Slides from workshop with 2015 FAMU faculty learning communities

1. Blended Learning:
(Re)Thinking & (Re)Designing
Dr. Kelvin Thompson
University of Central Florida
@kthompso #blendthinkdesign
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Sharealike 3.0 Unported
License. Portions of this work are the intellectual property of others and are attributed appropriately in
context.

2. http://bit.ly/thompson_famu2015

3. Shhhhh!byCJS*64onFlickrCCBY-ND2.0License
https://www.flickr.com/photos/16210667@N02/14380256019

4. 2007 Disney Weekends #1: Chewbacca by starwarsblog on Flickr
CC BY 2.0 License
http://www.flickr.com/photos/starwarsblog/631778627

5. Star Wars Weekends 2011-Last Day by Gordon Tarpley on Flickr
CC BY 2.0 License
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gordontarpley/5827276713

7. DIY light-saber, Tomorrowland, Disneyland, CA, USA 1.JPG by Corey
Doctorow on Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0 License
http://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorow/4536623149

8. THINKING ABOUT BLENDED
LEARNING

9. From http://www.designthinkingforeducators.com

10. Pair and Share
• Partner-up with one or more colleagues
• Share what you would like to accomplish in
your blended learning course(s) after today’s
workshop
• Refer your colleagues to any helpful resources
you know

11. Multiple Approaches
Tech Enabled
F2F + Online
Web Enhanced
Flip Class
Reduced Seat Time
Mandated “Recipes”
“Blended”

12. Networked
Technologies
Digital
Information
Abundance
Human Interaction

13. Innovations
Disruptive
• Technology-enabled
• New definition of “good”
• Different services/products
to new customers
• Example: Electric car
Sustaining
• Technology-enabled
• Same definition of “good”
• Better services/products to
best customers
• Example: Hybrid car
Christensen, C., Horn, M., and Staker, H. (2013). Is K–12 blended learning
disruptive? An introduction of the theory of hybrids. San Francisco: Christensen
Institute. Available online http://www.christenseninstitute.org/publications/hybrids

14. Characteristics of “Hybrids” 
Sustaining Disruption
1. Includes both the old and new technology.
2. Targets existing customers.
3. Performance hurdle required to delight
existing customers is quite high. Hybrid must
do the job at least as well as the incumbent
product on its own, as judged by the original
definition of performance.
4. Tends to be less “foolproof ” than a
disruptive innovation.
Christensen, C., Horn, M., and Staker, H. (2013). Is K–12 blended learning
disruptive? An introduction of the theory of hybrids. San Francisco: Christensen
Institute. Available online http://www.christenseninstitute.org/publications/hybrids

15. BLENDED RESULTS AT UCF

16. Fall 2014
Total UCF students 60,400
Students in Face-to-Face (F2F) 50,441
Web OR Blended 38,469
F2F + Web 12,157*
F2F + Blended 8,827*
F2F + Web OR Blended 18,288*
F2F + Web + Blended 2,696*
Web Only 5,522
(Summer 2014: 9,036)

17. 3 2 4 4 3 53 2 4 4 3 44 4 5 5 4 6
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Spring 11 Sum 11 Fall 11 Spring 12 Sum 12 Fall 12
F2F (n=748,226) Blended (n=67,190) Fully Online (n=176,983)
Student Withdrawal
Used with Permission. UCF Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness

18. 87
91
87 87
90
87
90
94
90 90
94
9088 89 88 87 89 87
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Spring 11 Sum 11 Fall 11 Spring 12 Sum 12 Fall 12
F2F (n=669,638) Blended (n=66,124) Fully Online (n=176,856)
Student Success
Used with Permission. UCF Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness

19. UCF Student Evaluation Protocol
• Feedback
• Interest in learning
• Use of class time
• Organization
• Continuity
• Pace of course
• Assessment of your
progress
• Texts and supplemental
material
• Description of objectives
• Communication
• Expression of
expectations
• Availability to assist
• Respect and concern
• Stimulation of interest
• Facilitation of learning
• Overall assessment

20. Facilitation of learning
Communication of ideas
Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor
Then...
The probability of an overall rating of Excellent = .97 &
The probability of an overall rating of Fair or Poor =.00
If...
A Decision Rule for the Probability of UCF Faculty Member
Receiving an Overall Rating of Excellent (n=1,280,890)
Respect and concern for
students
Used with Permission. UCF Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness

21. 52
48 48
44 42
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
M W F2F RV V
%
"Excellent" ratings by modality (n=913,688)
Student Course Evaluations
Used with Permission. UCF Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness

