Faculty Development Institute: Spring Tracks 2007: Track F: Developing and Delivering Online Instruction at a Distance

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Track F: Developing and Delivering Online Instruction at a Distance

Spring Track General Requirements
This year, FDI is again offering alternative tracks that will meet during the spring semester. By attending the sessions that comprise a spring track, faculty can opt out of participating during the summer months and still meet the participation requirements to receive a computer.

Track Requirements
(click on title to jump to a description and time listing)

Total of Seven 2-hour Spring Short Courses

Required Session #1 -

Campus Instructional Resources/Computer Security

Required Session #2 –

Connecting With Students Through Online Interaction

Required Session #3 –

Faculty Experiences in Distance Learning: A Panel Discussion

Required Session #4 –
choose four (or more) of the following six courses:

Narration: An Easy Way to Add Value to Powerpoint Presentations (Macromedia Breeze)
Real Time Online Communication - Centra 7.5
Creating Effective Video Tutorials with Camtasia Studio
eLearning Assessment Methods
Creating Accessible Multimedia for People with Disabilities
Test Creation for Distance Classes

Track F Description
This track will focus on Institute for Distance and Distributed Learning (IDDL) course development, delivery considerations, and strategies for teaching distance learning courses via synchronous and asynchronous methods. Participants will have opportunities to use a variety of instructional tools and course development software that facilitate the process of delivering instruction at a distance. Topics within this track include test creation for distance learners; creating online presentations (PowerPoint as well as tutorials); using online meeting spaces for office hours, group meetings, and lectures; creating accessible multimedia; and assessing distance learning students. In addition to the hands-on sessions, participants will have the opportunity to meet with distance learning faculty of varying levels from a variety of disciplines.

Spring Track F Individual Requirements Overview

Those participating in this spring track will be asked to attend a total of seven meetings/workshops/events during the spring semester. There are four requirement areas:

Faculty participating in this track will be required to attend one of FDI’s Campus Resources session. There are five different times to choose from.
Faculty must attend the “Connecting with Students through Online Interaction” short course.
Faculty must also attend the “”Faculty Experiences in Distance Learning” panel discussion.
Participants will also be asked to attend a total of four of the remaining six sessions associated with distance learning.

The table to the right summarizes these requirements. The table below details the requirements, with course descriptions, time and dates of the courses, and links to enroll into the course. If you plan to attend a spring alternative track, you must be able to attend required sessions from those listed below. As always, it is possible to sign up for more than the required minimum courses.

Spring Track Course Listing

Required Session #1 -Campus Instructional Resources / Computer Security (Select one Short Course from the following list)
1	Monday, January 29 - 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Wednesday, January 31 - 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm Tuesday, February 6 - 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Thursday, February 15 - 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Tuesday, March 27 - 10:00 am - 12:00 pm All sessions meet in 1100 Torgersen Hall (Torgersen Hall Lobby). All sessions are both suitable for both Windows and Mac platforms.	This short course will provide participants with a complete overview of the services and agencies that are in place at Virginia Tech to support instructional and (in many cases) research activities. New initiatives will be highlighed and the library will demonstrate their new services. Virginia Tech's security group will also present and provide strategies, suggestions, and access to software that will assist participants as they take steps to ensure the safety of the information on their computers.
Required Session #2 - Connecting With Students Through Online Interaction (Select one Short Course from the following list)
2	Wednesday, 01/31/07 1:00 - 3:00 PM 3080 Torgersen Hall (Windows)	Are your online students learning? Are they keeping up with the rest of the class? Are their expectations being met? Interaction is a key element to any course. It can help improve and assess comprehension of course material, as well as increase student motivation. This short course will show you how to promote effective use of interaction with techniques and tools suited for online instruction without becoming overwhelmed by the process or technology.
Required Session #3 - Faculty Experiences in Distance Learning: A Panel Discussion (Select one Short Course from the following list)
3	Wednesday, 02/21/07 1:00 - 3:00 PM 1100 Torgersen Hall (Windows/Macintosh)	Methods used to teach distance classes can vary greatly from course to course. In this session you will meet with faculty members who have integrated synchronous and or asynchronous online elements into their distance class. Come learn from some of Virginia Tech's eLearning instructors as they lead the discussion and suggest possible practices to maximize your efforts and minimize your headaches. These instructors have had experiences that are quite different from one another, as the content, discipline, student academic level, and experience with distance learning vary between the two of them.
Required Session #4-7 - Distance Learning Options (Select four (or more) Short Courses from the following list of seven workshops)
4-7	Narration: An Easy Way to Add Value to Powerpoint Presentations (Macromedia Breeze) Wednesday, 02/07/07 1:00 - 3:00 PM 3080 Torgersen Hall (Windows)	PowerPoint is an excellent way to present information. Adding narration to your slides can help your students more fully connect to that information. In this short course, you will learn how to use Breeze, one of the newest programs from Macromedia. You will get a chance to create high quality narrated presentations and learn of several ways that your files can be prepared for online delivery.
	Real Time Online Communication - Centra 7.5 Wednesday, 02/14/07 1:00 - 3:00 PM 3080 Torgersen Hall (Windows)	Looking for a good solution for adding real-time interaction to your online course? From interactive lectures to unscheduled chatting, there are a lot of options that are easy to use. We'll demonstrate and let you try out some powerful ways to promote real-time discussions in an online learning environment. Some of the programs used will include Centra, Blackboard, and Yahoo Messenger.
	Creating Effective Video Tutorials with Camtasia Studio Wednesday, 02/28/07 1:00 - 3:00 PM 3080 Torgersen Hall (Windows)	Just as a picture can sometimes illustrate a point more effectively than text, video can often bring it to life. In this short course, you will learn how the use of video can improve your ability to clearly demonstrate course content such as the use of software or live footage. Camtasia Studio allows you to produce tutorials so that students with high or low bandwidth can access content without difficulty.
	eLearning Assessment Methods Wednesday, 03/14/07 1:00 - 3:00 PM 3060 Torgersen Hall (Windows)	This short course will focus on effective assessment methods for online instruction. The approach will be to highlight models and methods for designing effective assessment activities throughout courses that enable students? to clearly demonstrate their competencies, actively provide feedback, and show that learning objectives are being met. As a result of this short course, participants will have a better understanding of how to assess student learning at a distance, respond to student feedback, and answer questions related to successful learning outcomes.
	Creating Accessible Multimedia for People with Disabilities Wednesday, 03/21/07 1:00 - 3:00 PM 3060 Torgersen Hall (Windows/Macintosh)	Individuals who have visual, hearing, motor, or learning disabilities often have difficulty accessing information and multimedia contained in web-based resources. According to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, Federal agencies can no longer ignore these users and must adopt practices that make all such resources offered available to people with disabilities. In this workshop, you will get a chance to interact with developed multimedia, and interactive elements that are accessible to individuals with disabilities. You will also get a chance to investigate the capabilities of production software that will allow you to create various media formats that will allow for the accommodations needed by your students with disabilities.
	Test Creation for Distance Classes Wednesday, 03/28/07 1:00 - 3:00 PM 3060 Torgersen Hall (Windows/Macintosh)	Evaluating your student?s progress is a necessity in any class. Doing so at a distance can be a very daunting task. This short course covers student assessment in a distance learning environment from the ground up. You will learn about test creation, test administration, and evaluation management. Some of the topics we will cover include creating effective exams, tools of test creation and administration, and choosing the right delivery method.

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