken by students during a given course." Lim's (2004) challenge of "motivating learners with the
right question" is the focus of this paper for developing the objectives, design and administration of
discussion questions. Due to the length of this topic, this paper has been divided into three sections.
Part II and III will be featured in upcoming editions of the DE Oracle.
Part I - Achieving Objectives Using Discussion Questions
Part II – Guidelines for Writing Questions that Achieve Critical Thinking
Part III – Administrating Conferences / Discussion Questions
A distinguishing feature of online education verses the face-to-face environment are class discussions.
Face-to-face discussions are typically spontaneous interplay with the minority of students being actively
involved, haphazard in their preparation, with the appearance of mostly the verbal-oriented and
self-confident members of a class. Discussions are often a presentation technique to avoid lecture
lethargy or sleepiness, and are not considered a prime facilitator of the education process.
In an asynchronous online environment, discussion questions are planned and students and faculty
respond with considered answers. Faculty carefully craft questions to fit content and student needs.
Respondents, both students and faculty, can take the time to carefully research and develop their
responses. Therefore, the achieved learning from online discussions is potentially much greater than in
a face-to-face environment.
Achieving Objectives Using Discussion Questions
Learning objectives define the end results that are to be achieved in a course or a learning unit.
Discussion questions are a critical means to achieve learning objectives.
Reading of Assigned Materials
Some students may not read the assigned material at all or they read the content but don't really learn
How to Develop Effective Discussion Questions - Part I: Introduction and Discussion Question Objectives - DE Oracle
the material. Online questions offer intrinsic motivation for students to take the time to comprehend
assigned reading material. Mini-lectures, assignments and exams assist in this as well, but discussion
questions enables the student to study the assigned reading in a peer motivated manner. Students will
be more motivated to read and study the assigned materials knowing that not only the instructor, but
fellow students, will be reviewing their work. Online conferencing allows students to give trial answers,
and insights are gained from other student's answers. There is a gut check involved in clicking on
"Submit."
Questions need to be composed to use terms or concepts found in the reading material which cannot
be answered without having read the material. Questions should not request a mere repeating of
something from the reading material. The question "What are the three points that the author made
concerning innovative idea?" does not lead to an interactive discussion. A better question for the
confirmation of knowledge acquisition would be "Illustrate one of the author's concepts on promoting
innovation by citing an example of an innovation that illustrates this."
Critical Thinking
The primary purpose of higher education is the development of critical thinking capabilities. Note that
the cognitive domain of Bloom's taxonomy, represented by six thinking categories of knowledge,
comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation, includes competencies that are more
than just educational categories. They are requisite competencies of an educated person and a
prerequisite for an effective professional at any level. Part of our purpose as educators is to prepare
students to be competent professionals. A first line supervisor needs evaluation competencies as does a
CEO.
Library Appreciation
After using the UMUC online library, students often note that the search capability is "awesome."
Discussion questions can lead to very creative library searches for information not in the reading
material, but relevant to the course. Questions can be tailored to the particular interests of each
student. An example of a research question is "Find and summarize an article on organizational critical
success factors relevant to the company in which you are or have been employed."
Information Search Habits
A habit that needs to be cultivated among students is to seek knowledge in response to a situation,
instead of merely opining personal biases. Library searches fit in this realm, but internet searches are
progressively becoming a critical source of data. Students need to apply critical thinking skills to their
Internet and other information searches by evaluating, comparing and synthesizing data. Discussion
questions that require searching create an awareness of the vast amounts of data available on the
Internet. A discussion question such as, "Find a source that describes how to effectively create
PowerPoint (or other vendor) presentations and summarize the main points" can assist in looking at
search results with a critical eye. Another effective way of addressing this is to provide an example
PowerPoint presentation that has problems, and have students critique it using the criteria from a web
site of their choice.
Topic Preparation
One can create interest or develop some background for a forthcoming topic in a course by posing a
discussion question related to the topic. For instance, curiosity in learning the background of
technology transfer can be aided by a question that requires a search in the United State Patent and
Trade Office website for a patent related to a topic of interest. The acquired knowledge and discussion
of this topic would help students to gain a perspective, and hopefully interest, concerning technology
transfer and its limitations before the topic is covered.
How to Develop Effective Discussion Questions - Part I: Introduction and Discussion Question Objectives - DE Oracle
Topic preparation can also be used to reduce stereotypes or biases before a topic is introduced. For
instance, a question could be, "Discuss the pros and cons of globalization." This starts a thinking
process in motion that helps students focus when reading upcoming assignments and answering future
discussion questions.
Course Community Development
The "Quest for Community," to use the title of Nesbitt's (1953) book, is an inherent longing for most
people, especially for online students. Over time, discussion questions spontaneously create an
appreciation of colleague roles, senses of humor, demeanors, etc. all of which would be missing without
discussion questions. Questions that prompt some personal information at the start of the course will
begin this process. Introductory questions are critical to student satisfaction and student retention.
They also help in the setting of norms for interpersonal behavior in the course room, and probably
outside the classroom. Getting students involved in meaningful discussions throughout the course
creates a community and seemingly should thereby contribute to retention. As we know, student
retention is a critical consideration (as well as faculty positions).
References:
Bloom's Taxonomy. Learning Skills Program, 2005, University of Victoria, 7 Nov. 2006
http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/bloom.html (http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn
/program/hndouts/bloom.html)
Bloom, B. S. Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1984.
Barker, Phillip "Creating and Supporting Online Learning Communities", Proceedings of the ED-MEDIA
2001 World Conference on Education Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications. Tampere,
Finland, June 25-30, 2001
Bissell, A. N. and Lemons, P. R., "A New Method for Assessing Critical Thinking In The Classroom",
BioScience, vol. 56:1, January 2006
Chyng, S. and Stepich, D.. "Applying the ‘Congruence' Principle of Bloom's Taxonomy to Designing
Online Instruction", The Quarterly Review of Distance Education, Vol.4:3, 2003
Conceicao, S. C., "Faculty Lived Experiences in the Online Environment", Adult Education Quarterly,
vol. 57:N, 2006.