22. Amount of interaction in UCF Online Classes
Compared to Comparable F2F Sections
More
interaction
Equal
to or
less than
W
n=55
M
N=40
Modality
13%
45%
16%
15%
62%
30%
2%
7%
8%
3%
Increased
Somewhat
increased
About the same
Somewhat
decreased
Decreased
Used with Permission. UCF Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness

23. Quality of Interaction in UCF Online Classes
Compared to Comparable F2F Sections
Better
interaction
Equal
to or
less than
W
n=55
M
N=43
Modality
22%
30%
33%
19%
35%
37%
9%
2%
14%
Increased
Somewhat
increased
About the same
Somewhat
decreased
Decreased
Used with Permission. UCF Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness

24. WHAT WILL YOUR BLEND BE?

26. Hallowell’s Human Moments by kthompso404 on Flickr CC BY 2.0 License
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53256849@N05/7691997840

27. Non-scored activity
Scored activity
A Range of Student Engagement
A Range of Student Engagement by Dr. Kelvin Thompson available at http://bit.ly/rehumanizing_slides is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/deed.en_US.

28. What Do You Want Your Students to
“Get”?
Course design
Course syllabus
Course assignments
Student reflections
Human moments
Invisible to students
Articulated to students
Experienced by students 
“learning”
Internalized by students
Remembered by students

31. Content
Interaction
Assessment

32. Content
Interaction
Assessment

33. Content
Interaction
Assessment

34. Content
Interaction
Assessment

35. Content
Interaction
Assessment

36. MOOC
Open Educational Resources
(OER)
Open CourseWare
(OCW)
Open Learning
iTunesU
podcasts
screencasts
online course
blended
hybrid
virtual worlds
Second Life
flipped class
Personal Learning
Network (PLN)
TwitterTED Talks
YouTube
Google Wikipedia
wikis
blogs
RSS
Yahoo Pipes
html

37. Technologies
In-Depth Look at Four
• Free!
• Fairly dependable
• Useful in all modalities
• Mobile-friendly
• Range of uses
Survey of Many
• Most free
• Some single function
– Interaction
– Assessment
– Content

38. Read More About It
Reading List: Rehumanizing Through Technologies
http://bit.ly/readinglist_rehumanizing
Annotated List of Technologies
http://bit.ly/technologies_rehumanizing

39. TED-Ed
http://ed.ted.com

40. Flickr
http://flickr.com

41. Twitter
http://twitter.com

42. Diigo
http://diigo.com

43. Pair and Share
• Think about the concentric circles, the blocks,
the outcomes, the technologies…
• Partner-up with one or more colleagues
• Discuss: How would you characterize your
course goals in light of the models presented
(i.e., what are you trying to accomplish?
where does it fit?)?

44. Implementation Issues

45. BYOD?
• Some studies indicate that 95% of college
students bring cell phones to class each day
- May, 2012
• Nationwide, 88% of adults have cell phones with
the majority (55%) using for internet access
• 61% of US adults own a laptop computer
- Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2012
http://bit.ly/pew_data http://bit.ly/may_data

46. Ethical/Legal Issues
• Privacy
• FERPA
• Accessibility

47. FERPA Recommendations
• Assume conservative FERPA interpretation
• All official communications (including grades)
in LMS
• FERPA/Web2.0 statements in course
documents
• No required personally identifiable information
on public web
http://bit.ly/ferpa_coursedocs

48. Accessibility Recommendations
• Adopt a “universal design for learning” mindset.
• Assume you will have accommodation needs.
– Select new media/technologies with accessibility in mind.
– Think: “What will I do differently to make old accessible?
• Plan A: Do that now (e.g., script everything).
• Plan B: Be prepared to take action when needed.
• Assume that it is all up to you.
– Educate yourself.
– Take initiative.
– Be grateful when help is available.
http://bit.ly/online_accessibility

49. Cautions
• Time commitment (beware of diminishing
returns)
• Some students resist “active learning”
• Your results may vary
– Strive for balance
– Keep It Simple Starting (KISS)

50. Integration between the f2f and online
dimensions is a crucial design challenge for
blended learning.

51. DESIGNING FOR BLENDED
LEARNING

52. Caveats
• No widely accepted definition of blended learning
• Blended = “best/worst of both worlds”
• Blended learning best conceptualized as f2f-enhanced
web course
• Integration of f2f and online is perhaps the most
elusive of concepts for blended instructors
• Materials shared here are targeted at those
transitioning from f2f-only experience but may be
applicable to those with prior online or blended
experience
• No one-size-fits-all answers
• Goal: Provide resources you can use in
developing your blended learning courses
52

