Running Head: A VISION FOR E-LEARNING

Assignment #1 A Vision for E-Learning Total Word Count: 3065

Heather Wik

ETEC 520 University of British Columbia Dr. Mark Bullen February 12, 2012

A VISION FOR E-LEARNING Context The College of the Rockies (COTR) is located in the East Kootenays in British Columbia, Canada. The College, through its seven campuses and over 250 employees, offers a wide range of vocational, trades, and university studies programs. The Child, Youth, and Family Studies (CYFS) department at COTR is a vocational program offering three certificate and four diploma programs for Education Assistant, Early Childhood Educator, and Human Service Worker specialties. A total of 90 FTE students are accepted into the certificate specialties each year. In September 2012, an additional 45 students enrolled for diploma level courses. Prior to 2005, CYFS courses were offered in a face-to-face format, and a few were offered in a distance paper-based format. Over the next several years, an increasing number of courses were made available in an online format, using Moodle as the learning management

system. By 2008 all three specialties were available fully online. Currently, students may choose to take courses in a face-to-face or online format, either in a full-time or part-time schedule. Most CYFS students reside in British Columbia. Less than 5% of students reside in other provinces or in countries other than Canada. The majority of CYFS students are female (95% in September 2012) and are in the following ages groups:

A VISION FOR E-LEARNING Percent of Students in CYFS Program (September 2012) 7.5% 22% 30% 34% 6.5% (COTR Institutional Research, 2012). Students who enroll in CYFS studies generally do so because they are interested in working in an educational or human service fields where they can help others. They are willing to complete a 10-month certificate program but are not currently interested in pursuing a university degree. Many students appreciate having the option of completing the program full

Age of Student 50+ Years 40-49 Years 30-39 Years 20-29 Years 19 or Younger

time in 10 months, or part-time over two to five years. The reasonable cost of the program (less than $3500) is also a factor in many students decision to enroll. There are six full-time instructors in the CYFS program. Instructors are generally well supported by college wide technical, library, Moodle, and production (photo copying, word processing, etc.) support. The department head is responsible for CYFS and three other programs within the college. CYFS instructors have diverse educational backgrounds. Areas of specialty include counseling, nursing, education, international studies, and early childhood education. Four of the six instructors have completed or are in the process of completing master degrees. The average number of years faculty have been teaching in the CYFS program is 15 years, with only one instructor having less than eight years experience in the department. All instructors teach faceto-face and online courses and each semester instructors teach an average of six courses with 24

A VISION FOR E-LEARNING students in each. Individual instructors are responsible for updating and maintaining online courses, and for creating any new courses. Environmental Scan External Factors One of the most significant factors that impacts e-learning in the CYFS program is

student enrollment in online courses. Enrollment in online courses has been steadily increasing, rising from 19% in Fall 2008, to 69% in Fall 2012. The shift in student preference for online learning affects the goal setting priorities of the department. Ensuring adequate technological infrastructure, LMS support, and IT support are essential. The BC Ministry of Educations decision to implement a pre-kindergarten program for three and four year olds will also dramatically impact enrollment in individual specialties within the next five years. Much depends on the division of labor between certified teachers and early childhood educators, which has not yet been determined. Some discussions have indicated that there may be a requirement for early childhood educators to move from a certificate level of education, to a diploma or even degree level. CYFS will need to accommodate the emerging changes with a variety of online and face-to-face program options. Community Living British Columbia are also looking at making some major changes to funding, which could see a growth in demand for human service workers around the province, potentially increasing enrollment in this specialty. Another key factor that impacts CYFS enrollment is provincial competition between colleges. COTR serves a regional population of approximately 80,000 people spread over a 45,000 square kilometer area. The East Kootenay region is growing considerably less than the provincial average (13% versus 36%), and COTR is increasingly dependent on drawing online