Kirby, E., "Building Interaction in Online and Distance Education Courses", SITE 99: Society for
Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (10th, San Antonio, TX,
February 28-March 4, 1999); see IR 019 584. Retrieved via ERIC 6/28/2007.
Krathwohl, D.R., "A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy: An Overview", Theory into Practice, Vol. 41:4
Autumn 2002.
Lim, Byung-Ro, "Challenges and Issues in Designing Inquiry on the Web", British Journal of Educational
technology, vol. 3.5:5, 2004.
Mazzolini, M. and Maddison, S. "Sage, Guide or Ghost? The Effect of Instructor Intervention on Student
Participation in Online Discussion Forums", Computers & Education, vol. 40:3 April 2003, Pages
237-253
Muir, D.J. "Adapting Online Education to Different Learning Styles", in Building on the Future, NECC
2001: National Educational Computing Conference proceedings (22nd, Chicago, IL, 2001)
Nesbitt, The Quest for Community, London: Oxford University Press, 1953
Pascal, B. Lettres Provinciales, letter 16 (1657)
How to Develop Effective Discussion Questions - Part I: Introduction and Discussion Question Objectives - DE Oracle
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About the Author(s)
Dr. Benson is a UMUC adjunct faculty in the graduate school TMAN program. His professional experience includes twenty
years of face-to-face teaching of Operations Management and Information Technology courses, and administrative positions
of Department Chair, MBA Coordinator and Business School Dean. Online experience includes seven sections of doctoral level
courses and seven sections in the masters level Technology Management program at the University of Maryland University
College. In 1990-1992, the author participated in a research project funded by IBM concerning designing courses for an
Advanced Technology Classroom at Western Connecticut State University which involved guided discussions and content
visualization.
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Responding to Undergraduate Students' Needs_ The Department of Academic Success - DE Oracle
No full textDE Oracle @ UMUC
An Online Learning Magazine for UMUC Faculty
Center for Support of Instruction
Responding to Undergraduate Students' Needs: The Department of
Academic Success
Justin Edgar
Learning Coach, Department of Academic Success
Other
Published: May-June 2007
Category: » University-showcase » Classes-programs
As UMUC has evolved to maintain its status as one of the world's top non-traditional universities, there
have been many new and exciting additions made to assist our students in the School of
Undergraduate Studies (SUS). One of these additions is the Department of Academic Success (DAS).
Developed in 2005, DAS was created to improve student retention by offering a variety of resources
that enhance student success. DAS offers programs and resources such as online student clubs, online
mentoring, online tutoring, and general study skills assistance.
One of the most exciting resources is the virtual online student clubs and honor societies. These clubs
are used as a forum for UMUC students to converse with each other and learn more about the
academic and professional aspects in their fields of study. The student clubs are based within a
WebTycho classroom with the majority having a 900 designation (commonly referred to as the 900
clubs). Students can communicate with each other, access resources related to their major, view
professional materials such as job postings, and participate in official UMUC and other professional
organizations. Instructors become involved in the student clubs by volunteering to serve as a faculty
facilitator or guest speaker. Faculty facilitators assist by posting new resources, answering student
questions, and developing new ideas for the clubs success. Guest speakers post a special conference
for a period of one to two weeks and answer student postings related to the topic covered in the
conference.
While there are a multitude of positive features related to the student clubs, there are a few
drawbacks. Although the clubs have proven to be effective, WebTycho has its limitations, such as the
time-consuming nature of manually rostering (adding and removing individuals to the classes). Also, it
has been a challenge to provide interesting and current content for the clubs on a consistent basis.
However, providing fresh and new information could be easily resolved with greater participation of
faculty and student facilitators within the clubs.
DAS also offers online mentoring and tutoring for students. The Allies alumni mentors and discipline-specific
mentoring programs assist first semester UMUC students. These voluntary programs are free
and there is no grade associated with participation. Mentors assist mentees in adjusting to UMUC and
improving their skills so that they may achieve academic success. In addition, tutors are available for a
select number of high-enrollment entry courses through a special online WebTycho classroom (please
note that tutors are not available for all courses). Students can post questions, at their convenience,
throughout the term and a tutor will respond. Also, students are able to read responses posted to
classmates’ questions.
Students can also receive general assistance from DAS. The department staff assists students that are
having difficulties ranging from adjusting to online learning to time management to study skills.
Instructors can refer students who are having troubles balancing their personal obligations and classes
as well as students that have general difficulties related to study skills and time management to
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consider getting help from DAS.
SUS's Department of Academic Success continues to develop new programs and resources as the
needs of UMUC students are brought to the forefront. As part of this development it is not only
important for instructors to advertise the department's resources to their students, but also let us know
their ideas and feedback. For all referrals and feedback, DAS can be reached through
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
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Using Simulations to Enhance Online Learning_combined - DE Oracle
No full textDE Oracle @ UMUC
An Online Learning Magazine for UMUC Faculty
Center for Support of Instruction
Brochure handed out at the NMC Conference
Using Simulations to Enhance Online Learning
Julie Gilliam
Non UMUC
Published: July-August 2007
Category: » Online-pedagogy » Teaching-tools
Julie Gilliam and Towanda Jones presented a poster session for the 2007 New Media Consortium
(NMC) Conference (http://www.nmc.org/) held in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 6-9, 2007, entitled
"Using Simulations to Enhance Online Learning." The purpose of the poster session was to showcase
how University of Maryland University College is currently using online simulations to enrich digital
classrooms where students work in virtual laboratories.
