Creating a Virtual Learning Community
Winter 2000 - Volume 2, Issue 2
Online Courses in Community Colleges Continue to Multiply
The number of different courses offered online by community colleges in North Carolina has more than doubled in the last year. A three-year count of online courses found 1354 courses, up from 608 courses located last year.
Online courses include 508 titles in 108 subject headings (up from 250 titles in 68 subjects). The most popular online course is CIS 110, which 43 North Carolina Community colleges offer online. ENG 111 is second, offered by 40 colleges. Online enrollments grew over 80% in 1999-2000 and are expected to continue to grow at a similar rate this year.
The Virtual Learning Community has greatly contributed to growth in online learning. Each of the courses developed last year is now offered online by at least ten more colleges than were offering that course last year.
Pitt CC leads the way with 113 different online titles offered in the last three years. Other colleges in the top ten are Fayetteville Technical CC, Central Piedmont CC, Guilford Technical CC, Catawba Valley CC, Western Piedmont CC, Caldwell CC & TI, and Forsyth Technical CC. Some of the most exciting growth, however, is among smaller colleges that had not previously offered online courses. Many now have several available with more planned for the near future.
A count of online continuing education courses is not complete, but when available, will raise numbers by several hundred again.
System Gets New Director of Distance Learning
Ken Farmer became Director of Distance Learning for the North Carolina Community College System on January 1. Here is his greeting to educators around the System!
It will be difficult to fill the shoes of Fred Manley but I will try very hard to learn this position and fulfill the duties to be best of my ability.
I come to this position with sincere appreciation and knowledge of the work done at community colleges. I have served as Director of Fire and Rescue Programs at the System Office since 1985. In the last three years, I have also served as a Program Coordinator in this office, working in both curriculum and continuing education. As a former instructor, I understand and relate to the many needs you have in the field.
Distance learning is the most exciting area of the North Carolina Community College System. We are on the edge of major transformation in the ways we provide access to learners. I see great opportunities to expand this important area
.Projects to expand distance learning funding, develop the Virtual Learning Community and dynamically expand online offerings are just a part of the issues that show the potential of and commitment to distance learning in our system.
I hope to interact with distance learning leaders at colleges and Virtual Learning Community centers during the coming year and look forward to working together to make the NC Community College System the leader in distance education in the United States.
Put Online Courses in the FOLDER
Every distance learning course taught by North Carolina community colleges can now be listed in one convenient online database. FOLDER, a web-based application originally developed at Mayland CC, has been adapted for use throughout the System. FOLDER is located on the North Carolina Community College System web site at http://www.ncccs.cc.nc.us/folder. All colleges are strongly encouraged to list their online offerings and link to the database from their distance learning web site.
Through searching FOLDER, students can find courses they need. Instructors can locate other versions of courses they teach, making contacts and sharing techniques and content. System wide use of FOLDER will increase online enrollments throughout all of North Carolina’s community colleges.
FOLDER, however, will only be as valuable as the number of courses it contains and number of colleges that advertise it. So far, only a fraction of the distance learning courses offered in North Carolina are listed. Failure to advertise in FOLDER puts colleges without listings at relative disadvantage. A full FOLDER will enable North Carolina to advertise community college courses to students around the world.
Distance learning administrators from each college have been given passwords that allow them to list courses in FOLDER. For more information, or to reestablish the password for your college, contact Director of Distance Learning Ken Farmer at farmerk@ncccs.cc.nc.us.
Course Development Teams
Get to Work
Since November fifty-one teams have been building online courses that will be available for use or adaptation by instructors around the North Carolina Community College System. Efforts are led by Development Centers at Pitt CC, Craven CC, Central Piedmont CC, Catawba Valley CC, Fayetteville Technical CC, and Forsyth Technical CC. Courses will be available by July 15.
Some of the teams are understaffed. If you are an instructor in the North Carolina System and are interested in helping with any course listed with two or fewer developers, contact coordinator Neil Hollands at hollandsn@ncccs.cc.nc.us.
The template used by the teams, which gives a head start in filling in the course site and provides advice in how to complete content development, is available for instructors independently developing courses at their colleges. The template can be transferred to any Blackboard server. Send requests to Neil Hollands.
Although the instructors listed below receive some compensation for their involvement, it is difficult to fund rewards equivalent to the value they are giving to online learning in our system. Please tell them thanks when you see them!
