A summative evaluation was conducted by comparing the pre-course opinion survey to the post-course opinion survey.
| Pre-Course Survey | Post-Course Survey | |||||
| Question 1: How confident do you feel about teaching online? | Question 1: I am confident about teaching online. | |||||
| Confident | 4 | Agree | 4 | |||
| Neutral | 3 | Agree | 4 | |||
| Confident | 4 | Agree | 4 | |||
| Average | 3.667 | Average | 4.000 | |||
| Question 2: Teaching online is no different than teaching in a classroom. | Question 2: Teaching online is no different than teaching in a classroom. | |||||
| Strongly disagree | 1 | Strongly disagree | 1 | |||
| Disagree | 2 | Disagree | 2 | |||
| Strongly disagree | 1 | Strongly disagree | 1 | |||
| Average | 1.333 | Average | 1.333 | |||
| Question 3: How confident do you feel about the syllabus for your online course? | Question 3: I am confident my syllabus for my online course. | |||||
| Neutral | 3 | Agree | 4 | |||
| Neutral | 3 | Agree | 4 | |||
| Confident | 4 | Agree | 4 | |||
| Average | 3.333 | Average | 4.000 | |||
| Question 4: My syllabus for my traditional course is adequate for my online course. | Question 4: My syllabus for my traditional course is adequate for my online course. | |||||
| Disagree | 2 | Strongly disagree | 1 | |||
| Disagree | 2 | Strongly disagree | 1 | |||
| Disagree | 2 | Strongly disagree | 1 | |||
| Average | 2.000 | Average | 1.000 | |||
| Question 5: The assessments that I am using in my online course align with my course objective | Question 5: The assessments that I am using in my online course align with my course objective | |||||
| Agree | 4 | Agree | 4 | |||
| Agree | 4 | Agree | 4 | |||
| Neutral | 3 | Agree | 4 | |||
| Average | 3.667 | Average | 4.000 | |||
| Question 6: How confident are you communicating with students online (email, discussion boards, etc.)? | Question 6: I am confident about communicating with students online (email, discussion boards, etc.). | |||||
| Confident | 4 | Agree | 4 | |||
| Not confident | 2 | Agree | 4 | |||
| Confident | 4 | Strongly Agree | 5 | |||
| Average | 3.333 | Average | 4.333 | |||
| Question 7: How confident do you feel in knowing what an online student needs to know? | Question 7: I am confident in knowing what an online student needs to know | |||||
| Not confident | 2 | Agree | 4 | |||
| Not confident | 2 | Agree | 4 | |||
| Neutral | 3 | Neutral | 3 | |||
| Average | 2.333 | Average | 3.667 | |||
| Question 8: How confident are you with time management skills? | Question 8: I am confident with my time management skills. | |||||
| Confident | 4 | Agree | 4 | |||
| Not confident | 2 | Neutral | 3 | |||
| Confident | 4 | Neutral | 3 | |||
| Average | 3.333 | Average | 3.333 | |||
| Question 9: Preparing and teaching an online course takes less time than a traditional course. | Question 9: Preparing and teaching an online course takes less time than a traditional course. | |||||
| Strongly disagree | 1 | Strongly disagree | 1 | |||
| Disagree | 2 | Disagree | 2 | |||
| Strongly disagree | 1 | Strongly disagree | 1 | |||
| Average | 1.333 | Average | 1.333 | |||
| Question 10: This course has prepared me to teach online | ||||||
| Agree | 4 | |||||
| Strongly Agree | 5 | |||||
| Strongly Agree | 5 | |||||
| Average | 4.667 | |||||
Summary
Overall, there is a slight increase in confidence teaching online after taking the course. The three participating faculty have already spent time in Blackboard training and using Blackboard tools within their traditional face-to-face courses. Therefore there was no increase in opinion about teaching online, time management or communications. One participant remarked that the communication section was least helpful "...because I already knew a lot of what was presented. For someone with less experience I think this would be helpful."
If the syllabus is a blueprint of the course, different pedagogy in online teaching should be reflected in the syllabus. There is a marked decrease in opinion regarding the use of a traditional syllabus for an online class. One participant stated, "...I have definitely changed my ideas about what to include in my syllabus for an online course."