At the conference, Julie and Towanda presented the Teleologic's San Luis Rey Homeland Security
Exercise, Course Development and Design's Crime Scene game and OPNET'S IT Guru networking lab
exercises through a flash kiosk learning object (http://polaris.umuc.edu/de/csi/nmc/simulations.html) . The
participants were able to view first-hand the actual simulations and get a sense of how the simulations
enhance online learning.
The response to the poster session was positive and
enthusiastic. The session was visited by over 150 conference
attendees. In addition to the three simulation
demonstrations, handouts were distributed with detailed
explanations of how each simulation is used in the classroom,
along with learning objectives, and student's feedback about
the simulations. A number of attendees inquired about the
work that UMUC is doing with online learning. Many
participants were interesting in learning how OPNET'S IT
Guru networking lab exercises, the Crime Scene Game and
San Luis Rey homeland security exercise could provide an
alternative method of giving students hands-on lab
experience through online delivery.
If UMUC faculty would like more information on how these
simulations might enhance their classroom, please contact a
CSI staff member.
For information on the New Media Consortium, please visit
the NMC website (http://www.nmc.org/) .
About the Author(s)
Julie Gilliam and Towanda Jones are Instructional Support Specialists for the Center for Support of Instruction. Julie and
Towanda work in the educational, instructional support, and development with course learning, object development, faculty
support and quality assurance for delivery of online courses. Their experience encompasses a wide range of skills to web,
multimedia, working with synchronous and asynchronous technologies, implementing simulations, and leading global projects.
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Using Simulations to Enhance Online Learning - DE Oracle
F
OFFICE OF INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES AND SUPPORT n www.umuc.edu n 800-888-UMUC
It has allowed me to
visualize how networks
work and how all the
information we learned
fits into the real world.
“
”
I found it extremely
“useful and informative.”
I have heard people
I work with talk about
simulation software
and how useful it was
in [helping them] learn
things, and now I have
to agree with them.
“
”
or many students, the laboratory is where classroom theory
and practical reality intersect, and laboratory exercises repre-sent
a vital component of higher learning. That component
presents significant challenges as online learning becomes
increasingly prevalent and popular. The physical labs and lab
exercises used to teach networking, information security, crim-inal
justice, or homeland security are simply not accessible
and scalable solutions for students studying online.
University of Maryland University College (UMUC) takes a
progressive approach to overcoming these types of obstacles,
especially in online education. The university currently offers
about 600 individual online courses and more than 90 gradu-ate
and undergraduate degree and certificate programs that
are available fully online. For courses in information assur-ance,
criminal justice, and homeland security, it is ideal for
students to learn, firsthand, what it is like to experience a dis-tributed
Web attack, investigate a crime scene, or respond to
a terrorist attack, all in the safety of a controlled lab environ-ment.
Thanks to the sophisticated simulations described on the
back, online students are able to gain hands-on experience
in a safe learning environment, with the convenience of any-where,
anytime accessibility. The responses from students and
faculty alike have been uniformly positive.
Using Simulations
to Enhance Online Learning
Students say ...
City of
San Luis Rey
Networking
and Security
Crime Scene
Investigation
To give students studying online the
hands-on lab experience they need,
UMUC chose OPNET™ IT Guru. Not only
is IT Guru the industry standard network
simulation software, it is available as a
free download to academic institutions.*
With the software, students can create
networking and information security
scenarios using industry versions of
actual hardware and software.
UMUC students use the software package to
complete exercises for simulating
n Local and wide area networks
n Firewalls
n Network traffic
n Distributed Web attacks
n Denial-of-service (DoS) attacks
n Peer-to-peer file sharing
n Network address translation (NAT)
Students test different network config-urations
and observe how they affect
performance, including delay, load, CPU
utilization, and collision counts.
The simulations also allow students to
manage hardware components, including
n Hubs
n Access and border routers
n Modems
n Switches
n Servers
n Firewalls
n Proxy servers
n Workstations
The various scenarios teach students
about CPU processing, file transfer
protocol, access control lists, hypertext
transfer protocol, peer-to-peer file
sharing, packet filtering, streaming
multimedia, and more. In the process,
students learn how to install software,
troubleshoot configuration and simula-tion
problems, and understand concepts
of networking and information security.
Grades are assigned based on the stu-dents’
ability to create the simulations,
as well as their critical thinking and analy-ses
of networking concept questions.
*Visit www.opnet.com/university_program/index.html
In an on-site classroom, it is relatively
simple to create a “crime scene” that
introduces students to the skills and
strategies they need to collect, preserve,
and document evidence. For UMUC,
the challenge was to translate that experi-ence
for online students.
The university’s Course Development
and Design team responded with a video
game that incorporates many of these
key concepts. The students assume the
role of police officers or investigators at
a crime scene, looking for physical evi-dence.
Along the way, they learn the
basics of bloodstain interpretation and
gain an understanding of forensic biology
and pathology.
As the students begin evaluating the
scene, they are able to explore the room
using the arrow keys and process what
they find using the tools at the top of the
screen. The material they have studied in
the course comes into play as they decide
which items and information from the
scene would prove useful in the investiga-tion.
Later, they are required to write a
comprehensive scene report, describing
their actions.
Each crime scene is different, and there
is no such thing as the perfect crime
scene investigation; evidence may well
be left behind or irrelevant items may be
seized in the interest of caution or because
of inexperience. Students quickly learn the
importance of establishing protocols to
ensure competent performance on the job.
The UMUC Security Studies Laboratory
chose Teleologic’s City of San Luis Rey
Homeland Security learning object to
offer online students the opportunity to
use a real-world vulnerability assess-ment
tool. The exercise was created so
that students could assess the vulnera-bilities
of critical infrastructure sectors—
communications, power, and trans-portation—
in a terrorist attack on the
fictional jurisdiction of San Luis Rey.
Students work as teams on one of the
three sectors to inventory, assess,
analyze, and report back with findings
and recommendations to the mayor.