53. OVERVIEW
The Blended Learning Toolkit
53
Refer to Accompanying Hand Out: http://bit.ly/tour_blt

55. Project Overview
• An open educational resource (OER) Blended
Learning Toolkit containing:
– Best practices, strategies, models, and course
design principles.
– Two OER prototype courses in Composition and
Algebra.
– Faculty development resources
– Assessment and data collection protocols, including
survey instruments and standards.
55

56. Goals for BlendKit Course
• Design and develop your blended learning
course
• Consideration of key issues related to
blended learning and practical guidance in
helping you produce actual materials for your
blended course (i.e., from design documents
through creating content pages to peer
review feedback at your own institutions).
56

57. BlendKit Course Materials
• Instructional modules
• BlendKit Reader
• Do-It-Yourself design tasks
• Recordings of interdisciplinary faculty interviews
• Recordings of online webinar discussions with
faculty group
http://bit.ly/blendkit
57

58. GUIDED TOUR
BlendKit Course Materials
58
Refer to Accompanying Hand Out: BlendKit Course Materials

61. DIY Tasks
• Step-by-step guides for many common
development tasks
– Explanations
– Templates
– Examples
• Five broad tasks with at least 2 sub-tasks each
• Substantive in specificity!
http://bit.ly/blendkit_diy
61

62. DIY Tasks
Task 01: Conceptualize Your Blended Learning Course
Task 02: Design for Interaction in Your Blended Learning
Course
Task 03: Decide Upon Assessments of Learning in Your
Blended Learning Course
Task 04: Develop Content/Assignment Pages for Your
Blended Learning Course
Task 05: Assure Quality in Your Blended Learning Course
http://bit.ly/blendkit_diy
62

63. COURSE BLUEPRINT
Task 01: Conceptualize Your Blended Course
63

65. 65

66. 66

67. 67

68. 68

69. Course Blueprint
• Easily by-passed, but don’t!
• High level overview mapping course goals to
assignments
• Use electronic version or just do it on a piece of paper
– Word template looks cool but doc versions may cause problems
• May be “in your head,” but get it out on paper
• Ignore delivery mode (f2f v. online) initially
– Focus on identifying the best activities to achieve the course
goals
69

70. MIX MAP
Task 01: Conceptualize Your Blended Course
70

72. 72

73. 73

74. Mix Map
• Identify a mode (f2f, online, both) for all components
• Suggested approach – online course with face-to-face
enhancements
• How to decide on delivery mode:
– Start with your absolutes - What has to be delivered face-to-face
or online? What works best in one environment v. the other?
– Next – What will work in either environment?
– Note: You may need to modify an existing activity to fit a new
delivery mode. (See Task 3)
• Map out your overall strategy paying particular attention to
how the two environments integrate
– Integration is the single most challenging issue in blended
learning!
74

75. CREATE COURSE DOCUMENT
DRAFTS
Task 02: Design for Interaction
75

77. 77

78. 78

79. 79

80. Create Course Documents
• Emphasis on single-purpose online
documents (Neidorf, 2006)
• Making the formerly implicit (f2f) explicit
(online)
• Clear articulation of student expectations
• Some people prefer “print-friendly”
versions (e.g., pdf) over HTML
– TIP: See accessibility guidelines!
80

81. MODULE INTERACTION
WORKSHEET
Task 02: Design for Interaction
81

83. 83

84. 84

85. 85

86. Module Interaction Worksheet
• Builds upon Blueprint and Mix Map tasks
• Sets the stage for Creating Module Pages
• Assumes that one will be developing
online modules
– Several questions useful for designing
interaction independent of module
– Possibly think “weeks” instead of modules
• Another opportunity to consider integration
of f2f and online
86

87. ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Task 03: Decide Upon Assessments of Learning
87

89. 89

90. 90

91. Assignment Instructions
• Remember to revise Blueprint and Course Docs as ideas evolve!
• Goal: Standalone documents with perfect clarity of expectations
• The clearer the written communication, the more time is freed for f2f activities.
• Goal: Make the formerly implicit explicit
– However, written instructions could be distributed f2f or online.
• Make sure students understand how each assignment links online and f2f
• Do not duplicate assignments or content between f2f and online
– Ex: Reading assignments as homework and then cover content in class. Make sure class
discussion covers items subject to confusion and expands on reading through examples,
case studies, etc.
– If online assignment is an extension of f2f discussion/activity, ensure students understand
what needs to be added or expanded in the online assignment.
91

