Final 4151 blog post

List at least three practical factors that you need to consider when planning an online course.

1.     I think having a rules of engagement list is very necessary for student to be aware of their conduct and engage in professionalism.  

2.     Have a list or calendar with due dates with percentage breakdown. This will be a key element for the students so they can see how the course is broken down (assessment %)

3.     Giving the student’s instruction on how to write a discussion post is critical. As this may give a student confidence and help students engage in the posts.

Why did you select those factors above any others?

Students like to know what the objectives are but is knowing when the assignments/assessment due dates are. Also the mark breakdown of the courses assignments and assessments give the students an idea of energy and time needed to complete the tasks on hand. The different backgrounds and have various learning styles they may need the elements to know how to properly write a discussion post. Also this will help in conduct with student who may not agree or would like to express their different perspectives.

Why are they important?

I feel these are the most important factors. The students are just as busy as the rest of us. They want to know the course assessments due dates available on a list is important they may plan their life and prepare for the work in front of them. Some students may have a calendar to fill in the dates of when the assignments are due or discussion posts have to be up. Secondly the rules of engagement are necessary to address to the student they should behave in a professional manner. Thirdly given the students the strength to feel confident in their writing is key. As this skill will allow them to be confident in participating in discussion entry posts. 

It's been a great experience and I say bye to 4151 and look forward to 4152!

Photo image credit Ellen Squires 2015

POST on your blog: assessment activity plan

• Provide the course/potential course name and learner characteristics (think back to our first discussion about who are our learners).

Continuing Education Dental Radiography

Learner Characteristics- Learners will have come from various backgrounds and will have different learning styles.

-The course will be theory based and then a hand on clinical practice will be offered to complete the training.

- Dental radiography is a two part course. A didactic portion presents the history of radiation and the theory of radiation physics. Techniques and protocols are learned in the textbook environment and examined prior to actual x-ray exposure. After successful completion of the didactic portion the learner is eligible to take the clinical where manikin and patient exposures are completed

-Our learners are diverse and come from different learner backgrounds as well as cultural backgrounds. The technology understanding they may have is also varied. So it will be important to create an ice breaker game in order to integrate the students to feel comfortable learning online.  

• State the objective - this is what you will assess- see Objective 2. in bold

1. State the history of dental radiography

2. Describe the components and function of the x-ray machine

3. Describe in general terms, types and techniques of intra-oral radiography

4. Explain the equipment used to produce radiographic images for conventional and digital radiography

5. Explain principles of the paralleling technique for periapical radiographs including armamentarium

6. Explain film chemistry during radiography exposure and processing

• Describe the assessment strategy - these are the instructions that you would give to your students for them to be able to complete the assessment.

Assessment 1- Record and create a video of yourself explaining Objective 3- See the 13 steps of the function and components of an x-ray tube head. Upload video and send the video link to me. You can use Youtube, Vimeo or send me the video in an email at esquires@vcc.ca.

Refer to you Radiography textbook Chapter 2   p.15 & 16 figure 2-12 and 2-17 diagram of dental x-ray tubehead  and x-ray tube

Operation- 13 steps of the function and components of an x-ray tube head:

                                         1.         X-ray machine is turned on

                                         2.         Current is directed to the filament circuit  and the stepdown transformer in the tubehead.  The transformer reduces the 110 or 220 entering line voltage to  3-5 volts.

                                         3.         The tungsten filament heats up in the cathode portion of the x-ray tube.  The outer shelled electrons are released from the tungsten filament when the current passes through it and heats it up.  Thermionic emission occurs when the outer shelled electrons of the tungsten atom acquire enough energy to move away from the filament surface and an electron cloud forms around the filament.

                                         4.         The exposure button is pushed.

                                         5.         The step up transformer (high voltage circuit) is activated and the electrons produced at the cathode are accelerated across the x-ray tube to the anode.

                                         6.         The molybdenum cup in the cathode directs the electrons to the tungsten target in the anode.

                                         7.         Electrons produced in the cathode (-)are accelerated across to the  anode (+).

                                         8.         Electrons strike the tungsten target or focal spot and are converted to 1% x-ray energy and 99% heat.

                                         9.         The heat produced during the production of x-rays is carried away from the copper stem and is absorbed in the insulating oil in the tubehead.

                                      10.         The leaded glass housing restricts the x-rays from escaping the x-ray tube.

                                      11.         A small number of x-rays are able to exit from the x-ray tube through the unleaded glass window portion of the x-ray tube.

                                      12.         The x-rays travel through the unleaded glass window the tubehead seal, and the aluminum disks.  The aluminum disks remove or filter the longer wavelength x-rays from the beam.

                                      13.         The x-ray beam then travels down the lead lined postion indicating device (PID) and exits the tubehead at the opening of the PID.