Since 1999, the Office for Domestic
Preparedness in the Department of
Homeland Security has required states
to complete a critical infrastructure
vulnerability assessment and develop
a protection strategy. This is a prereq-uisite
to applying for federal grants to
equip and train first responders. Since
the terrorist attacks of September 11,
2001, this process has evolved, with
a focus on creating state homeland
security strategies that are consistent
with national strategic goals. Ultimately,
the purpose of the San Luis Rey exer-cise
is to identify potential counter-measures
that mitigate sector vulnera-bilities,
to assess their respective bene-fits,
and to report them to the mayor.
SIMULATION DEMONSTRATIONS
polaris.umuc.edu/de/csi/nmc/simulations.htm
Tips for Managing Larger Online Classes - DE Oracle
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An Online Learning Magazine for UMUC Faculty
Center for Support of Instruction
Tips for Managing Larger Online Classes
Susan Ko
Director
Center for Teaching and Learning
Published: November-December 2007
Category: » Online-pedagogy » Classroom-management
When an instructor is accustomed to teaching an online class of a particular size, and is asked to teach
a class appreciably larger, he or she may notice an increased level of activity and time needed for daily
review, reading, and feedback.
An increase in class size will definitely influence how well an existing course design supports the
facilitation of teaching and learning. But instructors can actually do a lot to help both their students and
themselves feel more comfortable and be more successful in the classroom by adjusting the design to
adapt to the larger class.
The following simple tips can assist instructors in fine-tuning the course for a greater number of
students while still adhering to the course learning objectives and to UMUC's commitment to student-centered,
interactive online classes. Each tip is grounded in the principles of arranging the class so that
you can interact more with the whole class and groups of students, encouraging active learning and
student initiative, and reserving precious time for providing feedback on major assignments to
individual students.
Interaction
For discussion or problem solving in study groups, move some of the discussion topics or problem-solving
exercises to the study group area. Study groups can then be asked to summarize and post their
discussions or conclusions to the class as a whole in designated conferences. If the study groups are
organized for the purpose of discussion alone, you can make them as large as 10 members. This is an
ideal size to promote more discussion and diverse views. Also, be sure to let students know you will be
observing their group discussions and giving them a participation grade for their individual
contributions to the study group discussions as well as to the whole class discussion. Continue to post
comments and follow-up questions in the full class discussion so that students are aware of your
presence and can benefit from questions designed to promote higher level thinking and deeper
learning.
Trim conferences so as to break down themes and topics into more manageable units. In a class of
24-34 students, be careful not to have more than a few Main Topic threads in one conference,
especially if each topic is fairly complex. Don't hesitate to create a new topic thread or even a new
conference for the same week if needed. (If you create a second conference for the same week, be
sure to carefully label it and explain the structure of the weekly conferences to students so there is no
confusion.) Less crowded conferences make it easier for students to follow threads.
Remind students to change title lines in their conference postings to indicate the subject of their
responses. Also, remind students to quote the actual portion of the posting to which they are
responding.
You may also want to reconsider the minimum number of postings you require of students each week
in the main conference area. For example, depending on the type of discussion topic or assignment, it
may be appropriate for you to ask students for a minimum of one reply to another student rather than
Tips for Managing Larger Online Classes - DE Oracle
to two classmates. Or, you may want to reduce the required number of instructor-posted questions to
which students must respond.
When the class contains a copious amount of required reading or research assignments involving the
locating and analysis of relevant readings and websites, assign individual students or students in small
groups to summarize or analyze the material. Then have them present their findings to the whole class
and lead the discussion for that week. As noted above with study groups, you may also assign students
to summarize and analyze the week's full class discussion.
Grading and Feedback
It is not necessary to respond to every student in every conference. Answer all questions, but you may
be able to summarize portions of the discussion and respond, or combine responses to similar postings
and provide follow up questions that ask students to dig a little deeper. For example, "Joe and Janet,
you have both commented on such and such in X. Do you think this might also apply to Y?"
If appropriate, replace at least one individual assignment with a small group project for students to
work in pairs or threes. Divide up the grade between individual contribution to the project and a grade
for the project as a whole. You may also ask the students to evaluate their own study group
performance and that of their peers using a simple rubric.
Peer review-- Have students use a rubric or clearly defined criteria that you have devised to review at
least one assignment of their peers. For greater incentive, give credit to the student based on how well
they have performed the peer review, not based on how favorably they were reviewed.
Create a detailed rubric to guide your feedback of an assignment or project—while this requires some
initial time, it allows you to assign a grade without having to give a great deal of additional
commentary in your feedback. It also gives students a set of guidelines and a clearer idea of what your
expectations are for the assignment.
Save your more detailed individual feedback for key assignments—at least one of these should be given
early in the semester so that the student receives the feedback needed to stay on the right track. The
other should be on a major or culminating assignment.
Other Workload Issues
Keep up a pattern of frequent visits to the classroom. This prevents a backlog of postings from piling up
and also maintains a sense of your presence in the classroom.
Revisit your class schedule, including due dates for assignments. Also, don't establish unrealistic
deadlines for yourself in regard to returning long assignments. Even though you want to be as prompt
as possible, take into consideration the amount and type of feedback you will be offering. Again, using
a rubric plus individual comments will shorten the time of grading. Also, if you tend to teach the same
class from semester to semester, and you have found that certain observations and comments are
effective feedback under particular circumstances, don't hesitate to reuse the same phrasing when it
applies to student work. Under the pressure of time, it is not always easy to find a new and creatively
apt phrase that works as well as one tried and true formulation.
Before any class begins, think about the profile of students in your class and if you have never taught
that particular course, inquire of colleagues who have experience with that course or one of the same
type and level. What types of writing or subject area problems are common to students in this course?