Center One—Pitt CC Computer Programming and Maintenance
Coordinator Elaine Seeman
CIS 115
Introduction to Programming & Logic
Charlotte Ellis Wilson Tech CC
Stan Grady Forsyth Tech CC
Walt Person Central Carolina CC
Dan Walker Craven CC
CIS 215
Hardware Installation/Maintenance
Connie Ivey Robeson CC
Gerry Kearns Forsyth Tech CC
Jim Tart Vance-Granville CC
CIS 216
Software Installation/Management
Tina Farmer Pitt CC
Wendy Riemenschneider Sandhills CC
Eman Sundquist Wake Tech CC
CIS 286
Systems Analysis
Diane Innes Sandhills CC
Sheila Shelton Surry CC
CSC 134
C++ Programming
Ed Carr Davidson County CC
Kate Parks Pitt CC
CSC 139
Visual Basic Programming
Gail Elmore Mitchell CC
Merrill Gordon Forsyth Tech CC
Phil Reid Cleveland CC
CSC 148
Java Programming
Bob Husson Craven CC
Witold Sieradzan Wake Tech CC
Bill Sypawka Pitt CC
NET 110
Data Communications/Networking
Fred Bisel Craven CC
Tenette Petelinkar Robeson CC
Ruth Parker Rowan-Cabarrus CC
Center 2—Craven CC Accounting and Mathematics
Coordinator Vicky Koonce
ACC 120
Principles of Accounting I
Vickie Campbell Cape Fear CC
Brenda Fowler Alamance CC
Cheryl Fries Guilford Tech CC
Brenda Mattison Robeson CC
Norma Ramirez Central Carolina CC
ACC 121
Principles of Accounting II
Star Brown Western Piedmont CC
Joy Bruce Gaston College
Michele Burleson McDowell Tech CC
Abbie Covington Richmond CC
ACC 150
Computerized General Ledger
Matilda Davis Richmond CC
Jim Hale Vance-Granville CC
Norma Ramirez Central Carolina CC
BUS 225
Business Finance
Dan Reavis Guilford Tech CC
Trish Welfare Sampson CC
Jim Wheeler Vance-Granville CC
CIS 165
Desktop Publishing I
Rosanna Hartley Western Piedmont CC
Charlene West Durham Tech CC
ECO 252
Principles of Macroeconomics
Kathy Crump Catawba Valley CC
Frank Lee Pitt CC
Dan Reavis Guilford Tech CC
Marisa Sudano Isothermal CC
MAT 115
Mathematical Models
Ruth Daniel Blue Ridge CC
Valerie Hampson Sandhills CC
MAT 151
Statistics I
Kelly Fowler Gaston College
Cathy Johnson Alamance CC
Jeanette Staley Catawba Valley CC
MAT 161
College Algebra
Annette Hawkins Wayne CC
David Ross Carteret CC
Paula Schlesinger Mayland CC
Center 3—Central Piedmont CC Arts and Humanities
Coordinator Savannah Clay
ACA 111
College Student Success
Sarah Altman Southwestern CC
Ann Russell Bladen CC
John Wester Richmond CC
BUS 260
Business Communications
Joyce Boone Halifax CC
Barbara Whitt Central Piedmont CC
Gloria Rembert Mitchell CC
COM 110
Introduction to Communication
Katie Fields Guilford Tech CC
Faye Maclaga Wilson Tech CC
Karen Staten Wilkes CC
ENG 112
Argument-Based Research
Nolan Belk Wilkes CC
Tom Beverage Coastal Carolina CC
Harry Phillips Central Piedmont CC
ENG 113
Literature-Based Research
Pat Baldwin Pitt CC
Patricia Kennedy Central Piedmont CC
Janet Palmer Caldwell CC
Kristin Redfield Forsyth Tech CC
ENG 114
Professional Research & Reporting
Betty Cochran Beaufort County CC
Cathy Horne Wilson Tech CC
Patsy Pridgen Nash CC
Nancy Risch Caldwell CC
Rita Rogers Halifax CC
ENG 131
Introduction to Literature
Patrice Brazell Craven CC
Lanita Kirby Rowan-Cabarrus CC
HUM 115
Critical Thinking
Joe Bryant Halifax CC
Terina Roberson Central Piedmont CC
Nick Way Guilford Tech CC
MUS 110
Music Appreciation
Elizabeth Black Fayetteville Tech CC
Reeves Shulstad Forsyth Tech CC
Mark Wheeler Guilford Tech CC
Center 4—Catawba Valley CC Computer Applications
Coordinator KC Irwin
BUS 121
Business Math
James Hobbs Alamance CC
Cynthia McKoy Bladen CC
Ray Roy Brunswick CC
BUS 238
