3.3 - Online & Blended Learning
Candidates develop, model, and facilitate the use of online and blended learning, digital content, and learning networks to support and extend student learning and expand opportunities and choices for professional learning for teachers and administrators. (PSC 3.3/ISTE 3c)
Artifact: ITEC 7480: Online Course Syllabus
Reflection:
The Online Course Syllabus was created as a sample for a blended learning 8-week course for 9th grade biology. This syllabus was generated for a class assignment but in collaboration with my co-teacher. In this task we were to create a syllabus for an online or blended learning course that provided an overview for the course. The first part of the syllabus, course information, included information regarding the title of the course, information about the instructor, grade level, subject area, office hours and required textbooks or resources. The remainder of the syllabus provided an overview of the course, including expected student attendance, teacher communication, course description, learning outcomes, topics by week, expectations of student participation, student communication expectations, late work policy, grading policy, assessments, academic honesty, acceptable use policy, student right to privacy, technology requirements, copyright statement, and students with disabilities.
Standard 3.3, Online and Blended Learning, requires that candidates demonstrate their ability to “develop, model, and facilitate the use of online and blended learning, digital content, and learning networks to support and extend student learning and expand opportunities and choices for professional learning for teachers and administrators” (PSC 3.3/ISTE 3c). The online syllabus is evidence of my ability to do so. When creating the syllabus, it was critical that it be clear and concise so that it was easy for students to understand. When developing the syllabus, I had to consider the expected student outcomes, the resources available – both physical materials and digital materials, the type of learning networks in which I wished students to participate, the various types of assessments I wished to use, and an appropriate timeline to deliver the content. When developing this blended course syllabus, I aimed to provide a course that offered a variety of learning experiences to meet the various needs of students.
Due to a position change, I did not have the opportunity to implement the course outlined in the syllabus. If I were to implement it, modeling and facilitating a blended learning environment would be simple as the syllabus provides a straightforward outline to doing so. It would be imperative to ensure that students had access to the learning platform and blogging platform required to complete the course. Students would also be required to use in class time appropriately, rather than to complete their online assignments, since its primary objective is to “promote face-to-face interaction between the teacher and the student and between peers” (stated in the Online Syllabus).
Creating the online syllabus was a beneficial learning experience for me. I have created syllabi for courses before and I also know from my time as a student how important it is for a syllabus to be clear and to give an impression of what is required in the class. The best part of this assignment was the template provided. It helped to have guiding questions on the side and if I were still in the classroom, I would likely use it to create any new syllabus as it assisted me in the creation of a very thorough, very clear syllabus. If I were to go back and recreate this assignment, I would research more and see if I could find an online learning management system that would allow students to complete all tasks in one platform, rather than multiple platforms. At this point, according to the syllabus, students would be required to access my teaching website, Edmodo, Google, Quizlet, and Kidblog, not including the web tool they would choose for their project.
The impact on student learning would be easy to assess using the assessments outlined in the syllabus. Impact on student learning could also be assessed through a series of student surveys and interviews, both at the beginning of the course and at the end of the unit. Impact on faculty development and school improvement would have to be assessed outside of the single classroom. The inclusion of blended learning in course syllabi and in other classrooms in the school would indicate a positive impact on faculty development. School improvement could be assessed after inclusion of online and blended learning throughout the school and could be assessed by analyzing the impact on students, faculty, and other stakeholders together and noting improvements in all areas.
The Online Course Syllabus was created as a sample for a blended learning 8-week course for 9th grade biology. This syllabus was generated for a class assignment but in collaboration with my co-teacher. In this task we were to create a syllabus for an online or blended learning course that provided an overview for the course. The first part of the syllabus, course information, included information regarding the title of the course, information about the instructor, grade level, subject area, office hours and required textbooks or resources. The remainder of the syllabus provided an overview of the course, including expected student attendance, teacher communication, course description, learning outcomes, topics by week, expectations of student participation, student communication expectations, late work policy, grading policy, assessments, academic honesty, acceptable use policy, student right to privacy, technology requirements, copyright statement, and students with disabilities.
Standard 3.3, Online and Blended Learning, requires that candidates demonstrate their ability to “develop, model, and facilitate the use of online and blended learning, digital content, and learning networks to support and extend student learning and expand opportunities and choices for professional learning for teachers and administrators” (PSC 3.3/ISTE 3c). The online syllabus is evidence of my ability to do so. When creating the syllabus, it was critical that it be clear and concise so that it was easy for students to understand. When developing the syllabus, I had to consider the expected student outcomes, the resources available – both physical materials and digital materials, the type of learning networks in which I wished students to participate, the various types of assessments I wished to use, and an appropriate timeline to deliver the content. When developing this blended course syllabus, I aimed to provide a course that offered a variety of learning experiences to meet the various needs of students.
Due to a position change, I did not have the opportunity to implement the course outlined in the syllabus. If I were to implement it, modeling and facilitating a blended learning environment would be simple as the syllabus provides a straightforward outline to doing so. It would be imperative to ensure that students had access to the learning platform and blogging platform required to complete the course. Students would also be required to use in class time appropriately, rather than to complete their online assignments, since its primary objective is to “promote face-to-face interaction between the teacher and the student and between peers” (stated in the Online Syllabus).
Creating the online syllabus was a beneficial learning experience for me. I have created syllabi for courses before and I also know from my time as a student how important it is for a syllabus to be clear and to give an impression of what is required in the class. The best part of this assignment was the template provided. It helped to have guiding questions on the side and if I were still in the classroom, I would likely use it to create any new syllabus as it assisted me in the creation of a very thorough, very clear syllabus. If I were to go back and recreate this assignment, I would research more and see if I could find an online learning management system that would allow students to complete all tasks in one platform, rather than multiple platforms. At this point, according to the syllabus, students would be required to access my teaching website, Edmodo, Google, Quizlet, and Kidblog, not including the web tool they would choose for their project.
The impact on student learning would be easy to assess using the assessments outlined in the syllabus. Impact on student learning could also be assessed through a series of student surveys and interviews, both at the beginning of the course and at the end of the unit. Impact on faculty development and school improvement would have to be assessed outside of the single classroom. The inclusion of blended learning in course syllabi and in other classrooms in the school would indicate a positive impact on faculty development. School improvement could be assessed after inclusion of online and blended learning throughout the school and could be assessed by analyzing the impact on students, faculty, and other stakeholders together and noting improvements in all areas.