Prepare a list of resources to which you can easily refer students who experience problems, whether
those resources consist of a writing style manual, a reading from your field that provides necessary
background in the subject matter for students who may be lacking that preparation, or other materials.
While this is a worthwhile approach for any class, it is essential in a larger class where your time will be
at a premium.
If you have a larger group of students, you may need to make an extra effort to become familiar with
and recognize them throughout the course. Take some notes after students have introduced
themselves and throughout the course so that you can make those associations that will ensure you
have not forgotten some important facts about that student. For example, Jim is the helicopter pilot
Tips for Managing Larger Online Classes - DE Oracle
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who noted in week 3 that he did not understand X, the key to Y topic; Jane is the military student who
expects to be deployed during week 7 of the course, etc. Again, while this is a helpful practice in any
class, it is particularly needed in a larger class.
Finally, make the most of your larger class—the diverse backgrounds and potential for greater numbers
of interactions among classmates can actually make the course more stimulating than one of smaller
size. Keeping yourself organized is the key to maintaining your enthusiasm and energy for the class,
and it is that enthusiasm and energy that will be communicated to the students.
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Comments
MaryBeth Matthews -- Jan 2nd 2008
With the raised caps in my classes, I have been mulling the idea of placing students in
groups--and have them stay within the groups throughout the term to complete their
in-class assignments. I do think it is important that they respond to more than one
other posting, and I'm thinking that the smaller group arrangement would help them
not to feel overwhelmed with all the postings.
Has anyone ever done this? If so, was it a positive learning and teaching experience?
Thanks for your thoughts.
MaryBeth Matthews
Collegiate Faculty, SUS (English)
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Second Life - Hype or Reality - Higher Education in the Virtual World - DE Oracle
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An Online Learning Magazine for UMUC Faculty
Center for Support of Instruction
Second Life: Hype or Reality? Higher Education in the Virtual World
Joanna (Xuan) Zhang
Instructional Support Specialist
Center for Support of Instruction
Published: 0 2007
Category: » Online-pedagogy » Emerging-technologies
Overview
If you stay current with the news media, Second Life should not be a strange name to you. Second Life
is a Web-based multi-user 3D virtual world developed by Linden Lab, a San Francisco-based company.
It is neither the first nor the largest virtual community, but it has become most widely known. Since its
first release in 2003, Second Life has become one of the most popular virtual reality tools, attracting
educators from all over the world by offering a variety of opportunities for interaction, sense of
community, and users' self-building capabilities.
Recent statistics show that there are over 100 educational institutes that have established their virtual
campus in Second Life and are actively working in the virtual world (Joly, 2007). As a higher education
faculty or administrator, you may be wondering what educators can do in Second Life and what other
educators are doing in this virtual world.
What Are They Doing in Second Life
Many researchers and educators are experimenting with teaching/learning activities in Second Life, and
other pioneers are developing interactive learning materials by taking advantage of the building and
programming features. Additionally, a number of higher education institutes are exploring how to set
up student communities in the virtual environment. UMUC has begun exploring how Second Life can be
used to enhance student learning as well as building student and faculty communities. As part of a
Poster Session at NMC, Julie Gillaim and Kathleen Puckett presented their poster "Using Simulations
To Enhance Online Learning (http://sl.nmc.org/2007/07/20/interview-with-umuc-on-simulations-for-online-learning/)
". It provides an overview of three different online simulations created at UMUC.
Teaching Classes in Second Life
Higher education institutes are advancing their online teaching methods by offering classes in Second
Life. One of the most widely known pioneers in Second Life is Harvard University. From last fall,
Harvard Law School and Harvard Extension School started a pilot by jointly offering a class in Second
Life. In this class, student groups developed an argument for presentation at a virtual court room with
other students acting as the judges. Different from other typical distance learning delivery platforms,
"Second Life gives us the capability to really have a classroom experience with the students", said
Rebecca Nesson, the instructor of the class (Lamb, 2006). In addition, the course integrated Web 2.0
tools such as wikis and blogs with the Second Life environment to enrich learner's media experience.
The rich media integration is also a major advantage of Second Life that is valued by many educators.
Bradley University offers a "Field Research in Second Life" class which is designed to teach students
how to apply the fundamentals of qualitative field research methods in the ethnographic tradition
(Educational Uses of Second Life, 2007). Students explored various communities of practice in Second
Life by observing, interviewing, documenting and applying other qualitative research methods.
Similarly, a professor at Ball State University uses the field research approach in her English class for
Second Life: Hype or Reality? Higher Education in the Virtual World - DE Oracle
The main building of Harvard University
in Second Life
research composition. The professor considers that the major benefits
of using Second Life are that students can easily access various online
communities, interact with different people, and experience other
cultures.
The building and scripting functions of Second Life allows students to
create objects and content by themselves, which facilitate experiential
learning. The functionalities make Second Life an ideal platform to
teach subjects such as computer science and interactive multimedia.
For example, a professor of University of Florida teaches an Aesthetic
Computing class in Second Life. In the class, students are required to
create interactive objects in Second Life with their programming knowledge. Later the professor led a
tour and discussion of the digital objects and the programming code developed by students for the
course projects. The professor especially values Second Life with its "potential for collaboration,
immersion, aesthetics, creativity, social interaction" (Science Daily, 2007).
Developing Self-paced Learning
Ohio University innovated their teaching in Second Life by developing self-paced learning materials and
educational games which makes asynchronous learning possible in Second Life. There are multiple
"Learning Kiosks" available in the learning center on the virtual campus. Students can access the
modularized learning materials, such as presentations, podcasts and blogs, at the kiosks (Athens,
2007). Additionally, the VITAL lab of Ohio University developed a number of learning games to intrigue
and enhance students' learning. For instance, in a nutrition game, learners/players would be able to
choose meals based on the nutritional facts attached to each food item throughout the course of the
day. In a software engineering process game, learners/players collaborated and played different roles
to make a software system for a simulated client. In a Multicultural Genealogical Center (MGC) Clue
Game, learners/players would be able to become familiar with the historical documents collected by
MGC (VITAL Lab, Ohio University, 2007).