Integrated Management
Joy Przestwor McDowell Tech CC
CIS 111
Basic PC Literacy
Lana Mason Wayne CC
Annelle Pegg Catawba Valley CC
Joe Sherrill Martin CC
CIS 130
Survey of Operating Systems
Annette Hall Forsyth Tech CC
Karen Hicks Nash CC
Cindy Luttrell Sandhills CC
Margaret Moore Coastal Carolina CC
CIS 147
Operating System—Windows
Ann Behar Vance-Granville CC
Jeff Benfield Mitchell CC
Mary Harbison Wake Tech CC
CIS 152
Database Concepts & Applications
Roy Bonnett Blue Ridge CC
Chris Pearce Forsyth Tech CC
Barbara Watkins Wake Tech CC
MED 121 and 122 (teams combined)
Medical Terminology I & II
Kaye Acton Alamance CC
Wanda Card Pitt CC
Polly Decker Brunswick CC
Bonni Staples Central Piedmont CC
Valeria Truitt Craven CC
Kathy Wood Catawba Valley CC
OST 136 and 236 (teams combined)
Word/Information Processing
Katie Canty Cape Fear CC
Glenda Greene Rowan-Cabarrus CC
Kathy Hall Alamance CC
Rebecca Jones Bladen CC
Lynn Judy Carteret CC
Linda Talbott Southwestern CC
Center 5—Fayetteville Tech CC Business Management and Marketing
Coordinator Joe Brum
BUS 137
Principles of Management
Jewel Cherry Forsyth Tech CC
Leatrice Freer Pitt CC
Deborah Friedman Sampson CC
Ken Wallace Craven CC
BUS 153
Human Resource Management
Paul Dellinger Western Piedmont CC
Bambi Edwards Craven CC
BUS 230
Small Business Management
Bob Ericksen Craven CC
Bill Kirchman Fayetteville Tech CC
Walter Purvis Coastal Carolina CC
BUS 239
Business Applications Seminar
Paul Hayes Coastal Carolina CC
CIS 169
Business Presentations
Ken Digby Fayetteville Tech CC
Debra Pressley Blue Ridge CC
MKT 120
Principles of Marketing
Mary Emily Cooke Surry CC
Judy Snipes Alamance CC
MKT 123
Fundamentals of Selling
Bill Copeland Fayetteville Tech CC
Pat West Central Piedmont CC
MKT 220
Advertising & Sales Promotion
Paul Edwards Blue Ridge CC
Center 6—Forsyth Tech CC Applied Social Sciences
Coordinator Dorothy Cattle
BUS 115 & 116 (teams combined)
Business Law I & II
Luann Brown Coastal Carolina CC
Jennifer Labosky Davidson County CC
Russ Meade Catawba Valley CC
Spence Mehl Coastal Carolina CC
Wilborn Rives Surry CC
David Whisenant Gaston College
CJC 111
Introduction to Criminal Justice
Michael Drew Nash CC
Duane Everhart Wayne CC
Mike Randleman Gaston College
Keith Ross Wilson Tech CC
CJC 121
Law Enforcement Operations
Monte Clampett Asheville-Buncombe Tech CC
Teresa Hall Montgomery CC
Jim Pleszewski Rowan-Cabarrus CC
Larue Ulshafer Piedmont CC
HIS 122
Western Civilization II
David McGee Lenoir CC
Barbara Morrison Bladen CC
David Trask Guilford Tech CC
HUM 110
Technology & Society
Steve Lympany Central Carolina CC
Beth Mitchell Mayland CC
LEX 110
Introduction to Paralegal Study
Lisa Duncan Central Carolina CC
Warren Hodges Forsyth Tech CC
Leslie McKesson Western Piedmont CC
POL 120
American Government
Robert Jones Fayetteville Tech CC
Barbara Walls Guilford Tech CC
Deborah Wilson Sandhills CC
Tips for Evaluating Online Courses
As online learning rapidly grows, it is critical to evaluate the results. Institutions and instructors new to distance education have the most to gain from careful check of the successes and failures of their courses. For online learning to continue developing as a flexible alternative to classroom instruction, we must carefully monitor and document its effectiveness.
Experts from around the NC Community College System were asked to share practices and ideas about evaluation of online courses. Their responses were combined in the following tips.
