OLLC Meeting Notes: September 28,2018

 

In attendance:

 

• Jill Klein
• Prita Patel

O  Katerina Kulagina

O  Kara Reynolds

• Alex Naula
• Matt Meekins
• Steph woods
• Vi Ettle
• Eric Hunt – representing Maureen
• Laurie Ambach
• Cathy Schencker
• Michael Keynes
• Liz Boals
• Sonja Walti
• Paula Weissman
• Julie Sara Boyd
• Stephanie Schott

 

Review of the charge of OLLC, building on last year’s work, structure of subcommittees, and Edspace intro (Jill and Prita)  1:35-1:45

Summary:
Prita: Annual report to Provost last year. 1. Ensure alignment with the university strategic goals.  2. Coordinating effectively with campus teams. 3. Promoting faculty training and skills development. 4.  Supporting faculty/students adoptions of online delivery technology 5. Ensuring university compliance with government and accrediting body regulations 6. Promoting efficiency and best practices in the management of online programs

Reminder of subcommittees… There is a space in EdSpace where subcommittee structures and tasks will be laid out  https://edspace.american.edu/ollc/

 

Key Takeaways:

 

Prita Patel:

• We provided an annual report to the provost that was shared to online learning strategy planning group.
• promote faculty training and skills development
  • supporting efficient and adaptive online learning in the classroom
  • follow govt regulations
  • promoting efficiency and best practices of administering online programs

 

Jill Klein:

• Discuss sub committees and edspace
  • academic support services, faculty training and online teaching support, online learning best practices
  • (support back office operations) get a sense of priorities and move to smaller teams within the committee to actually get things done

 

Action Items:

• Think about what subcommittee you might want to serve on
• Make sure to use EdSpace

 

 

OIRA survey process for online programs (David Kaib) 1:45-2:00

Summary:

David Kaib:

• Campus climate survey.
• Revamp in 2017, online students not included. Will include online students in 2019.
• What questions there now will apply to online students AND what things will be worthwhile to know about OL students (general topics as opposed to particular questions)?
• What is possible: goal to keep questions the same?Yes – as similar as possible
  • g. take out dinning and add LMS.

 

How students are connecting with one another. Instead of saying “on campus” “my program” to promote belonging.   “I feel connected to my advisor” —this may be different according to partner.  “How often have you visited campus”, “have you connected with others outside the program”. How to connect students to virtual events. Connectivity to campus. To what extent they feel cared about (personal intimate online program). Ask why   they chose online? Decisions to attend ask earlier. Do our partners survey students?
There will be a larger survey process redesign, these questions bill be incorporated in the scope in the future. We need to rephrase financial aid question for our online students.

Key Takeaways:

Questions for future surveyà

• Ask questions about how students are working together?
• Ask about how they feel connected to their advisor?
• Ask about connectivity to the university at large
• Ask the online student whether they have visited campus?
• How often have you visited campus?
• To what extent do you feel AU care about you as a student?
• Ask a question of whether the systems in place support the student?
• Why did the students choose online learning?
• Are they choosing because of modality or in spite of it?
• How many students are interested in hybrid learning?

 

Action Items:

• Make a subcommittee responsible for looking at what questions to ask online students on a survey

 

 

Update on accessibility efforts (Katerina)  2:00-2:15

Summary:
Had first meeting for brainstorming for initial steps to push accessibility and priority for our partners. We have discussed the standards we need to share with partners (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines standards). Wiley was very receptive to collaborate with standards. Wiley is training course instructional designers (IDs).  Noodle also has a student who went through campus disabilities and needs live captioning. Captioning is really bad. 2U has had issues with live sessions.   There is an unresolved challenge about who pays for accessibility accommodations for students.

Division of responsibility (Vi): contract partner is responsible to manage the LMS… Courseware is owned by AU so we are responsible to make things accessible. Wiley have IDS helping us develops course content, then they should pay for it (voice over Power Points).  Video share produced by them so they will have to pay. If it is master course and scheduled they will own it, must be notified in the master build. In house IDS as in SOC help them make materials accessible.

Key Takeaways:

Katerina:

• Create standards to share
  • We are not at the level to reach the highest level yet
  • Partners are training their designers on how to create accessible programs online

 

Action Items:

• After identifying standards now, we can work with our partner. Advocate to the senate, real work for faculty, to develop this accessibility issue.
• Assess where we stand

 

 

LMS report and OLLC polling (Mike Piller) 2:15-2:30

Summary:
Video uses machine learning to caption and it is better than you tube.

In house LMS has not been reevaluated (5y). The goal is to have a recommendation by next summer to Provost and CIO to Provost to see if we want to continue or move on. Invitation to demos and pilots, if you are interested to run a pilot let Mike know.  Shell courses set up to do an assessment, faculty, student feedback. Terminal course. They will add questions to CRTL survey.

 

Action Items:

• Invited to demos and running pilots (for online courses not using a partner)
• Shell course will be set up for you to provide feedback

 

 

Assessment and Learning Outcomes (committee) COLA documentation for online programs (Garret and Karen) 2:30-2:55

Summary:
A regular senate committee. Represented by all schools (no WCL). There is an annual report that a program submits to the committee about how they assess learning outcomes, and document the outcomes. AU uses a program called Trac Dat. Programs should be using these assessments to improve quality and learning outcomes.     In preparation for reaccreditation, it will be important to have this assessment done for all masters programs, including online programs.  October schedule may not be suitable to online programs.

Deadline Feb 1^st? COLA and Karen will be available to give workshops and assistance (to be set up in November). Middle States is 4 years away. Units are doing this already, but COLA will aid in documenting these processes. It comes in layers, what are learning outcomes and what is the assessment plan? The sooner we get that…. New programs: small enrollments…. What is the plan for this e.g. wait a period for program to grow and then assess.  85 larger programs 80 or more students (online programs are part of this group).

Can we compare face to face to online counterpart…Middle States interested in this aspect.

It is also important for our state authorization issues.

Most important criteria are: What is the best way to do it to improve the program…so assessing online program separately is important.

Faculty led work

COLA will share a template to start with but need learning outcomes from schools. (Stephanie can coordinate). Then will work to set up a workshop.  Collect all data by November 1.

Action Items:

• Provide a baseline document that shows where each school is in tracking learning outcomes by next meeting
• Upload learning outcomes into Track Dat – send to Karen Froslid Jones
• Reach out to your senate committees with your ideas on how to use the assessments to improve our programs?
• Stephanie Schott – work on subcommittee on how to best assess our courses and learning outcomes
• Collect data by November 1. Organize workshop in November
• Have a spring date to provide something meaningful
• Schedule workshops with Garrett – Prita and Alison
• Let Jill or Prita know if you want to join this subcommittee

 

 

Good of the order:

By Nov 1 proposal for EDD (very exciting)