Week 15: A Final Practicum Reflection

Image Credit: J. McPeek

Well... we are at the end of the practicum and I have spent a lot of time working through the course I designed and implemented for this practicum. I must say, it has been way more helpful than I thought.

When I chose to teach this Microbiology course for this practicum assignment, I thought "what will I actually gain from this experience since I have taught online for years". I actually gained a lot. What I did not realize at the beginning (and last semester when I was planning my practicum experience with the program coordinator) was how much I would gain from just the reflective process. Actually having to take the time every single week to reflect on what my students were doing, what I was doing, and what I needed to work on really helped me see some areas that I need to improve and/or "firm up" in the course. The reflective process was way more helpful than I could have ever imagined.

Reflection in an Online Course is like seeing the Full Iceberg for the First Time
Image Credit: @PCWallArt

What I will say, at least for me, is that this was not a easy process. Not only did I fully set up and design the course before the semester started, I also taught a total of 60 students and reflected on the process throughout the term. The design of the course is time consuming. Some colleges and universities have master courses and pass the "course shell" for other instructors to teach the course. While my institution is moving in that direction, currently it is the responsibility of the faculty teaching the online course to design the course and then teach it. While I have taught online Microbiology for about 4 years now, the design before the semester starts still takes no less than 30 hours before the class even begins. So, much of my breaks (summer and holiday) are spent improving resources, setting up the modules, redesigning student activities, and making general improvement based on previous feedback. I almost feel like that could have been the practicum in and of itself. But, that would not have really helped me develop as an online instructor. So, teaching 60 (now 57) students in a semester and reflecting on it really was an added benefit to this experience. Even though this was not my first experience, it was almost like a first experience with regard to all the reflection I did.

As I reflect on what this process was like, I can only think of an iceberg. Before, when I taught these online courses I reflected on my experience and tried to always make my courses better. But, having to set aside time every week to really think about what I was doing made me realize the online course is like the iceberg in the image above. We really only see a small slice of the issues on the surface. The reflective process allows you to dig deeper (or dive deeper) to see all that is there and all that is needed. I feel like taking the time each week to look back and reflect allowed me to see things I might normally miss. I has been eye opening.

So, in keeping with the iceberg metaphor, this is what I found under the surface when I dove deep into the waters...

Beginning the Course...

Image Credit: @hillononlineacademy 

The course did not actually begin until two weeks into this practicum because our online courses are 14 weeks instead of the traditional 16 week course. I believe this worked well for me because I was able to reflect on the design process and to lay out a plan for the practicum at the beginning before the course started. Not only was I able to reflect on the process, I was able to make notes about the process and see where I needed improvements. The one area I discovered that needed improvement was the course orientation. While I did not reflect on that in an early reflection (I wanted to save that until now), I noticed that I need to build up my orientation to my course. We are required to give an orientation quiz at the beginning. As I was going through the orientation and the quiz, I realized I need to focus the questions of my quiz more on my policies and expectations instead of the college policies and expectations. Because students are required to take the quiz to stay in the course, it will force the student to become more aware of the course policies... even if they like to skip reading the syllabus and other information.

I think starting this summer (the next time I teach the course) I will be improving my orientation quiz so that it includes more expectations of my course. An example of this is the Voice Thread posting. With the graded Voicethread design, I cannot grade the post without the student hitting the blue "submit assignment" button. This means that a student can complete the posts, but I cannot grade it. Although I provide a video explanation, a step-by-step diagram, and announcements on how to do this, students still miss clicking that button. Perhaps if I dedicate a question on the orientation quiz, it will ensure students are getting that little detail. While there are other examples I can give, this is one that is minor in detail, but takes a long time to explain and to "regrade" when the student fixes the issue. I think it will help save me and the student time in the end.

While I already include information on the quiz about not accepting late work, I think I want to change up the questions to make sure students must "write out" the policy (in their own words) instead of answering a true/false question about it. I think it will help students realize the importance
of the policy instead of glossing over it in the orientation.