Building Virtual Communities
Ohio University went further to build its virtual community in Second Life through the exploration of
teaching/learning. The university has a well constructed campus in Second Life with various buildings
such as a student center, learning center, and arts and music center. Students may explore the virtual
campus and join real student organizations at the student center. Student groups can meet and
collaborate on the virtual campus just as they might on the real one. There is also a virtual art and
music center where students may meet artists and listen to live music in the cyberspace (Briggs,
2007).
There are some other colleges that have started their venture in Second Life by building learner
communities. Interactive Art and Media School of Columbia College in Chicago hosted its first Manifest
Second Life festival this May. In the festival, a virtual nine-layer building displayed the gallery of
students' artistic works such as paintings and photographs. A parade was held on the virtual campus.
These activities in Second Life were parallel to the real life event held on Columbia College's physical
campus. The virtual event in Second Life allowed alumni who could not travel to the campus to be able
to participate. Except for hosting virtual events, the college uses its virtual campus as "an information
site for prospective students, and a proposed site for educational development in virtual environments"
(Columbia College Chicago, 2007).
Other educational organizations have set up communities in Second Life in a broader way by attracting
and supporting educators from everywhere to discuss, explore and practice the educational applications
of Second Life. New Media Consortium (NMC) is one of the major educational organizations that have
set up a virtual community for educators and have conducted a variety of activities in Second Life. This
community supports events, classes, demonstrations, art exhibitions and learning experiences
Second Life: Hype or Reality? Higher Education in the Virtual World - DE Oracle
A corner of the NMC Campus in Second
Life
(Educational Uses of Second Life, 2007). The NMC campus has hosted
a number of presentations discussing teaching and learning in 3D
virtual environment. In addition, the NMC have also hosted many real
life conferences with associated sessions in Second Life via streaming
audio/video technologies to broadcast real-life events in the virtual
world. It is free to join the virtual NMC group as a guest member in
Second Life. With the membership, visitors can go to the NMC campus
and attend various virtual events.
Promising Applications
Second Life places some challenges for educators, such as the high
requirements for computer hardware and network speed. Also, the learning curve could be steep,
especially for people with little technical or gaming background. However, its application in distance
education still looks very promising to many educators and researchers because of its unique features
and associated benefits brought by the virtual reality tool.
One of the major advantages that educators value most is the social networking capability. The visual
context of the virtual world generated a sense of presence and shared space which make students feel
that they have experienced the benefits of a real class. As we have seen in some of the above
examples, the rich opportunities of social interactions provided by the virtual environment are
especially valuable for teaching social science related subjects.
In a number of the virtual classrooms and campuses in Second Life, the participant may find
opportunities to engage in blogs and wiki pages linked from inside Second Life. The integration of
Second Life and external communication media enables users to create, publish and manage content
without leaving the 3D virtual environment. Being aware of the integration feature, San Jose State
University has developed a programming project which connects Moodle, an open source learning
management system, with Second Life. With this learning system, named as "Sloodle", professors and
students can easily post content from inside Second Life to their online courses, class blogs and wiki
pages.
User self-building and programming features of Second Life make it extremely useful for educators and
learners to develop learning content and settings by themselves. With these features, educators may
develop learning games, interactive learning objects and other materials for self-paced learning in
Second Life. Well designed learning objects and games promote learner-content interaction that may
actively engage students in asynchronous learning.
Conclusion
Given that many people have recognized Second Life’s attractive features and its possible applications
in education, more and more educators and researchers have started examining the utilization of
Second Life in innovative ways for distance teaching. In current research projects, educators are
collecting data by surveys and questionnaires, professors and multimedia specialists are building
reusable learning objects, developing learning games, integrating various learning media and learning
management systems into Second Life. If you are interested in learning more about the Second Life
and experiencing the interactivity opportunities and the learning facilities in the virtual world, just visit
the Second Life website (http://www.secondlife.com) to (http://www.secondlife.com/) create a free account to
get started.
References
Athens, Ohio (2007). Education Meets Virtual Reality. Outlook, Ohio University News and Information.
Retrieved June 26, 2007, from http://www.ohio.edu/outlook/06-07/February/299n-067.cfm
Second Life: Hype or Reality? Higher Education in the Virtual World - DE Oracle
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(http://www.ohio.edu/outlook/06-07/February/299n-067.cfm)
Briggs, L. L. (2007). Ohio University Opens Virtual Doors. Retrieved June 26, 2007, from
http://campustechnology.com/articles/45246/ (http://campustechnology.com/articles/45246/)
Columbia College Chicago. (2007). Manifest SL. Retrieved June 26, 2007, from http://iam.colum.edu
/community/manifestSL/ (http://iam.colum.edu/community/manifestSL/)
Educational Uses of Second Life (2007). Retrieved June 26, 2007, from
http://sleducation.wikispaces.com/educationaluses?f=print (http://sleducation.wikispaces.com
/educationaluses?f=print)
Joly, K. (2007). A Second Life for Higher Education? Retrieved June 26, 2007, from
http://www.universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=797
(http://www.universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=797)
Lamb, G. M. (2006). Real Learning In A Virtual World. Retrieved June 26, 2007, from
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1005/p13s02-legn.html (http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1005
/p13s02-legn.html)
New Center, Ball State University. (2007). Ball State students immersed in virtual world to study
cultures. Retrieved June 26, 2007, from http://www.bsu.edu/students/admissions/article
/0,1370,135131-9886-47624,00.html (http://www.bsu.edu/students/admissions/article
/0,1370,135131-9886-47624,00.html)
Science Daily (2007). Distance Learning Moves Into 'Second Life' Virtual Classroom. Retrieved June 26,
2007, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070207193301.htm
(http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070207193301.htm)
VITAL Lab, Ohio University. (2007). Second Life Development. Retrieved June 26, 2007, from
http://vital.cs.ohiou.edu/index.php/Second_Life_Development (http://vital.cs.ohiou.edu/index.php
/Second_Life_Development)
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Writing Wrongs: Observations for teachers of Adult Learners - DE Oracle
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An Online Learning Magazine for UMUC Faculty
Center for Support of Instruction
Writing Wrongs: Observations for teachers of Adult Learners
Edwin Sapp
Collegiate Professor
School of Undergraduate Studies
Published: January-February 2007
Category: » Online-pedagogy » Assessment-feedback-rubrics
Adult learners at the University of Maryland University College come in at least four distinct varieties:
Those who write well, or even superbly (often occupying positions in the community or workplace that
task their writing skills daily)
Those who never became proficient in writing
Those who have been employed or in social environments for a decade or more where their previous
writing skills have dwindled from lack of use
Those who have an intense fear of the written word, thus remaining conquered by that fear when faced
with any writing task and generating self-fulfilling prophesy with every attempted sentence.