Rubric for Video of the Steps of X-Ray tube head operation

Level of Achievement	General Approach	Comprehension
Exemplary (40-50 marks)	•Addresses the objective. •States all 13 relevant, justifiable answers. •Presents 13 steps in a logical order. •Uses clear pronunciation and is organized	•Demonstrates all 13 accurate steps and complete understanding of the objective.
Adequate (29-30 marks)	•Does not address the objective explicitly, although does so tangentially. •States 9 to 12 justifiable answers. •Presents 9 to 12 steps in a logical order. •Uses acceptable pronunciation and is organized (one error to 3 errors).	• Demonstrates only 9 to 12 accurate steps and adequate understanding of the objective. •Less thorough than above.
Needs Improvement (28-25 marks)	•Does not address the objective clearly. •States 7 to 8 relevant answers. •Fails to use acceptable pronunciation and is not organized. (four or six errors).	• Demonstrates only 7 to 8 accurate steps and slight understanding of the objective. •Less thorough than above.
Below Average (24-0 marks)	•Does not address the objective at all. •States 6 to zero relevant answers. •Is not clear or organized. •Fails to use acceptable pronunciation and is not organized. (four or six errors).	• Demonstrates less than 6 accurate steps and incomplete understanding of the objective. •Less thorough than above.

• Explain why you chose this type of assessment for this course, objective and learners. This is your rationale for the assessment strategy.

-I chose the video assessment as this will help the students understand objective 2. Describe the components and function of the x-ray machine. It is a step by step instruction they will need to know so they may understand the science of taking radiographs in objectives 3 and 4.

-The video will allow a verbal learning so the student’s may have this foundational information for further integrated knowledge. I choose the video so students can be assessed quickly by taking a 5 minute video. The students can then be responsible for knowing the material as this will be enhanced when they are onsite for their clinical radiography training.

References

1. Bird D, Robinson D. Modern dental assisting. 11th ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier. 2015.
2. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Guidelines for infection control in dental health-care settings. MMWR 52(RR17). 2003.
3. Iannucci JM, Howerton LJ. Dental radiography: Principles and techniques. 4th ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier. 2012.

5 Methods to Increase Instructor Presence

Learners need to feel there is presence from their online instructors. Here are some ways to provide the students your dedication to the course and them. 

• Create a welcome video to introduce the course and yourself
• Have an invitation for the students and schedule to have a conversation with the instructor via Skype, Face Time or Phone call
•  Reply to any emails from students within your stated timeline response time
• Ensure instructor feedback is “effective, constructive and encourages critical thinking.”( Morrison, D. 2013, para. 2)
•  Can add some creative and motivational announcements for the students. These can add humour or a wonderful way to get the students attention. A fun website to find current events or news items going viral can be found here: http://www.fark.com/

Resources

Morrison, D. (2013) Four Good Reasons Why Students Need Instructor Feedback in Online Courses.Onlinelearninginsights.worldpress.com. Retrived from https://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/four-good-reasons-why-students-need-instructor-feedback-in-online-courses/

Pedagogy of Online Learning

Journal 1

            The nature of delivering online learning is a difficult one. Students need to adopt new found skills to work under the elements of self-determination and motivation to complete a course and not to get discouraged. “Reports that the experience of the UK Open University is that 35% or more of eLearners withdraw before submitting their first assignment, which suggests that a learner’s initial experience with eLearning may well have a significant impact on a decision to drop out.” (Tyler-Smith, K. 2006, para. 25) As we see the attrition numbers are high at the early stages of online learning. We need to capture these students before we lose them because of various factors.

The positions instructor take on the adoption of online learning is sometimes a negative one. “Faculty resistance to online learning and/or distance education, which remains strong in many institutions.” (Bates, T. 2011, pg. 3) As there are many elements that lead to this perspective we need to change the attitudes of our colleagues and help them understand the barriers that arise on line learning are personal. Therefore there needs to be collaborative communication within instructors to adopt an engagement of online learning.

What have you learned about the topic?

    The key reason for online adoption is due to “faculty resistance” (Bates, T. 2011, p. 12). There are so many factors that lead to the influence of this negative behaviour from faculty. Such as the students are quite aware of the negative reaction to online learning. The “learner’s perception of what constitutes a barrier to continuation or factors contributing to withdrawal provide valuable insights in designing distance courses and the processes, support mechanisms and strategies that can enhance retention.” (Tyler-Smith, K. 2006, para. 14) We can use these attitudes and perceptions to help with the design of the online program. Instructors are quickly to put up walls. So they may not want the challenge of designing a whole new course; especially if they are not fully integrated to online instruction. It would be difficult to have the online course successfully reaching the many types of learners.

What has been your experience with this topic?