A VISION FOR E-LEARNING students to our programs from outside of our regional and provincial area. In the field of child, youth, and family studies, COTR has been a clear front runner in rural community college e-

learning within British Columbia. Northern Lights is currently the only other college in BC that offers these programs in a fully online format. With the growth of online learning, however, other colleges are looking at options to expand their programs, and CYFS will need to continually move forward and expand if we are to stay on the leading edge of e-learning. COTR is currently seeking articulation approval of many CYFS courses for transferability to other post-secondary institutions in British Columbia and other provinces. Increased transferability provides options for students to take individual courses through COTR, increasing CYFS enrollment. All three specialties with CYFS require students to complete practicums. A provincial licensing board governs ECE, and online student practicums can easily be accommodated in communities all over province. Human Service Workers also have a great deal of flexibility for practicum placements in British Columbia, and in all other provinces except Alberta and Ontario, where legislation makes practicums and job placements more challenging for students. In recent years, however, practicum placements for online Education Assistants have encountered a few road blocks. Policies for practicum students is determined by individual school districts, and a few districts in British Columbia who offer their own EA programs will not allow COTR students to complete practicums in their local public schools. So far, distance students in our online EA program have been able to find placements in independent schools within those communities, but it is still a concern for CYFS e-learning growth. A final external factor that may impact the COTR budget and services are the Governments intentions and decisions regarding current union negotiations (CUPE and

A VISION FOR E-LEARNING CORFA). Possible expansions or cut-backs will be impacted by upcoming negotiations and rulings. Internal Factors One of the goals stated in the COTR Strategic Plan for 2009/10 2014/15 is to expand,

revitalize and rationalize existing programming to meet the changing labor and learner needs. A key strategy identified for meeting this goal is to expand and enhance distance learning. CYFS has taken a proactive role in developing online courses, enabling each specialty to become fully accessibly to distance students. COTR supports bottom-up leadership from faculty in working towards improving e-learning opportunities in our department. Both the department head and dean actively encourage faculty leadership in visioning, goal setting, and professional development. COTR has recently completed a major building renovation, improving student access to a variety of services. As well, technical upgrades enable learning technologies to be implemented in fully wired classrooms. Centralized IT student and staff support are provided at a College wide level and an active Technology and Learning Committee maintains a technology plan to address the increasing demands expanding e-learning places on the institution. IT aims for a three-year cycle for renewal of hardware, software, and other required technology. There have been some challenges with IT support for faculty driven educational technology requirements, and providing support for faculty who use Mac computers is somewhat limited. Ongoing issues with technical equipment issues (computers freezing, printers not working, etc.) keep IT staff busy. Faculty and student tech support requisitions are handled through online help desks, and are generally handled in a reasonable timeframe. E-learning professional development opportunities for faculty are easily accessible from

A VISION FOR E-LEARNING an on-site E-Learning Specialist and an Educational Technologist. CYFS instructors have actively been involved in learning about new technologies. However, very little support is

offered for pedagogical reflection and growth. As only one instructor has a degree in education, understanding learning theories and making informed pedagogical decisions based on knowledge is this area is somewhat limited. CYFS is in a difficult position in terms of recruitment. For the past several years, all three of the certificate level specialties have been full, and ECE is maintaining a long waitlist of prospective students. COTR is currently not prepared to expand the CYFS department; so marketing efforts at the certificate level are not warranted. Efforts to grow the newly developed online Education Assistant Diploma should be a priority. The ECE and HSW diploma programs have been running for almost ten years and are well established. The EA diploma is only in its second year and it does not have the same workplace demands or benefits as the other two specialties. Diversified marketing strategies will need to be implemented if this diploma is to be successful. Vision In preparing a vision of e-learning for CYFS we must look for ways to improve learning for students. Some goals require that substantial changes be made, while for others, making only minor changes has the potential to significantly impact student learning. Over the next five years CYFS will enhance e-learning by addressing needs in the following ways: 1. Updating current online courses to enhance student learning 2. Creating and piloting hybrid courses 3. Recruiting students for online diploma programs 4. Preparing for possible certificate level program expansion

A VISION FOR E-LEARNING 5. Creating Moodle courses to complement practicum courses and provide a location for students to post practicum videos 6. Upgrading from Moodle 1.9 to Moodle 2.0 CYFS is currently providing face-to-face and online course formats for students. Strong