The Modules

Learning Outcomes for Module 7
Image Credit: P. Williams

Another aspect that I evaluated and reflected on in the course was the structure of the modules and the connections of the material to the learning outcomes. So, on top of designing the course, teaching the course, and managing the course day-to-day was my goal to better connect my learning outcomes. This was something that took me a lot of time. While I completed that task I set for myself, in doing it, I discovered more ways to link outcomes to assignments and how to make more of the learning outcomes "tiered". I do not think I would have seen the need for these new ideas if I had not taken on the goal in the first place. Linking each module to specific learning outcomes really helped me identify other areas that can benefit from learning outcome connections. I am very thankful that I stuck through that "extra" goal and finished it because I now have new ideas for other areas of my course with regard to learning outcomes. Sometimes I think that a lot of teaching online is centered around "playing" with ideas in order to come up with more ideas. It sounds weird to say that, but I feel like you have to tackle one idea in order to come up with more.

I also restructured the modules, as I mentioned in my Week 14 reflection, to have a lighter load in

Module Navigation Bar
Image Credit: P. Williams 

module 1 and module 7. While I am not sure if the students will realize this was a change from previous semesters, I do think that is has been well received so far. We just entered the last module this week and I have already received thoughtful messages from some students thanking me for only have one chapter in module 7. That makes me very happy and I am so glad that that seems to be working for my students. Students do not take have to take the final all on the same day, they have a total of two weeks to take it. So, I will not be able to see all the student scores by the time this practicum ends, but those that have taken it already (only about 5 students so far) have done really well. I am not sure if that is due to the fact that top students tend to work ahead and do things early so the grades are higher by default or if it is due to the structure of the module. I can only speculate.

Other things that I learned from various parts of this practicum and reflective process was things I need to add to the modules based on student feedback. Students reported they wanted more videos, but I am not totally sure what they mean by this. I already have personal videos, lectures by me, lectures by others, short animations, and mp3 files of mini lectures to listen to in the car or at home. So, I think I am going to try and add a few more personally made short summary videos to help students. I hope this helps the students and gives them what they need. 

Practicum Wrap Up

Now that I am typing up this last post and reflecting on the entire term and all the weekly reflections I posted, I realize just how much I learned throughout this program (Online Teaching and Instructional Design) and how much I have learned throughout my years of teaching online. This program has given me many new tools as well as confidence in using tools I was hesitant to use. In the course I taught for this practicum, I used a variety of tools to help with instruction (Camtasia, Voice Thread, Late Nite Labs, Wordle, ToonDoo, and others). Hopefully this helped students connect with me and the material in the course. I know that this program gave me a lot of information to move forward with and not all of it could be used and applied in this one practicum, but I have gained a lot of information to take with me. I am excited to see how my courses develop as I continue to make improvements. 

Image Credit: @webneel

Reflecting back, I still cannot believe all I accomplished in this practicum and in the OTID program. While a lot of it I do every semester, I think the reflective process gave me time to really see what all I actually do. From creating videos and media, to search and evaluating resources, providing individualized and differentiated instruction, making personal contact, creating announcements, and grading (oh the grading). So many things were accomplished and there is no way for me to express all that I completed throughout the semester. The biggest thing I will take from this practicum is that reflection really helps me see what I am doing and what I need to do. I realize that when teaching, I get into the grind of the everyday and do not spend enough time reflecting on what I am doing for my students and finding ways to get them what they need. I think the reflective process really helped me see what I am doing right and what I need to do as I take steps forward. I think I will make sure to include a reflective process at least once a month to make sure I am providing all I can for my students. I am now sold on the importance of reflection. The key is to make a habit out of it. It is not helpful to skip reflections or miss parts of the reflective process. There were times this semester when I was sick or tired and really wanted to just skip the reflective part, but still pushed on. I think this is important and I need to take that with me. I must always keep reflecting... even if I am busy, tired, or sick. Just do it and in the end, my students will have a better experience. That is what all of this is for... my students. 

Now my journey takes me to a different program and further learning... but I will use the knowledge I gain from this practicum and the OTID program for as long as I teach (and even beyond). I am so glad I chose to start this program. It has improved my instruction and hopefully the experience for all my students. 

Now... on to graduation. haha ;)

Week 14: Ending Module 6

Image Credit: N. Stohlman 

Wow... I am writing a post for week 14 of this practicum. I cannot believe there is only one last reflection post I need to make after this one. Time flies so fast and I had to go back and look at some of my earlier reflections just to get a since of where I am. Hopefully that is a normal feeling.

So far, in this online microbiology course, we are in Module 6, week 2. This translates to the 12th week of the semester. This week has been pretty standard with regards to instruction. My students just had a short break for the Easter Holiday and returned on Tuesday to continue forward. I think it was a much needed break for some and catch-up time for others.