1. Aim to evaluate specific courses, not online learning in general.
Online courses can be done well or poorly, just like face-to-face courses. Don’t think of evaluation data as the measure of all online learning. Think of it as a measure of how well your college offered a specific course. By beginning with this mindset, your evaluations can become a tool for specific improvement.
At the same time, use consistent means of evaluation so you can compare online courses with each other and their face-to-face counterparts.
2. Don’t use the same evaluation survey used for face-to-face courses.
While all evaluations should contain some common questions for purpose of comparison, don’t use the exact same form. Because delivery of material, methods of interaction, and other aspects of the course differ in the online setting, all of the same questions are not applicable. By re-using the same old form, you signal to online students that your college is not serious about understanding their experience.
3. Use multiple evaluation methods at multiple times.
One student questionnaire at the end of the course is not sufficient. Because both instructors and students are new to online teaching and learning techniques, evaluation should be an ongoing event that occurs throughout the course. In this way, adjustments can be made before avoidable problems are exacerbated.
A good approach is to precede qualitative evaluation with quantitative evaluation. Ask students, faculty, support staff (or others) about opinions or preferences and then build a quantitative instrument with such components imbedded in the instrument. That way the quantitative instrument has qualitative justification directly related to the concerns of the population served.
Use multiple evaluation techniques. Try face-to-face meetings with a few students. Make occasional phone calls. Ask simple questions which confirm understanding or elicit feedback through email. By letting online students know that the online course is a work in progress, you will expand their empathy and patience.
4. Ask questions that isolate different variables in the online learning equation.
Overbroad evaluation questions are problematic. They leave you without indications of how to make specific adjustments in the course. Try to phrase questions in ways that produce specific feedback on specific parts of the course.
Online learning has many components, any of which can work well or poorly in a given course. Don’t forget that SACS requires evaluation of the support services for online students as well as the courses themselves.
Surveys can evaluate technologies used, technical support, course format, course atmosphere, student-instructor interaction, student interaction, instructional methods, course resources, assignments, tests, support services, student achievement, student attitude, pacing, or course difficulty. In a context of specific questions, overarching queries like "Would you recommend this course to others?" become more meaningful.
5. Maintain anonymity when possible.
Anonymous evaluations can be difficult in the online environment. Both course software and email programs attach an identifier to student submissions. Consider having evaluations sent to a third-party who compiles the results or at least strips off student identifiers before passing evaluation data along to instructors and others. Alternatively, use the online surveys listed below that allow for anonymous evaluations.
6. Share evaluation results with all those involved in online learning.
The instructor should not be alone in presenting and improving an online class. Distance learning administrators, technical support staff, librarians, student support staff, and others should all be kept involved. To encourage such involvement and enable everyone to do their part of the job, share the results of evaluations broadly.
7. Remember to include elements of student self-evaluation.
Student effort and participation are critical to the success of online learning. The rest of the evaluation gains meaning when we are aware of the effort that the student brought to the course in question. Self-evaluation also leads to the kind of introspection that enables a student to improve his or her overall approach to education. Self-evaluation encourages self-responsibility.
8. Take advantage of free online survey software.
Several free online survey packages allow one to post surveys online. After students take the surveys, you can view their compiled results. For instance, consider http://www.zoomerang.com, http://freeonlinesurveys.com, or http://intercom.virginia.edu/SurveySuite.
9. Use industry certifications and other standard measures when available.
Evaluation results mean more when they can be put in the larger picture of results from other colleges and training programs. By using certifications and other recognized measures, you test not just satisfaction but also student success. Results can then be shared professionally in meaningful ways, legitimizing programs and enabling student placement in the work world.
10. Collect data in formats that are easy to work with in the digital environment.
On the practical level, think ahead when collecting evaluation data. Designing an evaluation that feeds into a database may take more time up front, but the time saved compiling data will more than compensate. These results can then be stored, combined with later evaluations, or explored for new statistical insight with comparative ease.
Ideas in this article came from:
Katie Canty Cape Fear CC
Kim Gelsinger Gaston College
Mary Ann Grabarek Durham Tech CC
Dennis Keough Southwestern CC
Hal Lander Haywood CC
Linda Lutz Catawba Valley CC
Bill Randall Forsyth Technical CC
Ida Rogers Blue Ridge CC
Elaine Seeman Pitt CC
Penny Sermons Beaufort County CC
Jeanne Whisnant Mayland CC
Fayetteville Technical CC Wins Army Contract
Fayetteville Technical CC college credit courses will be among those used by Pricewaterhouse-Coopers’ online learning portal. On December 15, the US Army selected this course collection to provide soldiers with convenient and easy access to higher education degrees and advanced training certifications. Congratulations to FTCC!