(2007) states the importance of looking at the changing needs of students, so as a department we must discern what these needs are, develop ways to better engage learners, and utilize technology in a way that makes learning more successful. Over the next five years CYFS will shift to a more learner-centred e-learning approach. CYFS has increasingly incorporated more constructivist approaches in face-to-face classes. When courses were moved to an online format a genuine attempt was made to give them the same feel as what was created in a face-to-face setting. However, online courses were developed and updated by instructors with relatively no curriculum design training or experience. As a part of the strategic plan for CYFS we will incorporate a schedule for updating and modifying current online courses in order to better meet the learning needs of students. We will begin to shift our focus towards a more learner engagement ideology (Fong, 2008). Laurillard (2008) states, the teaching community will need learning design tools and environments that will enable them to develop the new pedagogies afforded by digital technologies, use the open education resources becoming available, and achieve high quality teaching on the large scale. (p. 320). Support and teaching faculty will undertake professional development in order to foster these pedagogical changes. By providing face-to-face and online course options CYFS has increased flexibility for students. Over the next five years we will continue this pattern by introducing hybrid/blended courses for three of our core courses. By designing courses from the ground up utilizing the best features of both face-to-face and online learning, dynamic new courses will be created that

A VISION FOR E-LEARNING emphasize social and interactive practices where learners make connections and construct knowledge in authentic contexts. Recruitment for the online Education Assistant Diploma program will involve special target marketing. By providing a fully online program, potential students who are currently employed throughout the province will have the opportunity to further their professional development in an accessible way. Having a diploma does not give Education Assistant

employees more seniority or better wages. It does enable them to apply for specialized jobs, and provides a higher level of skill and knowledge. Students who will pursue this program will do so because of a personal desire to improve themselves and support their students. On the other end of the CYFS enrollment spectrum is the ECE certificate program, which currently has a full years wait list. As the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Children and Families determine the roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders in the move to establish a pre-kindergarten for three and four year olds, CYFS will be preparing contingency plans for course offerings and a possible department expansion. All CYFS students complete a number of practicums, and during these courses they complete assignments and journaling activities. As a part of our five-year plan, we will create online course components for practicum courses that incorporate more inquiry based learning, and opportunities for increased interactions and collaboration between the student, the site supervisor, the college instructor, and classmates. Because CYFS has many students completing programs outside of our regional area, instructors are not able to do school visits and student observations. Instructors rely on supervising teacher input obtained through formal evaluations and informal communications. CYFS practicum instructors would like students to provide video

A VISION FOR E-LEARNING sessions of their work at practicum sites and submit them electronically. A few attempts to do

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this in the last few years have been unsuccessful. Confidentiality issues have limited options for electronic delivery and storage of video. In addition, as IT support is centralized, downloading a multitude of applications to view videos has been frustrating. Over the next several months, CYFS will work with Educational Technologists and IT services to create and implement a plan that will allow instructors to view video footage from students, looking at various options including the use of new features in Moodle 2.0. In September 2012 COTR will move from Moodle 1.9 to Moodle 2.0 for our LMS. This decision directly impacts CYFS instructors and students. Many of the upgraded features will improve administrative capabilities for instructors, increase feedback and interaction options within courses, and provide new options for students to demonstrate learning. In addition to looking at the multimedia capabilities, CYFS will consider integrating the portfolio component as a potential avenue for a culminating project for the program. Finally, even though not classified as e-learning, CYFS will strive to provide e-book options for textbooks and online readings. The Department Head is pushing for a move to electronic options for students. While simply providing readings in this format will not transform learning for students, it does impact instructors who are being asked to look for options, and it does provide an opportunity for students to save money. CYFS is not ready to move to an online-only e-reading format, but beginning to provide option for students will be a priority. Implications One of the major implications arising from the goals set in this vision for e-learning in

A VISION FOR E-LEARNING CYFS is the necessity to increase faculty professional development. CYFS faculty members