What am I Doing This Week? Mentally Preparing for the Finals!!!

Image Credit: @OdasseyOnline

This week is pretty standard with the exception that the final exam is coming. We are preparing for the big exam and the culminating experience for the students in the class. It is important that the students work through module 6 and module 7 at a steady pace, because the end comes so quickly. I think this is the most stressful time for instructors and students. So, some of my time this week has been to start "mentally preparing" students for the final. I have an announcement going up on Friday (after this blog is published) about expectations of the final exam and what the students need to do to prepare for it. The final exam is housed in module 7, but I like to start getting the students prepared during module 6. I find this helps most students, but I will acknowledge it does stress some students out. I find it hard to balance between preparing and scaring.

In this online course, students have one main final and a lab practical (the culminating experience). So, basically, it is two big tests in the last module. I try and help the students out by not presenting too much new material. In the past, I had three chapters of new material plus the finals. I have worked it out this semester to have only one chapter of new material. Students seems to like this. But... I am not sure that they realize that I cut it down from previous semesters.. they just know it is less chapters to learn than the previous modules in the course. They are very happy about that.

The downside to having less new material is that earlier modules have more material in them. This can still be frustrating to some students. Haveing 4-5 chapters every two weeks can be frustrating. I had to make a choice. I cannot cut material from the course, I can only arrange it. So, I choose to weight the material heavier in module 2-6 and lighten the load in modules 1 and 7. I lightened module one to help the students ease in to the course and lightened module 7 to ease in to the final. I am looking forward to seeing if this helps students on the final exams in the class. Unfortunately, this practicum will be over before my students take the final and finish the course, so, I will not be able to report the results in this practicum.

I will be making more frequent announcements from this Friday on to the end of the course. They vary from encouragement to strict statements about deadlines and policies. I try to balance out the range of announcements, but I find it is essential to discuss both with the students. The more "harsh" announcements are about the structure, timing, and proctoring aspects of the final. While the students have lots or written instructions in the course, the syllabus, and on the orientation quiz, I still like to make sure the instructions are very clear. As you know, I have a no late work policy in the course. Even so, I reiterate that there is no acceptable reason to miss the final exam. I make it clear that sickness and technology issues are no excuse and encourage the students to take the exam as early as possible to avoid any last minute issues. Most students take that warning and get it done several days early, but some risk it and start taking the test with minutes to spare. I think it is important to constantly remind students the steps and procedures they need to take and be aware of as the final approaches. I know my words sound harsh, but I have learned that more heartache occurs if it is not presented, in detail, ahead of time.

What Else am I doing? Finishing My Extra Goal!!!

Update to Module 7 Learning Outcomes
Image Credit: P. Williams

So, for this practicum, I chose to setup and teach this online microbiology course. I actually have two courses that started with a total of 60 students. I am happy to say that I still have 57 of them at this point in time. The drop deadline has passed, so that number should stay the same. On top of that, I wanted to challenge myself even more and add some course revisions. As you know from previous reflections that task was to better integrate the learning outcomes into each module. I finally finished that task this week and I am so thrilled. I will be writing about that accomplishment in the last reflection next week, but I will say, I am so happy and proud of myself. I really pushed and challenged myself to put in lots of time and effort into this practicum and use it to better the courses I teach... and... I feel like I have really done that.

Other Things Going On

Module 6 Voice Thread Discussion
Image Credit: P. Williams 

As always, the general day-to-day tasks need to be completed. There is no getting behind on those tasks. Responding to 57 students (once was 60) on a day-to-day basis is challenging. There is no way to get behind. So, I am constantly making posts, checking in on students, and working to make sure the students have everything they need. 

Another big aspect is responding to students in the discussion forums (using VoiceThread). That is a daily job. It is not only responding, it is also getting in to make sure that student comments are being monitored as well. Students  can choose to respond in a variety of formats as long as one posts is audio or video recorded. I have students that do all three methods. I also have a lot a students who prefer to respond by typing. This is fine as long as the students make one of their posts with audio or video. As you can see in the image, there is over 1 hour and 40 minutes... and we still have a few days left in the module. This takes a lot of time to listen / read through and to respond to as well. So, this task alone takes a lot of time. 