To those who would assist the weaker writers in their classes — adults who fall into the latter three
categories — I offer two observations and some additional commentary, based on three decades of
teaching over 9,000 students with all levels of writing skills (from junior college ENGL 101 folks to
Graduate School of Business professionals), plus hundreds in various private sector and Department of
Defense positions.
The observations are not profound, but they ARE crucial to your success in addressing their "writing
wrongs."
Adult learners NEVER benefit from a "remedial" approach to learning the ground rules of writing in the
English language, and
Most adults have far fewer errors to correct than the average teacher perceives.
Even though screening places some students who have needs for "remedial" assistance, you are quite
likely to have a mixed bag of writing skills in any classroom for no other reason than a student who
passed Freshman English a decade or so before might never have used the skills developed from that
experience.
What I find more disturbing about many writing-challenged students in the 2006 classroom, however,
is their inability to analyze and process and take action; not their native writing skills per se. I have
read three-page, single paragraph memos from students in their final year at UMUC. These folks have
NO understanding of how to order information and present it so others can comprehend it. Invariably, I
find that their inability to express themselves effectively with the written word stems from their
inability to READ, to THINK (that is process information), and to ANALYZE. These folks are not three
bales short of a load mentally — they simply do not understand how to analyze — to reduce macro
challenges to individual components, order the components, and contemplate any kind of action as a
result; that compounds the problem when you try to help them see mistakes and self-correct.
A Remedy Worse than the Disease
When I began teaching survival writing skills to folks in the work place, I quickly discovered that a
"remedial" approach (going back over diagramming, defining the parts of speech, etc.) does not work
Writing Wrongs: Observations for teachers of Adult Learners - DE Oracle
very well because most poor writers didn't understand the first time they were taught and their
visceral, emotional reaction to another threatened failure becomes a complete barrier to learning.
There is not very much written on the topic, but I have located some experts over the years, and they
helped me approach the kind of errors we see at UMUC in an entirely different way. The approach I
suggest in this article addresses both the organizational and mechanics problems such students face,
while helping them quickly gain the analytic skills required to self-diagnose and correct both types of
writing errors.
In January, 2001, in a pilot study for the dean of the Graduate School at the University of Maryland
University College, I reviewed the results of a pilot study on 54 graduate students with poor writing
skills. Six of the 54 actually performed WORSE in their writing competency after attending a remedial
writing seminar; the rest either improved SLIGHTLY or remained at the same level, based on their
performance on pre and post-testing. "Remedial" righting of wrongs simply does not work.
This Old House
I introduce students to the art of writing business reports and correspondence by comparing the
process to moving into a new house. Most writing-challenged adults think they have to compose a
business letter or report from the beginning to the end, building evidence leading to a climactic "bottom
line" on page two or five. Freshman English exposition encourages that approach (thesis statement,
topic sentences, five-paragraph structure with introduction and conclusion). Advanced writing texts are
no better: most offer polished examples of profound writing, and some half-heartedly show a few
"bad" examples — but ALL the examples are complete and read by the student as a done deal.
When you move into the new house and the movers and your friends have silently slipped away, you
are facing chaos at its most unnerving extreme. Only the truly novice homeowner would begin to clear
a path along the route guests would follow, burrowing deeper and deeper until all was shipshape and
tidy. That approach will generate ultimate frustration, most often resulting in the "movee" quite
literally boxed into a corner, attempting one poorly-thought-out approach after another to get the job
done. The seasoned movee clears the kitchen and one bedroom before retiring to a good night's rest
on a full stomach, knowing that he or she has a priority action list for getting the rest of the house in
order later on.
In short, the person who focuses on function rather than form works much more efficiently and with
much less stress.
In very much the same way as the experienced movee accepts clutter in some holding area as a
natural part of bringing order to the house, so the effective writer focuses on the main idea and leaves
the other thoughts as clutter until that part of his or her house of words is straightened up and ready
for inspection.
The writer who plods through from introduction to climactic conclusion invites writer's block at every
turn, slows to half-speed by correcting prose that may never see the final copy, and totally misses the
key to effective 21st century business writing: understanding that the harried reader wants the
"bottom line" FIRST, followed by the rationale — exactly opposite of the concept for an award-winning
Freshman theme on legalizing marijuana or saving the goldfish.
Consider for a moment, the pictures of a "perfect" living room in any home decorating magazine. The
pictures and text provide an invaluable vision of the completed task, but they are of absolutely no use
to the neophyte home handyman who wants to makeover the homestead in the magazine's image. For
that approach, the eager lord or lady of the manor must turn to some step-by-step guides. And that
we have just done by suggesting that business communication is best constructed from the center
outward, rather than from beginning to end.