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meet monthly to discuss student concerns, department issues, and ideas for using technology to improve student learning. Instructors are eager to gain further professional development and to implement changes that provide more learner focused activities. CYFS have an excellent open content philosophy, modeling a high level of collaboration, sharing, and reflection. As new technologies are emerging, such as cloud-based applications, instructors need IT support and training. Willson (2007) stresses that faculty development needs to occur in authentic contexts, where there is an open sharing of ideas, experiences, reflections, and projects. For CYFS, both online professional development opportunities and small projects aimed at exploring new ICT potential would be very beneficial. Some possibilities include the creation of a Moodle sandbox where staff can play with new features of Moodle 2.0, online tutorials, small pilot projects that incorporate innovative uses of new technologies, and regular faculty think tank sharing times. In addition to teaching staff, faculty development for IT personnel and Educational Technologists will need to be maintained and possibly expanded. Professional development time is currently built into their jobs, because a part of their positions responsibility is to maintain current skills and knowledge in their field. As increasing numbers of students enroll in e-learning opportunities and our online and hybrid learning options expand, professional development must become a higher priority for support staff. As well, time set aside for IT and ET collaboration should be scheduled. Release time for instructors will be needed in order to make changes to courses currently online, and to develop new hybrid courses. Most course updating is done off the side of the desk. Instructors must fit it into their current workloads. If even 0.1 release time was included

A VISION FOR E-LEARNING for each instructor for one semester per year, every course could be updated every three years,

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with new course or major revisions being more feasible. E-learning is not cheap, but one way to improve e-learning for CYFS students is to constantly improve and update courses, and this involves professional development, time, money, and a lot of effort. With the design of new hybrid courses, local students have more options and flexibility. Initially, faculty were concerned that hybrid courses would simply increase instructor workload, but increased knowledge about the variety of options available in hybrid courses has diminished some of those fears. Utilizing a hybrid format for practicum courses provides opportunities for students, instructors, and practicum site supervisors to interact in innovate synchronous and asynchronous ways. IT and faculty will need to work together to create and implement a plan for viewing of student-produced videos. Confidentiality issues and access will need to be addressed. Hybrid and online teaching also creates greater flexibility for instructors as well. No longer do faculty members need to be on site 40 hours per week to do their jobs. Working off site reduces facilities costs and places less demands on infrastructure. Another significant implication for CYFS e-learning will emerge when the BC Government announces its final plans for pre-kindergarten. Not only will there be ramifications for enrollment in various CYFS programs, but faculty teaching assignments will also be impacted. If ECE is expanded, more ECE certified instructors will be needed to teach their specialty courses, and a shifting of course assignments will be required, depending upon the educational expertise and training of individual instructors. CYFS will need to actively engage in College wide visionary and budgeting discussions. Program expansion and innovations need to fit within COTRs strategic plan. In order to remain

A VISION FOR E-LEARNING on the leading edge of community college online learning in British Columbia, CYFS must continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of students.

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A VISION FOR E-LEARNING References Alberta Education. (n.d.). Learning strategies for aboriginal students: Opportunities to make

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learning meaningful (Chapter 5). Our Words, Our Ways. Retrieved November 12, 2011 from http://education.alberta.ca/media/307128/o06.pdf Bates, A.W. & Sangr, A. (2011). Managing Technology in Higher Education: Strategies for Transforming Teahing and Learning. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, chapters 4 & 5. BC Campus. (2012). Strategic plan 2012-2015. Retrieved online February 2, 2012 from http://www.bccampus.ca COTR. (2009). Strategic plan for 2009/10 2014/15. College of the Rockies: Cranbrook, BC. COTR. (2002). Strategic priorities: Future directions 2002-2007. College of the Rockies: Cranbrook, BC COTR. (1995). Technology plan: Strategic directions for information systems. College of the Rockies: Cranbrook, BC COTR Institutional Research. (2012). CYFS Enrollment Report. College of the Rockies: Cranbrook, BC. Fong, Bernadine Chuck (2008). Open for What? A Case Study in Institutional Leadership and Transformation. Laurillard, D. (2008). Open Teaching: The Key to Sustainable and Effective Open Education Strong, Bart (2007). Strategic Planning for Technological Change. Wilson, G. (2007). New Skills and Ways of Working: Faculty Development for E-Learning. In M. Bullen & D.P. Janes (Eds.) Making the Transition to E-Learning: Strategies & Issues (pp. 121-138). Hershey, PA: Information Science Publishing.