Examples of Some Announcements Posted for Students
Image Credit: P. Williams 

Other aspects of the course is making sure to keep students informed and just letting them know I am there for them. I also like to post announcements about all the stuff going on around campus (even through some of our students are not near campus). I like to make sure students know that there are free events and activities for them to do around campus if they would like to be involved. This week is Spring Fling and there are lots of free food and activities for students. I like to make sure they are aware of these fun things. Sometimes students do not check their email and this just gives another point of contact to get information out there to students.

Wrap Up

So... that is a little about what is going on throughout this week. It is a very busy and stressful time during the semester and it is all about keeping up (and a little ahead) so that students feel supported. I spend a lot of time just trying to make sure my presence is known and that everything I do is in support of the student. As we make our way into Sunday this week, students will be approaching the last module and heading into the final exam. 

Next week will be my last post for this practicum... hopefully... I can provide a good wrap up to all my work this term and where I hope to go from here. 

Now... on to week 15... 

Week 13: Hanging in There

Image Credit: @englishOSAca 

It is week 13 of this practicum and week 11 of my 14 week online course. It is that time of the semester when both students and instructors are just hanging on. I have always found this time of the semester the hardest to push through, both as a student and as an instructor. Everyone is tired and many have worked really hard. A lot of times, instructors fear to let their students know that they are tired and just pushing through. I feel like some instructors want to keep those feelings from students. I have never understood that sentiment.

I think it is important to let students know that everyone gets tired and everyone gets burned out. I like to let students know it is okay to reach that point because, in reality, it happens in work and in school. Too often, I think students feel teaching is an easy job and that only they get tired.  I want students to see that being tired and struggling is a part of life. I also want to set the example of what you do when you are tired and just hanging in. When I tell my students, "Yes, I am exhausted and just hanging in there" and I show them that I push through and get everything done ahead of time, it sets a standard and an example for students to push through as well. I think it helps them realize that pushing through is also a learning process.

What Do I Do?

I know this sounds like a basic thing, but it takes a lot of work and energy to push through when we are tired and need a break. The first thing I do is let students know that it happens to everyone, including me. I have students message me to tell me thanks for sharing how I feel about something because it makes them realize that their feelings are normal. I never realized how important this was until I encouraged students to open up to me. I then realized that students want to know that a lot of people feel the same way. So, once I tell students how I feel, I like to send them encouraging messages. I like to point out to each student what they are doing well and how I can see their hard work paying off. When a particular students stands out, I send them a message letting them know I can see their hard work and that I appreciate it. 

Image Credit: M. Yost

I also will message students that seem to be struggling or slowing down (compared to the beginning of the term). I like to let these students know that we are almost finished and to hang in there. This seems to give some students that extra burst on energy to push forward. It also provides an open door for students to tell me their struggles. I find that when I contact students, I get a flood of emotions from students in return. They open up to me about personal issues and other struggles they are experiencing. I find this an opportunity to help guide them and offer any advice or support I can. I did not really know how helpful it would be until I just starting doing it. 

On top of that, I post general announcements with encouragement and support. I always make sure to thank my students for their hard work and dedication to the course. I find that students tend to respond well to that type of encouragement. Now... one problem I have is getting all the students to read each announcement, but that is another issue entirely. I also like, as you have seen in previous blogs, to post comics, images, well wishes, and other positive messages in the course. For example, The Easter holiday is this weekend and students will be greeted with an announcement to wish them fun times with family and friends during the short break. During this time, I encourage students to take a break from the course for at least a day and spend time with family/friends or just get some much needed rest. I also let them know that I will be doing the same thing. I let each student know it is okay to take a day or two to not even think about this course at all. It is a time of no worries. I think students appreciate this. I actually had one student message me in a previous term to thank me for encouraging them to take a break. The student said that they felt better know that I did not have an expectation for them to be thinking about the course all the time. I think it is important to let students know that this is okay and that this is something even I, the instructor, do in the very same course. 

Wrap Up

While I think some of the things I mentioned in the above blog seems very simple, I believe it is something that took me a long time to learn to incorporate in my courses. The longer I have taught, the more comfortable I get in doing these small things in my courses. Also, I have seen one of our instructors in the OTID program do something a little similar (at least with regards to being open about needing time and breaks). In some of our virtual class meetings, one instructor is very open to let us know when they are tired and just "pushing through". This encouraged me to continue to do this and continue to find ways to connect with students. When I see other instructors do certain things, it then encourages me to either try it or improve it. I think that is the beauty of this program in OTID... not only are we learning things to use... we are seeing it modeled in some of our courses. I think it is wonderful. 