My experience is that there is some push back amongst my colleagues when I ask them what their personal thoughts are on the online delivery of education to students. They tend to remark with a negative response such as the students do not like it, how really effective is it to classroom teaching or it’s a not something they are interested in taking on. This majority attitude makes it difficult to break down the wall of teaching online. “Overall, the faculty view of online quality was bleak, with 66 percent of respondents saying learning outcomes are inferior compared to traditional courses, and only 6 percent saying online is superior.” (Kolowich, S. 2012, para 14)  I think to change attitudes is to educate instructors about online learning; so they can make knowledgeable informed choices about online learning.

Why do you think this resistance exists?

I think the ownership of the learning belongs to the students. It takes determination and self-control to be organized and follow through with the completion of assignments, discussion participation and group work that is needed to create the successful experience of online learning. The resistance occurs when there is high attrition amongst the online learners. The data reads students not completing a course as stated earlier. A personal journey of what your weaknesses are to overcome the procrastination and attitude that comes with the negative associations with online learning. The support for instructors for an online course to run well needs to be backed up by administration. Invest in the skills of the instructors developed in their own journey of life-long learning. In this case it is the tools given to run a course properly. Administration should spend the time and money to educate and inspire their staff and faculty on the online teaching benefits and advantages. “That disconnect might be due to a lack of awareness or training, says Bonk. Administrators might be aware of new programs for quality assessment systems that have recently been put in place, or are about to be, that faculty have not heard about, he says. They might be proposing innovative online courses and programs and are putting in place assessment systems and tools of which faculty have not yet been apprised.” (Kolowich, S. 2012, para 31) To change the paradigm to a positive attitude shift to online learning; administration should take the time and energy to foster the online delivery. This can be accomplished by investing in the life-long learning of the staff and faculty. 

What are your ‘aha’ moments related to this topic? What new insights do you now have?

The students who are leaving the course at the beginning stage “suggests that a learner’s initial experience with eLearning may well have a significant impact on a decision to drop out.” (Tyler-Smith, K. 2006, para 25) The reason why this happens intrigues me and idea of “related to the complexity of the learning tasks that confronts a learner engaging with eLearning, especially for the first time, and the degree to which he/she experiences cognitive overload brought about by the multiple learning curves that confront a learner at the start of any course of online study.” (Tyler-Smith, K. 2006, para 26) Cognitive overload makes me realize there needs to be an approach and delivery where the students do not feel overwhelmed and find themselves disappointing themselves by not completing the course. Over a factor that can be resolved by educating instructors; therefore capturing the students who at terms leaving the course early. Instructors should try to captivate, necessitate engaging instruction and delivery at all times for successful online instruction.

How can this new learning be applied in your online course?

I can adopt some of this new learning from my reading it takes a bit of instructor involvement for the students to stay focused. I think the ownership of the learning belongs to the students. It takes determination and self-control to be organized and follow through with the completion of assignments, discussion participation and group work that is needed to create the successful experience of online learning.

As written in Tyler-Smith’s article he has outlined a conceptual model for the first time eLearner embarking on an eLearning course. These are:

1.    Negotiating the technology; where an eLearner is required to come to terms with the computing technologies involved. 

2.    Negotiating the course website; in this the leaner has to develop a mental model of the content structure and navigation system in order to find his/her way around.

3.    Negotiating the course content; the learner has to engage with the learning materials, readings, activities and assessments that make up a program of study.

4.    Becoming an eLearner; the learner is required to effectively abandon his/her existing mental model of what it is to be a learner in a formal learning situation.

5.    Negotiating Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) interaction; learner has to undertake the learning tasks involved in interacting with peers via synchronous and asynchronous Computer Mediated Communication (CMC). (Tyler-Smith, K. 2006, para 34-39)

To be aware of the first time learner and their obstacles will help in bringing down those introductory student attrition numbers.

In conclusion it is up to many stakeholders involved to adopt a positive perspective in the delivery of online learning. The administration should facilitate in the growth of their employees to better educate and give instructors the tools to endorse and continue the evolution of successfully technology delivered education. Instructors are now mentors who facilitate the online course and help students take on the new responsibility of being a more active role to their learning. I think adopting the excitement of providing quality online curriculum to students is a way to enrich online learning experience for all involved. See below a video on gaining student engagement. 

References

Bates, T. (2011) 2011 outlook for online learning and distance education. Contact North. Retrieved from: http://provost.ncsu.edu/governance/task-forces/distance- education/2011/documents/2011-outlook-for-online-learning-and-de.pdf  

Kolowich, S. (2012). Conflicted: Faculty and Online Education. Insidehighered.com. Retrieved from: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/survey/conflicted-faculty-and-online-education-2012

Tyler-Smith, K. (2006). Early Attrition among First Time eLearners: A Review of Factors that Contribute 
to Drop-out, Withdrawal and Non-completion Rates of Adult Learners undertaking eLearning Programmes. Jolt.merlot.org. Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/Vol2_No2_TylerSmith.htm

Video T4LT - Online Student Engagement Tips and Strategies. (2011). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPEW2birta0