All three participants agreed that this course helped them prepare to teach online. One participant stated, "...I am less concerned that real learning can happen in an online environment but I am concerned that the additional time taken to facilitate and do 'warm and fuzzy' activities with students to keep them engaged will reduce the time I have to present content." Another participant stated, " I also was able to glean a few ideas for ice breakers and student interaction that I had not previously thought of." Both of these concerns will be addressed as faculty meet with an instructional designer to discuss aligning content with activities and assessments.
The post-course survey also included open-ended questions about the structure and design of the course.
| Question 14: What could I do to improve this course? | |||||
| Beginning with an orientation clip of examples of a few existing courses would have really helped me imagine the architecture and options for parts of an online class. As I have never been in that type of environment, I found myself guessing/imagining more than I liked. | |||||
| I appreciated the clear layout in terms of modules that we could work at our own pace. I think this was a useful experience before teaching online. One thing that might be helpful is moderating a simulated discussion. | |||||
| I think I need to be more detailed in my syllabus and additional handouts about course expectations and include grade rubrics for each assignment. I also need to include additional information about resources and technology requirements. I need to re-write the objectives for my course and link them to the assignments. I need to decide what material is most important to cover and then really delve deep into that material as opposed to trying to cram too much info into the semester. I need to try and focus on how I am going to get students to interact with one another in the online environment, and really focus on how that interaction can support learning. I think I rely too much on delivering content via voice lectures and not enough on the students working together. | |||||
| Question 15: Was this course too long? Too short? Why? | |||||
| Length was fine and variety of materials was good. Most of the articles were short enough yet got across the needed info. | |||||
| The length was fine. | |||||
| I thought that the material that was covered was done well. The readings are quick to read through. The videos are easy to watch and everything provided useful information. I think additional modules that are about the same length could be added to provide additional info on other subjects related to online instruction. Definitely should have some tutorials for people who have not taught online if they are unfamiliar with the technology and participating in this kind of course. | |||||
| Question 16: Would you recommend a course like this to a colleague? Why or why not? | |||||
| Yes, I would. There are many of us who feel we are being bullied into doing online classes - 'shift to this new way of teaching or you won't get to teach summer anymore.' That means a loss in much needed income for most of us. I think this course would help some of us pull off the band-aid slowly and allow us to begin to become accustomed with what is really involved. | |||||
| Yes. It was very helpful to get the basics. | |||||
| YES!!! :) I thought this was great for someone who is familiar with the technology and some of the basic do's and don'ts of online teaching. It is a great way to brush up some skills or to tweak your syllabus. I would not recommend it to someone who has not taught online or in a blended environment. I think it would be a challenge if you had not used some of the technology. | |||||
Summary
To improve the course, one participant suggested examples of existing courses. "As I have never been in that type of environment, I found myself guessing/imagining more than I liked." Another participant suggested "One thing that might be helpful is moderating a simulated discussion." Examples of course design, syllabi by discipline, activities, discussions and assessments are all areas that would be beneficial for faculty. I designed this course with designer notes to model of good user design and pedagogical use of the tools. Examples are always important when the learners are entering new territory and have nothing from with to base their new knowledge.
Moderating a live, simulated discussion would not be possible in a self-paced course as this one was designed. It would be possible to have a sample discussion in various types of activities (student-moderated, instructor-led questioning, student summary, etc.)
The participants were satisfied with the length of the course and materials. The suggestion for tutorials could easily be added as a resource. Additional subjects could be added if the course if offered for a longer period of time. Since this course was only available for three weeks, I did not want to overwhelm the participants with too much materials. If this course could be available for a full semester, six months or indefinitely, many more important subjects such as Copyright and plagiarism could be added.
The comment about "being bullied into doing online classes" is a major concern among faculty and a primary reason that a course like this is needed. All three participants would recommend this course to others although none stated if they liked the self-paced format or not. Having invited 15 participants and received only five willing to participate and only three completing the course, is an indication that not everyone sees the importance of preparing to teach online. Most faculty contact said they were too busy to participate. This is a common complaint and one that must be overcome before faculty willing participate in a program like this. Those that did participate clearly found the experience helpful. One participant sums up her feelings "I think this course would help some of us pull off the band-aid slowly and allow us to begin to become accustomed with what is really involved."
A Peer Review was conducted by two Instructional Designers form SIUE's Instructional Design and Technologies Center.