While I know my blog post seems very simple, all of these things take a lot of time, practice, and even a push to get it all done. It is an aspect of online teaching that I did not realize is needed until I dived into the world on teaching online.

Also, a large portion of my week was spent doing the general daily tasks that always needs to be completed. This week is the beginning of a new module and that always means a lot of grading. I succesfully made it through all the grading for Module 5 work and posted all the information in annoucenemtns needed for Module 6. I also completed Module 7's update of learning outcomes. That was a huge task this term and I am so happy it is completed. Like I have said before... online teaching is a never ending job. You really have to work hard to stay ahead of the game.

Now... on to week 14...

Week 12: Midterm Feedback

Image Credit: @gearedusa

Wow... week 12 is going by fast. This week I will be sharing some of the feedback I have received from my mid-term survey that I sent out to my students. It is an informal survey and is developed by me to give me some insight on what is helping or not helping students in the course. While this is not an official survey and is made in google forms, I think it provides me a lot of insight into student needs in my courses. Also, students will continue to respond to this survey for a few weeks, so I still expect more feedback from students.

Why Do I Do This?

There are many reasons I do this. The OTID program actually showed the importance of doing these. While it was not part of one of our classes, our program coordinator sends one of these surveys around midterm to get student feedback. When I first got one, I thought it was amazing. So, I started implementing them in my online courses. So, I got the idea from courses I have taken because I thought it was so helpful.

Image Credit: @impactCEE

I also think they are very informative. I find that they really give me feedback I would not otherwise receive. The students are able to tell me what helps them or what needs improvement during the semester and I can use that feedback to have positive changes while I still have the students in my course.

The standard course evaluations that schools give at the end of the term are just not as helpful. First, the questions usually to not elicit responses that are helpful to my instruction. For example, one question on the formal survey is.. "Would you recommend this instructor to other students?". I find this question is not very helpful. What can I actually take from that information. The answer is "yes" or "no". I usually get all "yes" responses with an occasional "no" every other year or so. But... that does not tell me anything really. I have no clue how to take that information and translate it into making improvements for instruction. Many questions in these surveys are like the one above. They seem like a popularity contest instead of providing useful feedback. Also, the surveys are given at the end of the term. Any issues the students do have are not reported to me until after the course ends. This means I cannot help the students during the time they need help. This is frustrating.

There is a lot of research supporting a mid-term feedback survey. While I do not plan on writing a supporting paper on this... as this is not the point of this practicum... I did want to mention that there is research out there that demonstrates many positives of offering this type of survey. The positives range from improving student learning during the semester, improving student learning in the long term, creating a better connection and relationship between the instructor and student, and so on.
So, I think it is important to offer students a chance to give feedback by asking questions that can give me real insight into how to really improve instruction and help students succeed. So, I developed a survey that can give me feedback to help.

Image Credit: @atomiclearning 

It is a very basic survey where I just ask some straight forward questions. A couple of these questions include...

1) What aspects of this course have been helpful to your learning and success?

2) What aspects of this course have been not so helpful to your learning and success?

3) Do you have any suggestions on things I (the instructor) can do to improve the course and your experience in the course?

They are mostly open-ended questions that ask the student to give me an open and honest response. The students can choose to answer the survey or not and can provide as much or little feedback that they want.

What Did I Learn? 

@johnnyfit

While this is an unofficial, informal survey, I have gathered some important feedback from my students who choose to respond. I like that a lot of the feedback can be addressed immediately, but there is always feedback that cannot be changed easily or even at all. No matter what the feedback, it really keeps me thinking and working toward better ways to improve instruction for students.

Feedback on Technology

When looking for trends in the feedback, I have noticed students seem to struggle with and are frustrated with technology. I fully understand this. I know that when asked to use new technology in courses, which are high stress anyway, it can create some frustration. I need to find more ways to help guide the students through the technology. I already provide written instructions and video instructions and demonstrations. I am trying to figure out what else I can add to the course/modules in order to help them troubleshoot and understand the technology better. Perhaps making some info-graphics instead of the typical instructions. Although, then I run into ADA issues with info-graphics. It is hard for me to gauge all of what is needed to help student navigate some of the technology stuff.