92. CONFIGURE ONLINE QUIZ SETTINGS
Task 03: Decide Upon Assessments of Learning
92

94. 94

95. Configure Online Quiz Settings
• A primer for online assessment
– Minimize motivation for cheating
– Examine biases for assessment in one mode
over another
– Make assumptions explicit (e.g., collaboration,
etc.)
– Opportunity to review cognitive level of existing
assessments
• Specifics will be determined by your
LMS/testing software
95

96. BLENDED INTEGRATION CHART
Task 04: Develop Content/Assignment Pages
96

98. Blended Integration Chart
• Builds upon earlier design work
• Aligns summative goal(s) with objectives,
assessments, etc.
• Focus is on integration of the f2f and
online components for each activity
98

100. CREATE MODULE PAGES
Task 04: Develop Content/Assignment Pages
100

102. 102

103. 103

104. 104

105. Create Module Pages
• A possible extension of earlier Assignment
Instructions and Module Interaction tasks
• Goal: Standalone documents with perfect
clarity of expectations
• The clearer the written communication, the
more time is freed for f2f activities.
• One cohesive whole from which students
may access assignment instructions,
course content, etc.
105

106. MODULE TEMPLATE
Task 04: Develop Content/Assignment Pages
106

108. 108

109. Module Template
• Use as a starting point
• Decide upon all elements to include in your
modules (e.g, objectives, content, references)
• Use Word style sheet (e.g., “Heading 1,” etc.)
• Review Assignment Instructions for possible
module headings/sub-headings
• Maintain consistency from one module to
next
109

110. BLENDED COURSE
IMPLEMENTATION CHECKLIST
Task 05: Assure Quality
110

112. 112

113. Implementation Checklist
• Very generic steps!
• Incorporate your institution’s requirements
• Structured approach is reminiscent of
managing an online course (may feel unusual
for f2f)
• Note numerous cues for fostering integration
of f2f/online
• Note emphasis on iterative design (e.g.,
simple design feedback collection punch
list for next version)
113

114. BLENDED COURSE SELF-
ASSESSMENT/PEER REVIEW FORM
Task 05: Assure Quality
114

116. 116

117. 117

118. 118

119. Self-Assessment/Peer Review Form
• Many elements are common to courses in all
modes
• Blended-specific sections
– First (“Course Expectations”)
– Last (“Implementation of Blended”)
• Evaluate it yourself, but there’s no substitute
for a new set of eyes!
• Identify a trusted colleague
• Note evaluation of design vs. implementation
119

120. Test Drive!
• Select one of the DIY design documents
• Take a few minutes to review the document in
more depth
• Begin to use the document to help with your
personal design challenge
• Note: Many find the Mix Map the most
approachable to start. (Hint: You can just draw
a Venn diagram with pen and paper)

121. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

122. Virtual Blended Conference
• 2015 OLC Blended Conference and Workshop
• Leading higher ed conference on blended
• July 7-8, 2015
• Individual/group registration available now:
http://bit.ly/blend15_virtual

123. BlendKit2016
• Open, online course built around BlendKit
Course materials
– Dates TBA (five weeks this spring)
– Facilitative communications
– Weekly webinars
– Interaction opportunities among cohort
– Choose your own participation level
• To Register or to Subscribe to Mailing List:
http://bit.ly/blendkit

124. Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository
a resource to support the curation of effective
pedagogical practices in online and blended courses
individual entries include:
• strategy description drawn from the pedagogical
practice of online/blended teaching faculty
• artifacts depicting the strategy from actual courses
• alignment with cited findings from research or
professional practice literature
All released for reuse/remix under
Creative Commons
http://topr.online.ucf.edu

125. UCF Faculty Seminars in Online Teaching
• Online/blended learning focused
• Co-presented by teaching faculty and instructional
designer
• Information-packed
• 30 minutes!
• Interactive webinar format
• Repository of recordings and supporting resources
• New topics each semester
Subscribe to mailing list to be notified of
upcoming seminars
http://bit.ly/facultyseminars

126. TOPcast:
The Teaching Online Podcast
http://bit.ly/topcast_yarn

127. Your Personal Action Plan
• Reflect upon today’s session
• Review your notes on BlendKit Course
• Identify one or more ideas you can put into
action
• Write down how you will apply the idea
• Tell one other person what you plan to do
• Exchange contact info and plan to touch base

128. Students Are… by kthompso404 on Flickr CC BY 2.0 License
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53256849@N05/7759779256

129. Thank You!
Dr. Kelvin Thompson
@kthompso
kelvin@ucf.edu
http://linkedin.com/in/drkelvinthompson
http://bit.ly/thompson_famu2015