If your college achieves something notable in online learning, send us information for inclusion in the next newsletter.
CourseInfo Corner
Blackboard CourseInfo is the software platform of the Virtual Learning Community. If you have a question or concern about the software, submit it to hollandsn@ncccs.cc.nc.us for consideration in our next newsletter.
For instructors, what are the basic differences between Blackboard version 4 and version 5?
Some community colleges in the North Carolina System use version 4 while others have upgraded to 5. Most of the changes between these versions focused on the movement of CourseInfo toward becoming a full-service online learning portal. Differences for instructors and students in the courseware itself are not extreme.
Improvements between versions include a revised interface for each account, which is clearer and emphasizes a new collection of "Academic Web Resources" put together by Blackboard.
For instructors, the Control Panel has been rearranged, giving easier access to tools such as the "Digital Dropbox," "Virtual Classroom" (chat), and discussion forums. A new content area lists books (the course text and other print resources) more distinctly. Instructors also have increased ability to manage the appearance and structure of the course site, as well as when and how students and guests can access parts of the site. Finally, instructors can now access "course cartridges," free course materials built by textbook companies to accompany their books. The number of these cartridges that are available will grow in the future.
Blackboard’s latest release schedule lists Black-board 5.5 as available in Summer 2001 and Blackboard 6, which promises major enhancements to the teaching and learning interface, following in Spring 2002.
Technical support from Blackboard has not been as good as it should be. How can we get good service from them? Are improvements in the works?
Each college that purchases Blackboard is allowed technical support for two contacts designated with Blackboard. To begin, confirm that the appropriate people on campus have this access and others who work with Blackboard know to filter questions through these contacts.
Answers to some questions can be found at the support site http://support.blackboard.com. Before calling Blackboard, you are encouraged to review this documentation. Other help is located at either http://trainingcenter.blackboard.com or http://instructors.blackboard.com.
If direct help is needed, designated contacts can call Blackboard technical support at 1-(888)-788-5264
or send email to support@blackboard.com. Whether contacting a person directly or leaving a message, provide information about the version of Blackboard used, the server on which it runs, and a detailed problem description. Information about remedies attempted and other applications on the server will also be useful.When Blackboard is not run on a server with appropriate specifications, or shares a server with other applications, complications can ensue. Be careful when troubleshooting not to jump to conclusions about what is causing the problem. The problem may be caused by flaws or limitations in the setup of the server, not problems inherent to the Blackboard software itself.
If a problem has brought the server down, is related to installation or upgrade, or prevents access to several courses, you get higher priority from Blackboard, so indicate if this is the case. Problems of this kind should receive attention in two to eight hours (depending on severity).
If you haven’t heard from Blackboard within the allotted time, resubmit your request. Ideally, this would not be necessary, but in the real world, some repeat contacts are required. Less severe problems should receive a response in 24 hours. If you must contact Blackboard again because of lack of response, send a duplicate message to the customer relations manager for this region, Jessica Bernhardt, jbernhardt@blackboard.com.
Blackboard admits to (and apologizes for) breakdowns in technical support in the past and is working to solve the problems. They are committed to increasing staff numbers and expertise. An improved support database is being implemented that will allow users to track queries and will identify the most common problems with the software. Answers to more of these problems will then be posted on the Blackboard web site.
Contacts at other North Carolina community colleges who run Blackboard on the same kind of server as your college does are available from Neil Hollands at hollandsn@ncccs.cc.nc.us.
The Community at a Glance
The Virtual Learning Community is a collaborative effort of all 58 North Carolina community colleges, sharing resources and expertise to expand access to quality online courses and support services. Benefits to colleges include:
A library of online credit and non-credit courses that can be offered as-is or adapted to local needs;
Access to Blackboard CourseInfo for development or delivery of online courses or support materials;
Online and face-to-face faculty training;
Tips for effective online course delivery;
Help materials for online students;
Online student support services;
A web listing of online offerings from each college, with links back to local web sites;
Newsletters, online discussion, and mailing lists to spur communication;
Evaluation materials for online courses.
In the Next Issue
·
Internet resources for online learning·
More hints for working in Blackboard·
Design advice for online courses
This page maintained by Jalaine Gross.