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Distance Learning Implementation Problems and Solutions


Problem

Cause of Problem

Possible Solutions (Alternatives)

Decisions on what, who and when

1. How can we give exams?

Students will be in many different locations.
  1. It is recommended that the distance learning sections be totally on-line, so we would not give in-person exams; rather we could use take-home exams, projects, or book publishers’ on-line testing for multiple choice exams. This is what SNL does.
  2. Do what College of Computing and Digital Media (CDM) does: (a) Chicago area students go to a DePaul campus for in-person exams. (b) Outside the Chicago area, but in Illinois, there is the “Illinois Virtual Campus” (mostly community colleges); students can take proctored exams there; students pay any fee. (c) Nationally or internationally, student finds a proctored site; we check it to make sure it’s a good site; student pays any fee.
  3. Individual faculty members must be clear about their policies on make-up exams.
Individual faculty members can decide to do the course totally on-line the way SNL does (with no in-person exams) or do the course with in-person exams the way CDM does.

Individual faculty members must also be clear as to their policies on make-up exams.

All this must appear on the course syllabus, which must be posted by the registration date for the appropriate quarter.
2. How much can the distance learning version differ from the face-to-face version?

Professors should not have to teach two different courses, but the different dynamics of face-to-face and distance learning require some differences. Course descriptions produce an expectation among students. Required courses must cover certain material.
  1. It is recommended that the face-to-face section and the distance learning section be as similar as possible so as not to increase the faculty member’s work load. Different assignments and assessments will be allowed if the professor thinks that is needed.

In most cases, the two sections of the same course will be as similar as possible and taught at roughly the same time. However, the professor can decide to use a previous quarter’s version of the same class as the distance learning version while teaching the face-to-face version separately at RM, BIBF, or CMC. If the RM, BIBF, or CMC course is an elective, the professor can suggest another course that he/she has taught and recorded; this is subject to BIBF, CMC, and department chair approval. With approvals from (a) the Direcror of Outreach and Assessment, (b) the Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies, (c) and the appropriate department chair(s), a faculty member may use a DePaul section in Chicago as the distance learning primary course. This is subject to availability of a Course On-Line classroom and sufficient lead time to promote the class. This must occur prior to the BIBF or CMC scheduled time for the course. Faculty members will be paid when they finish the BIBF or CMC course.
3. How do we make sure that students know what’s expected of them?

Many faculty and students have never done distance learning. This is an experiment so faculty will be doing different things.
  1. Post a “note” for students for when they register for the course.
  2. Post detailed explanations on courses’ blackboard sites.
  3. Post the syllabus at least one week before the course starts.
  4. Develop and distribute a document like CDM’s “Distance Learning Handbook.”
Rob Ryan will post a note for when students register.

Kathy Hillegonds will mention this on the distance learning web site. The site will tell students to do a “systems check” to be sure their computer system is capable of supporting the distance learning technology.

The faculty member will post the syllabus by the beginning of registration for the appropriate quarter. The syllabus must contain learning goals, topics, assignments (and due dates), how grades are determined, any exams (with dates and times), textbooks, a statement on plagiarism, the technological format (Course On-Line, Blackboard), and the need for new students to do a “systems check.”

Kathy Hillegonds will develop a Commerce “Distance Learning Handbook.”

4. How can we do group work?

Students may not be located near each other. Belief that teamwork is valuable.
  1. Encourage students to communicate electronically, but have separate groups of face-to-face students and distance learning students.
  2. Don’t give group assignments to any students.

Individual faculty members decide this. If they use group work, it should be done through Blackboard. If they want to mix the face-to-face students and the distance learning students in the same groups, they will have to request ITD to allow students in both sections of the course to have access to both sections’ Blackboard sites. Kathy Hillegonds can tell faculty how to do that.

5. How can we do oral presentations?

The distance learning students do not have an audience. Belief that oral presentation skills are valuable.
  1. If a presentation is a required part of the course, the face-to-face students can give their presentations in class. The distance learning students will submit their PowerPoint slides without actually giving an oral presentation.
  2. Don’t assign presentations to any students.

Individual faculty members can decide how the distance learning students will do any presentations. Some options include: (a) mix face-to-face students and distance learning students in the same group, the work is divided appropriately and the face-to-face students are responsible for the actual presentation, (b) the distance learning students just submit PowerPoint slides, (c) the distance learning students submit PowerPoint slides with voice-over; students have to be informed about this in the syllabus and be told that they need a microphone and a DSL or cable line.

6. How can we schedule the courses?

CMC and BIBF courses are compressed, but Chicago courses are usually 10 weeks (plus the final). ARC has restrictions on late withdrawals and late adds.
  1. It is recommended that faculty members individually decide if the face-to-face and distance sections meet on the same schedule or not. This would be stated on the syllabus.
  2. The KGSB office will follow the same procedure for Rolling Meadows courses as it currently does for overseas courses. If ARC gives us problems, we will refer students to the Dean of Students.
Individual faculty members will decide if the two sections meet on the same schedule or not. The minimum length of the distance learning section will be one week longer than the BIBF or CMC section. The maximum length of the distance learning section will be 10 weeks (11 including the final exam/project).