But note what has happened here: first there is the example (perfect report sample, perfect living
Writing Wrongs: Observations for teachers of Adult Learners - DE Oracle
room); then there is the DESIRE to create something that good (unencumbered by fear of failure). You
can help create that desire by restoring hope to a student who has reached the "what's the use stage"
and is taking your required advanced writing course in his or her last semester with fear and
trembling. Restoring hope is simply a matter of showing such students that there is a logical,
self-administered cure for their problems and that those problems really are NOT as severe as other
teachers have indicated. But, I still have to prove that assertion, don't I?
As a first step, we must consider the tools and the skill required to use them.
What Kind of Tool Am I (Using)?
ALL English sentences end in a period and contain one complete thought. Yes, you add a curly symbol
over the period for a question and a straight line for an exclamation, but most people only have
problems with the contents of a sentence that declares or states something. Student problems with
sentence content fall in three categories: incomplete thoughts, too many thoughts, or unbalanced
jamming of components into the container. All three reflect a student focused on self-expression with
no awareness of the effect his/her attempt is having on a reader.
If a student has a habit of producing sentence fragments, for example, all he/she has to do is write a
paragraph, then read the last sentence, then the next-to-last sentence, etc and the out-of-context
fragment will show up. Eventually, the student will discover the phrasing that causes fragments for that
particular student, and thus will be able to catch problems in a front-to-back review. Most remedial
grammar texts discuss four or more types of fragments, their generic causes, and how diagramming
will identify them. But that approach assumes that the student suspects that there IS a problem,
doesn't it? Isn't that a lot like driving a car with a "check engine" light on, then opening the hood to
discover that the engine is still there? Any further driving could cause serious damage and any further
fragments can blow an effort at communication completely out of the water, with the driver/writer
never the wiser for the warning.
Of the eight parts of speech, only three cause the most problems. Of the errors in using parts of
speech, agreement and verb endings are the most confusing for students, and, of the times these
errors cause a problem, USUALLY this occurs with very specific verbs or other words (such as using
"their" to modify something singular). Almost always, these are speech issues rather than writing
issues. Speaking habits often carry over into our writing. For example, the "polished" writer might call
a friend and say "I am looking to buy a car" but NEVER use two verbs (and one of them completely
useless, at that) in a report for school or work. The novice, however, doesn't know the difference.
In my seventh grade home room we were given ten spelling words each week. On Fridays, the teacher
called out the words, we wrote the correct spelling, then used them to write a ten-paragraph essay
using each word in context. I missed school the day we learned "through" and guessed "thru" in
desperation. I used that word nine times in my essay, losing a whopping 27 points for my effort, and
getting a "D-" on the result. I complained, noting that I had only made one error. "No, you made
NINE," was the teacher's mechanical reply. To this day, I don't see my error as worthy of a D-, but I
started observing how other students were graded. Ones who fouled up the verb "to be" rarely ever
had a passing score on anything. Others had a hang up with "the boy picked up their book" (which can
be absolutely correct if the tome is subject to community ownership). Many of your students were
bruised in this battle and come to you fully convinced that, no matter WHAT they do, they can never
"get it right."
The only internal punctuation with absolutely deadly ramifications is the abused comma. There ARE
errors in using semi-colons and quotation marks, but not as many, and those are much easier to
explain in ways that make the problem go away. Remind the guilty that commas setting off incidental
information (including the name of a state after the name of a city) come in pairs. Note that ALL items
in a series require a comma. (If you review grammar text of two decades ago, you note that dropping
Writing Wrongs: Observations for teachers of Adult Learners - DE Oracle
the comma before the ending "or" or "and" was encouraged. All that changed with a Supreme Court
case that awarded 25 million to Dick and Harry as a SET — like peanut butter
and jelly or peaches and cream — when Dad left his money "to my sons Tom, Dick and Harry." The
court ruled that he would have used the comma if they were to share equal thirds).
We put periods and commas INSIDE closing quotation marks because Lin-o-type machines broke the
lead slugs with those characters in newspaper articles using proportional fonts such as Times New
Roman. The double-length quotation mark held up longer. All other punctuation follows more logical
rules, but students who know WHY the period and comma get different treatment never make the
mistake again.
What's a Mother to Do?
Next time you examine a senior student's botched sample of written English, look at the errors and try
to categorize them. Does the student have a massive comma problem? Address it. Is the problem
one of agreement? Under what circumstances? Isolate it.
I examined the pre-tests of 250 employees of a regional electric company at the CEO's request. They
were pitiful writers and were costing the company thousands of dollars annually because of poor
communication skills. The CEO was at his wit's end because the remedial writing teacher he hired first
quit in frustration when the employees couldn't learn how to diagram a sentence. I diagnosed their
problems, taught them a few rules (some noted in the paragraphs above) in ten hours of concentrated
class work. A few months later, the ecstatic CEO told me that ALL the employees had improved so
significantly that the company now was saving thousands of dollars.
Righting Wrongs
So, if you have students writing "wrongs" in your classes, help them identify the category, then attack
their individual problems. Teach them that "by the yard, it's hard; by the inch, it's a cinch." As you
will soon discover upon close examination, few students have hopeless clusters of severe problems.
Most repeatedly make only two or three errors in their writing. The aggregate of repeated single
common verb problems in a paper, for example, can be daunting to any student dismally surveying the
sea of red marks you contributed to the "broken" offering. In fact, that sight is every bit as
overwhelming as the endless piles of boxes in every room of your new home.
Contemplate the old adage that one fish gives the hungry person a single meal, while learning to fish
feeds the family for a lifetime. When you help the struggling writer really SEE that he or she has only
one or two "show-stopper" problems, help that writer learn to recognize their presence, and teach the
cure in a functional way, you have just taught another human how to fish — thereby righting their
wrongs and giving an appreciative writer wings.
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