Reflections upon a Conference: ENGAGEMENT

Having recently attended the October 2-4, 2015, Teaching Professor Technology Conference in New Orleans, I  decided to spend some time  reflecting upon the sessions attended, ideas presented, and friendships formed. At some points I almost felt overwhelmed while others were more of a validation of what I already do.....time to make sense of this knowledge by reflecting upon the various sessions and ways to integrate my learning into my course design.

How to Be an Online Student

 All right, this was not the name of a session - but it should have been!  I was listening to the plenary session when it struck me - we need to train students how to be good online learners. Perhaps this has already occurred to you, but for me, it was an awe-inspiring experience!   I offer an orientation module with the standard syllabus, interactive syllabus, meet-and-greet, videos, perhaps an activity about the course website or the syllabus, course overview.....but I have never really explained what it means to be an online student.  I tell students to check their University email 2-3 times each week, to review forums 3-4 times a week, to keep a calendar...but I have never taken it to the next step....to explain WHY these are so very important in a fully online course! I mean, I talk with them individually in video-conferences about these items - and more -  but maybe a different, more interactive approach is needed.

Collegedegrees360

We were primarily trained in how to be good face-to-face students, and in some cases, the same skills apply....but with some additions... We know to attend class with a book, with some sort of writing implement/laptop and to read the assignment before class... But online courses demand so much more from the students! Being a good online student requires a different level of responsibility from those students who attend a face-to-face class.

What do I try to provide in my Welcome or Orientation Module?
          (1) A printable syllabus to satisfy university accreditation requirements.
          (2) An interactive syllabus with links to short (3 minute-or so) videos and other course items.
          (3) Some type of Meet-and-Greet activity requiring the students to introduce themselves in some "different" way and interact with one another and with me.
          (4) A content page providing a brief overview of the course and the major assignments.
          (5) A screencast video demonstrating how to schedule a mandatory individual video-conference session with me during the first week of class.
          (6) A requirement to video-conference with me during the first week of the course where I have students click through Canvas and I discuss major assignments and a calendar with them...and the importance of planning.
          (7) Other videos not necessarily on the interactive syllabus.

Being mindful of students' time, I try to avoid busy work - or an assignment that could be be misconstrued as busy work, so...isn't this enough to introduce them to online learning and the course?

Even with the above, I can tell that often the videos on the interactive syllabus and for the course assignments go unwatched (I can tell the number of times a video has been viewed although I cannot determine who watched what). Screencaptures of something specific - such as how to schedule a meeting with me - are watched - perhaps because they have a more specific  and immediate purpose?  Perhaps the videos on the interactive syllabus are viewed as not necessary to completion of a task? Not necessary to watch at this time?   Do I really need to tie an activity to reviewing and watching an interactive syllabus?  Perhaps I do.... hmmm..... should I create a scavenger hunt activity regarding the interactive syllabus? Perhaps a padlet activity where students add an item they learned while completing this module?   More pondering definitely needed.

Somehow students need to know why they are completing these activities and tasks....

Perhaps all I need is something as simple as generating content entitled Six Steps to Success in this Course or  6-Step Strategy for Online Success....

Helping them to be better online students is definitely important.

Creating Interactive Video Lectures to Increase Student Engagement

This session actually demonstrated the topic! I took copious notes :-) I use videos quite a bit in my courses, so I had high hopes on this session.

Presenters briefly reviewed the 4 video formats: (1) Slides / Screencast, (2) Talking Head, (3) Khan-style, and (4) Interactive.  I was familiar with all but Khan, so this was a great start! Pros and cons of each format were presented, and the speakers polled us using  Poll Everywhere. 

Takeaways?

The presenters reinforced the "keep-it-short" mantra of videos, suggesting videos be no onger than 5-7 minutes with shorter being better. They also  demonstrated a free program I had used before and had almost forgotten: Zaption. Here is a quick video overview of how to create a Zaption tour:

Zaption allows users to add quizzes to videos, and, if users buy the paid version ($89/year), they can stop action videos, not allowing  watchers to advance a video until they have participated in the quiz.
I have used the free version, and while I liked Zaption (very user-friendly), I quickly realized students were not taking the quizzes, but just moving through the video....perhaps...maybe they were viewing the entire video.

NOW, I am rethinking using Zaption due to this workshop session! Instead of re-recording videos I have already created, I can now use Zaption to add interaction to my own videos  I can can actually re-purpose what I already have - a big bonus and time saver!

I wonder if making the videos in the Welcome Module more interactive might enhance the meaning for my students.....

hmmm...

Using Short Screencasts to Promote Student Engagement 

This  presenter demonstrated using Jing to craft quick screencasts (5 minute) about the course, assignments, a rubric...whatever a student needs and questions. The following video provides a quick overview of Jing and how to use it:

 Are several students asking   similar questions? Produce a quick video in response. Want to make sure students use a rubric when crafting an assignment? Produce a quick screencast showing and explaining the rubric.

Want to add a little humor into a course announcement?   Try a Voki. The free version allows for a 60-second avatar using either your voice or one of theirs, so instructors can quickly create a Voki  - or a series of Vokis - to deliver an announcement. a Voki can be emailed, posted on a blog, embedded in a learning management system - but the key here is short.

Tying it together

"colorwarp2-060207" by Ruth Temple 

In briefly reviewing these sessions, I see a several threads emerging - that of student engagement..... and brevity in recordings....

For me, it appears to be time to weave together these threads of social presence with teaching presence to increase student engagement.

So, my tasks.....or items to consider, include using the above to

•  Assist students in taking responsibility for learning through self-regulation skills. I will make the orientation module more interactive and address online student course responsibilities in a more clear manner.  I mention the importance of deadlines and planning, but, perhaps, need to find another way to get the message across. Time management may be a topic to address individually during the mandatory meetings during the fist week.
•  Increase the quality of student responses and assignments. Holding students accountable for quality work is a given, but adding short explanatory videos  may assist students in providing higher quality responses.
• Engage students with academic content. Crafting short screencapture videos and and interactive videos are vital.  "Chunking: content into smaller bites will help students to target what they need to be successful and engage....but interactivity is necessary.

But wait..... I also attended several sessions on gamification, and some of those mechanics can be integrated to increase engagement as well.

Next post:  Gamification