Regarding late adds and withdrawals, the KGSB office will follow the same procedures for RM as it does for BIBF and CMC.

7. How can we deal with the time difference?

Students will be in different time zones.
  1. It is recommended that dates and times (in Central time) be stated on the syllabus, which should be available at least one week before the course starts.
  2. Establish expectations about emails, chat rooms, assignments on the first day of class.
  3. Establish expectations at registration.

Dates and times (in Central Standard or Central Daylight Savings time) will be posted on the syllabus, which will be available at the time of course registration.
8. How can we get the CD to the distance learning students in a timely fashion?

It takes time to burn the disk and to mail them. Some professors would like to give and grade distance students’ exams at the same time as face-to-face students’ exams.
  1. Make the material available in the Internet and tell the students that they need the appropriate broadband connection to take the course. CDM says that their recordings are available 6 hours after the class, though they recommend waiting until noon on the day after class to view the recording.
  2. Burn the CD right after class and mail it via overnight mail.

The master CD will be burned right after class at BIBF, CMC, and RM. It will be sent to CDM’s Loop location where copies will be made of the CD. CDM will send those copies to the distance learning students. Because of the time lag, the distance learning sections should be at least one week longer than the compressed sections at BIBF and CMC.

9. How can we encourage better communications with the faculty?

Administrators sometimes don’t fully inform faculty members in a timely manner. Faculty members sometimes do not ask for full information in a timely manner.
  1. Put minutes of the all committee meetings on SEDONA starting next fall.
  2. Take additional steps to reinforce communications.
The minutes of all future committee meetings will be put on the SEDONA data management system as soon as it is available.

The SEDONA data management system will also have a “distance learning best practices” site so faculty members can share their successes.

10. If no one signs up for the distance learning section, does the face-to-face section still have to be recorded?

Some courses may not attract distance learning students.
  1. It is recommended that we still make recordings since the Course On-line and CDs will be available to enhance the face-to-face instruction.

We will still make recordings to enhance the face-to-face students’ learning even if no distance learning students sign up for the course.

11. How do we deal with many distance learning students?

A large number of students will increase the faculty members’ workloads.

1. The Agreement form signed by faculty members limits the number of distance learning students to 20.

Distance learning sections will be limited to 20 students.
12. How do we promote the distance learning courses?

Students do not know we are expanding into distance learning.
  1. Mention the distance learning courses (not the degree) at registration.
  2. Mention the distance learning courses (not the degree) in the Bulletin.
  3. Promote courses on various web sites: www.classesusa.com, www.worldwidelearn.com, www.elearniners.com, www.google.com, www.geteducated.com, www.usdla.org, Yahoo directory, Peterson’s

Promotion activities will be done by the KGSB office and the Business Technology Center starting right now.
13. How do we get NCA approval for a totally on-line MBA?

NCA regulations require approval when a school wishes to put a degree “predominantly” on-line (because of some scandals in the past).
  1. It is recommended that the Director of Outreach and Assessment work with Academic Affairs to develop a proposal based on the SNL and CDM proposals that NCA already approved.

Mike Jedel, Director of Outreach and Assessment, will work on this starting this summer or fall.

14. How will we deliver GSB 450 totally on-line?

All of the courses in the weekend MBA, the BIBF MBA, and the CMC MBA must be available on-line (except those taught buy CMC professors).
  1. Element K (a distance learning provider) has an on-line presentations practicum.
  2. Hire Karin Conradson (an experienced distance learning instructor) to develop and teach GSB 450 on-line.
  3. Ken Thompson’s GSB 798: Communication and Leadership Skills course has been approved by the Graduate Curriculum Committee as a substitute for GSB 450. It can be considered at the same time as we consider other proposals.

If we get proposals from Element K and from Karin Conradson, the Graduate Curriculum Committee will have to approve/reject them. All approved proposals (including Ken Thompson’s already approved proposal) will be considered by the Dean’s Office as the on-line substitute for the current Communispond presentation practicum.

15. How long will students be allowed to register late for a distance learning course?

University policy currently gives students one week after the start of the quarter to add a course.
  1. Given that the courses may only be 2.5 to 3 weeks long, do not allow any late registrations.
  2. Allow late registrations only up to the first 10% of the course, consistent with university policy.

We will not allow any students to add a distance learning course once the course has started.
16. How do we assess the quality of the distance learning initiative?

We have a reputation to protect. We must comply with AACSB standards. We must evaluate individual courses and instructors.
  1. The MBA learning goals and course-embedded assessments will be included in the distance learning courses, just as in the face-to-face courses.
  2. Course/instructor evaluations will be filled out by distance learning students on-line.
  3. Distance learning students will fill out a separate DL satisfaction survey focusing on the DL mechanics of the course.
MBA learning goals and course-embedded assessments will be done.

Course/instructor evaluations will be done on-line.

A separate DL satisfaction survey will be done on-line.


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