Feedback on Resources

The second common thing that was reported is that the students would like to have more videos. This actually surprises me. I have video lectures, short videos, animations, study videos, etc. I also pulled the data and noticed that some of the videos are infrequently watched. So, I am wondering to what extent students want more videos. Maybe they want more short videos on sub-topics. I have already identified that as a future goal. So, maybe I should make more short videos concentrating on individual topics instead of entire lectures.

Some Positives

There was also a lot of positive feedback, including feedback on my quick grading and feedback and a lot of comments on how fast I am at responding to messages/emails and grading assessments. That makes me feel good because I do really work hard at ensuring I answer students questions and provide fast, but quality feedback.

Hopefully I will continue to get responses and can update the information in next week's blog. Now... on to week 13.

Week 11: Continuing Forward

Week 11
Image Credit: @snapsurveys

Wow... I cannot believe it is week 11 of the course and we are completing our 11th reflection. Time moves so fast. While it is the 11th week of the course, I feel like I have very little to report on this week. It's not that I have not been doing anything... on the contrary... I have been busy. It's just that all my work and experiences this week are a snapshot of things that I have discussed in previous weeks. In essence, it has been a standard week answering questions, grading, and providing support for all my students. Nevertheless, I am going to provide an update on where we are in the course and then provide a short reflection on a few things that occurred this week.

Goodbye Module 4, Welcome to module 5

Sunday marked the end of module 4 and Monday started the class on a new journey. This is actually my favorite time in this course. We move on from background information on the immune system and identifying and classifying microbes and move into the diseases caused by microbes and how they effect each system of the body. This is the part of the term that students really love as well. I love talking about infectious disease and all the "gross" stuff that happens. This is also the time when students feel a stronger connection to the material. This is the part of the course where they learn symptoms of various infections and how they will diagnose or treat these infections in their future careers. I have designed this course to be taught and set up by "body system". There are two ways microbiology can be taught: "by disease" or "by body system". When I was a professor at Lenoir Rhyne, I first taught the course by disease. I soon realized that it really helped students if the material is presented by body system. There are many reasons for this, but one of the main reasons is that they are taught Anatomy and Physiology by body system and it helps if this class is set up like A&P as well. I learned, early on, that many of my students are taking this class along with A&P 2 (students cannot take this class unless they pass A&P 1 or General Bio 1). So, I learned very quickly that this class should resemble other medical courses they are taking. 

Examples of Different Body Systems
Image Credit:  @wisegeek

While students are learning the same information, presenting it in a different way really helps them progress through the material. I think some of the courses in the OTID program have demonstrated this concept as well. Many of the assignments in the courses build from one course to another and many of the projects overlap. While I know this happens in science, it is great to see it in other programs. Seeing how it is done in the OTID program has helped me understand other ways at organizing course information. I may be a child of two different fields, but I can use aspects of these two fields to build upon each other. So, Module 5 marks the intro to disease by body system. We start with the integumentary system and move into the nervous system.  This helps the students keep in line with what they learn in the A&P courses and continues to let them learn with a similar mindset. 

A light-hearted look at grading.
Image Credit: @PhDComics

More Grading

Since it is the beginning of a module, it means another module just ended and much of my time is spent grading. While grading seems like a never ending job, the end of the modules are loaded with grading. While the comic at the left is just a funny comic about teaching and grading, it is important to note that grading is an intense and serious activity. I feel like I spend lots of my time grading. I will say, this program has changed the way I approach grading. Since starting this program, I have been more detailed and even encouraging in my grading. After taking a few courses in the OTID program, I now make sure to point out some things students did really well. Before, I focused on the areas where students needed to improve. Now, I realize it is important to point out to the students where they really shined and succeeded. I still also point out where and how they can improve, but I make sure to point out some strengths as well. I think that has helped the relationship I have with my students. While this is a personal opinion, I feel like students talk to me more now that I have improved my feedback. My guess is that it makes the students more comfortable with me. I want to make the learning experience a positive one (if I can) and I feel this has helped me improve my interaction with my students.

