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This study of 70,000 courses identified five course design archetypes in terms of LMS use: Supplemental - high in content but with very little student interaction Complementary - used primarily for one-way teacher-student communication Social - high peer-to peer interaction through discussion boards Evaluative - heavy use of assessments to facilitate content mastery Holistic - high LMS activity with a balances use of assessments, content, and discussion

Lessons from a Texas A&M professor who flipped a 400-student "Introduction to Ancient Rome" course.

I'd love to hear some real world examples that address one point in the article: "Content delivery is the easy part. The hard part is figuring out what to do in class that keeps students engaged, and motivated to prepare for class." If anyone in our group knows of some specific tricks teachers usually employ for this, please let me know. (lil' quizzes? Q&A discussions? or something more interesting?) I'm wondering if there are other sorts of multimedia activities I could make that would serve similar function.

Warren, good question! The peer instruction approach of Eric Mazur et al. (see http://mazur.harvard.edu/research/detailspage.php?rowid=8) is a popular in-class technique. Here are some of other methods OSU hybrid faculty use to link online and face-to-face spheres: 1 - A low-stakes weekly quiz online prior to each class meeting. 2 - A discussion that flows from online to face-to-face and back again. 3 - A very short online essay turned in before each class meeting that builds on the online content, and is tied directly to in-class discussion or group work that follows. 4 - An interactive multimedia lesson online that provides a foundation for or extends in-class learning. (Examples: I recommend looking at Simon Driver and Megan McDonald's hybrid EXSS 444--I can connect you.) 5 - Group work online (e.g., formulating a debate position or a solution to real-world problem) that feeds into the next f2f class activity. 6 - A quiz at the start of each class meeting based on the online content. Whatever the method, a key is that the learning activities online channel rather directly into the in-class activities and vice versa. Think of it as a long ping-pong volley between learning activities in the online and f2f spheres from the first day of the term until the final exam or project.

Video content from a wide variety of experts, similar to Ted.com

Key finding: "A strong majority of those who have taught online, 71 percent, say doing so has helped them develop skills and practices that have improved their teaching both online and in person. More than seven in 10 say online teaching has enabled them to think more critically about how to engage students with content, better use multimedia content and better use the learning management system."

"Instructional designers, like web developers in the '90s, historically had expertise in conveying content through a limited set of tools and platforms, such as a learning management system (LMS). LX designers, in contrast, merge design-thinking principles with curriculum development and the application of emerging technologies to help faculty tailor content to student behaviors and preferences. It cuts across disciplines and moves beyond the LMS: LX designers embrace graphic design, multimedia production, research-based standards and social media. They are partners to faculty throughout the program and course development process."

Key finding: "Our data suggest that inserting short summaries into existing course videos is a simple and facile way to improve student recall of course contents." Thirty-second lecture summaries at the midpoint and end of lecture videos were correlated with significantly better learner performance on related quizzes. This was true if the lecture summary was delivered by the course instructor but not if it was delivered by a "guest." (Note: The average video length was approx. 10 minutes.)

Resources and ideas from CSU Channel Islands for faculty development, especially blended and online, including slides from a presentation their Teaching and Learning Innovations team did at OLC Innovate. Content and approaches include a toolbox, Facebook, Twitter, learning communities, course construction workshops and a faculty/staff blog. Impressive.

Gates Foundation survey: "The research illuminates how different internal and external factors (motivational, behavioral, contextual enablers/barriers, values, beliefs, and demographics) come together to influence faculty members' willingness to learn about new pedagogies, incorporate new ideas in their work, and spread new ideas regarding teaching and learning to peers and campus leaders."

"Results indicate students who enrolled in a redesigned online College Algebra course that strategically placed the instructor in the role of content provider performed significantly better. . . ."

A guide for faculty development planning, including just-in-time trainings

Components of development and delivery: Content development, pre-semester setup, and overall involvement in the class decrease in time consumption by the third iteration. Yet, Grading & Assessment time consumption actually increases. The survey found that [of the respondents]: Learning curves: The problems, "myths," and concerns associated with online course development and delivery are more likely associated with pedagogy than with technology.

Alternative modes to delivery offer examples which provide learners with greater control over the content and meaning of what they are learning and over the processes by which they learn.

Articulate presentation about creating lectures for online classes

I thought this was a funny and insightful explanation into why smart academics find it impossible to write directly or clearly. It's kinda long (ironically?) but eventually starts listing a few good (specific) insights. Thought yall might enjoy from a "how can we improve communication and content" perspective.

Great article -- and a real issue in some online courses, where we often need more of a technical writing style, such as numbered lists for directions instead of super-long paragraphs. Thanks for sharing!

This site gives examples for each of the "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" from Chickering and Gamson (1987) and also references Chickering and Ehrmann's (1996) "Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever."

Abstract: This is the largest and most comprehensive metaanalysis of undergraduate STEM education published to date. The results raise questions about the continued use of traditional lecturing as a control in research studies, and support active learning as the preferred, empirically validated teaching practice in regular classrooms.

Great blog post about the critical need to align content with objectives in adaptive learning and the time and effort required to do so.