Now on to week 12. I hope to have enough responses from my midterm survey to be able to report on those next week. :D

Week 10: Small(ish) Improvements

Image Credit: Wikimediacommons 

Wow... I cannot believe we are on the 10th reflection of the semester. It is both a good time and busy time. A lot of my time is spent grading and answering student messages. It really is a never-ending job. This program has provided a lot of information for me to take away. One big thing that I am glad this program has reinforced is that teaching online courses is a constant work in progress. I always strive for perfection in my courses and I used to get personally flustered when something in my courses did not work correctly (such as technology issues, links, or other random issues that can pop up). I also would get frustrated when I found gaps in instruction that could have been better. While I would always fix these issues, it would personally upset me. This program provided me the tools and the understanding to realize that online courses are always being updated and are always works in progress.

With all of that, I have spent a good portion of my time making some small changes and updates to the course this week (outside of my normal daily work for the course).

Updating and Incorporating Learning Outcomes

Image Credit: @thepeakperformance

One of my tasks this semester is working to incorporate learning outcomes in a more clear and connected way. My class is currently in Module 4 of the semester and I worked to incorporate the learning outcomes in Module 5. While this task was identified at the beginning of this practicum, I decided to go in and modify some of those outcomes to better "build" off of previous outcomes. In science, so much of the material in one module (or chapter in the traditional setting) builds on previous information. I realized, that while I had lots of great learning outcomes, I needed to have a more tiered approach to those outcomes. It is something that needs to build throughout the semester. I am not sure why I never thought about that aspect before (with regard to the learning outcomes). So, I decided to take some time to look over the outcomes and build them from previous outcomes. Basically, the same outcomes, just reworded using language from previous learning outcomes. 

Here is an example...

In module 4, a couple of the learning outcomes contained information dealing with specific terms students had to understand in order to understand material from Module 5. 

Example of outcomes from Module 4...

• Compare and contrast the terms infection, disease, morbidity, pathogenicity, and virulence. 
• Contrast symptoms, signs, and syndromes.
• Contrast incidence and prevalence.
• Define epidemiology. 

While incorporating outcomes I noticed in Module 5 that students were having to identify pathogens and how they cause harm in particular body systems. I realized that I need to make sure that I am using the terms found in module 4 learning outcomes in the specific learning outcomes for Module 5. While some of them already did this, I realized I could do a better job at connecting the modules by using all the terms from Module 4 within the learning outcomes for Module 5. 

Examples of  Learning Outcomes in Module 5
Image Credit: P. Williams 

Here are some updated learning outcomes for Module 5...

• Describe the actions of six virulence factors of Streptococcus pyogenes. 
• Describe the pathogenesis, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of necrotizing fasciitis.
• Discuss the virulence factors of Staphylococcus that enable it to be pathogenic, contrasting the virulence of S. aureus with that of S. epidermidis. 

While this is only a small sample, I am working to connect the terminology within the modules. I think this will help students make better connections with the current material and previous material. One of the biggest goals I have for my students is for them to see connections between the material and why it is important in everyday life. I think this is a big step in that process. I hope that rephrasing and adding connecting terminology will help each of my students.

On top of connecting all the terminology, I am still working through making connections within each module as I started at the beginning of the semester. That process has been going smoothly so far and I am getting ready to start working on Module 6 Learning Outcomes. So... I am getting close to making it to the end and working through each module. I will feel very accomplished once I get through all of that work.

General Day-to-Day Tasks

Examples of Announcements in Microbiology
Image Credit: P Williams

As always, part of my reflection from this week is really a repeat of every other weekly reflection. A lot of what I do daily are the same tasks with just different information in different modules. My week has been working to contact students about individual needs, checking in on students who have not started working on the current module to make sure they are okay or checking to see if they need help. Also, a few small glitches occurred with VoiceThread which did not allow students to click the blue "submit assignment" button on some posts. I had students contacting me concerned about how to submit that assignment. While it has been resolved, it took a lot of time contacting VoiceThread to see what was wrong (apparently there was a problem when students tried to submit in the mobile app). Just keeping up with day-to-day tasks takes a lot of time. As always, I enjoy crafting fun announcements to grab students attention. Funny thing... I wished all my students a Happy Vernal Equinox and I got a couple of messages asking what that was. At least that shows me some students are reading the announcement. haha

Looking forward to the next post... on to the 11th reflection. 

Week 9: Troubleshooting 3rd-Party Software

Image Credit: @successrebellion 

Well... I guess it is that time of the semester when most of my time is spent fixing problems. Such is the life of an online instructor. I have learned over the years that no matter how hard you work to make sure everything works properly, something will go wrong. I always feel bad for students when they hit these unexpected bumps. I really work hard try and find solutions for students, but much of the time, the third-party software issues are out of my hands. So, during the week, there was a strange glitch with the virtual lab program that I use in the course. It is developed and managed by a publishing company that has nothing to do with my college.

Where is the Problem? 

Something that I have learned that takes much more time than I ever thought it would is just simply finding out what the problem is. Is the problem something the student is doing? Is it me because my instructions were not clear? Is it internet connections, software, or even 3rd party problems? Establishing the cause of the problem in the online setting can be more time consuming than it really should be. The online instructor must really pay attention to what is going on.

In this situation, the first student contacted me saying that they were shut out of working on the lab. Basically, she was working on the lab and it just shut down. The student wanted to know what to do. So, I did a quick check of the virtual lab program and it worked fine for me when I logged in. So, after making that check, my conclusion was that she must of had an internet issue from her provider. So, I addressed the student on what to do. But, then, I started getting more questions from students about similar issues at different points in the virtual lab. So, now it is a pattern. Something is not right, but when I log in, it is perfectly fine on my end and everything works. At this point, I contact the support in the virtual lab. Their response is that everything is fine.

Image Credit: 9gag

Well... what do you do in this case. Everything is fine on my end. Everything is fine on the 3rd party side of things. But.. clearly students (about 10%) are having issues. This is something that does not occur a lot, but as online instructors we really need to think about it and be prepared for it. One of the things this program has taught me is not to worry about "glitches" or "issues". We take is one day at a time and one problem at a time. I posted an announcement asking students to report any issues they have to me and to the virtual lab support. My thought is.. if they contact me... I have a running tally of the issues so I can look for possible patterns. Also, if they report these issues to the virtual lab site... the company has the information to look for the issues on their end. I asked students to report to me what the issue was, what browser they were using (even though all the browsers typically work) and various other information if they had issues.

To make a long story short, the 3rd party software did have an issue, but the issue was intermittent and on the side of the student accounts (not on the faculty and administrator side of the virtual lab). So, to all those people who serve as the "checks and balances" of the programs were not having the issues.

This is an example of where a group of people have to come together to find where the problem is. If I, as the instructor, did not try several things and ask for extra information, I could just have assumed the issue was the internet connection of the individual students and just told them to try again.

I decided to discuss this as the main aspect of my reflection this week, not only because it took a lot of my time (unexpectedly), but to point out a couple of other things...

• No matter how prepared we are, we still need to be on top of everything we do. We must check in on all aspects of our online courses and make sure things are properly working. Checking link and resources at the beginning of the semester is not enough. We must work constantly and with our students... checking and double checking. No one, that actually taught an online class, has ever said the job was easy. :D 

• Even when we do all the things we need to, things will unexpectedly happen and we need to take care of those things. It is important we stay caught up on our work and responsibilities, so that if the unexpected happens, we can still deal with the problems while still be ahead of schedule.

• We must also seek more information than we think we may need. We (my class and myself) were able to identify a problem because we all asked questions and collected more data than we thought we needed to find out if there was a problem. This solved the problem for our class as well as others who may be using the program in other classes and at other schools. 

• By involving my students, we got to be analytical about the situation. Almost like we were applying some steps of the scientific method to the problem. Obviously it is not "real science" but in the end it allowed the students to apply some scientific approaches to finding a solution. And... guess what... that is one of my learning outcomes for the course. haha. Students got a little extra "experience" for that and it was totally unplanned. I guess this is my attempt at trying to find the good in everything.

While all of this may seem very trivial to the reader, it took up a lot of my time and my students time to figure out the issues with the technology. It was such a large component of my week, I just thought I would reflect on it. 

The Course

Comic Added to an Announcement to Remind Students of the Upcoming Due Date.
Image Credit: P. Williams - made with ToonDoo

As for the course itself, everything is moving a long smoothly (other than the bump we discussed above). We are finishing up the second week of the third module. Students are doing really well in the course and I am pleased with their hard work. I am still posting announcements and general messages of encouragement. Starting with the next module, I will be sending out a class survey. This survey will give the students an opportunity to provide me with feedback on things that are going well or not going so well. They will also be able to tell me if there is anything they need from me or if I need to provide something I am not already providing. I look forward to sharing what the students say... but that will be in two or three reflections from this one. 

Wow... on to Week 10.