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UMUC Presenters and Award Winners at MDLA 2011 Conference

Floyd Csir

Instructional Support Specialist

Center for Support of Instruction

Published: May-June 2011

Category: » University-showcase » Conference-presentations

UMUC was well represented by faculty, staff, and directors who attended the 10th Annual Spring Conference of the Maryland Distance Learning Association (MDLA) on March 30, 2011, at Sheppard Pratt Conference Center in Baltimore.

Keynote Presentation

The keynote was presented by Norman Bier, Associate Director of the Open Learning Initiative (OLI) at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Bier discussed OLI's purpose to improve teaching and learning through the development of free "stand-alone" college-level online courses and Web-based learning environments. OLI is based on a learner-centric model that considers feedback a major part of successful learning. According to Bier, intelligent tutoring systems, virtual laboratories, simulations, and frequent feedback are used to improve OLI-constructed courses. Student feedback provides OLI the data it needs to evaluate and improve learning objects, which in turn benefits students and faculty. For more information on this innovative model, visit the Open Learning Initiative Web site.

UMUC Award Winner

Best Distance Program of the Year Award

UMUC's Doctor of Management (DM) program won the Best Distance Program of the Year (Credit) award at the conference. Dr. Bryan Booth, Executive Director of Doctoral Programs, accepted the award.

The DM program's mission is to assist students in becoming effective leaders by applying their knowledge, skills, and expertise. The program appeals to working professionals because it is cohort based and part time, providing peer support as well as flexibility. The research focus of the program includes a unique multi-stage dissertation process that takes place over a three-year period so that the dissertation requirements are completed upon graduation.

Students also benefit from having a dedicated DM Academic Specialist and Coordinator whose key role is to support them during their academic careers. The DM program experienced a growth rate of 132% from 2005 to 2009, during which its student numbers increased from 108 to 251.

MDLA President Jean Runyon said of the program, "UMUC's Doctor of Management program is a model program—exemplifying the highest quality in instructional design, curriculum, and delivery—one that creates a learning environment conducive for the success of adult learners."

UMUC Presentations

Please see MDLA's 2011 Spring Conference Presentations for links to presentation slides.

Backward Design 101 
Linda Smelser, Instructional Support Specialist, Center for Support of Instruction, and Adjunct Faculty, School of Undergraduate Studies 

Linda discussed backward design, an instructional design model, as it relates to designing courses and course components. Backward design starts with student outcomes at the beginning of constructing a course so that the instruction, content, and components of the course align with course goals. Linda showed how the framework of backward design is a process similar to developing a travel itinerary: By using desired results as the starting point and destination, designers and faculty can construct a strategically designed course that clearly shows a student's evidence of learning.

Linda provided two examples of backward design—for a newly designed course and for a pre-packaged course. When designing a new course, all course components (syllabus, content, assignments, etc.) need to be constructed to point toward the course goal and desired results. When developing course components (conference discussions, activities, etc.) for a pre-packaged course, the designer (instructor, etc.) needs to become familiar with the goals and assessments to design components that build toward those outcomes. 

Prepare Your Online Classroom and Students for Collaboration and Teamwork 
Datta Kaur Khalsa, Program Director for Assessment, Department of Education, Graduate School of Management and Technology 

Datta Kaur's presentation was based on 10 years of online teaching experience and summary of 130 recently acquired graduate student comments relating their experience with virtual teamwork. The presentation focused on the importance of community and choice. Cultivating and maintaining a sense of community is essential in the online classroom by using online collaboration and teamwork. The presentation offered instructor and student guidelines for successful virtual teamwork in an attempt to answer this question: What do instructors and students need to prepare for an effective collaborative culture in their online classroom? 

Datta Kaur emphasized "a culture of confidence and trust" to empower students by giving them a voice which helps them take ownership. Providing students with choices is especially important when they are having difficulty with an assignment or assessment. She discussed how she encourages her students to think of alternative group projects that meet course objectives in which they can authentically demonstrate their knowledge.

A Student Retention Reality Check: Are We Asking the Right Questions? 
Mark L. Parker, Interim Assistant Dean and Academic Director of Writing & Philosophy, School of Undergraduate Studies

Mark discussed demographics for online students, who have important distinctions from traditional, full-time students in terms of student retention and success. Online students are generally older than traditional students, attend school part time, and have a full- or part-time job. They are also likely to have clear and pragmatic reasons for attending college, such as to get a degree or improve their skills to change or keep their jobs. Mark discussed online student needs and how policy makers may be setting unreasonable expectations for non-traditional students at institutions that make extensive use of distance education.

Some topics discussed during the presentation included the meaning of success and failure for online students, the need for blended/hybrid courses, the impact of ad hoc courses for non-degree-seeking tudents, and student engagement. Mark reviewed the current framework for measuring student retention and success. He described why such a framework may not be suitable for institutions with large distance education efforts and suggested a new framework to measure student success and retention.

Avatars-Based Virtual Teamwork and Leadership Skills Development 
Irena Bojanova, Program Director of Telecommunications Management and IT Infrastructure, Information and Technology Systems, Graduate School of Management and Technology

Graduate programs have emphasized that students learn team building and leadership skills due to the current work environment of globalization and information technology. Irena showed how she has addressed this issue by giving her students the option of utilizing virtual worlds and cloud computing to collaborate on a group project. Irena showed some of the collaborative technologies she uses in her courses, such as Google Docs for collaborative information gathering and document creation, BatchGeo for zip code-based maps creation and team formation, and Second Life for conducting avatar-based team building activities.

Irena also discussed how her students develop their team-building and leadership skills through virtual collaborative exercises such as logical puzzles, survivor scenarios, and scavenger hunts. As part of final presentations, students use Second Life for creating demonstrations and itineraries. The presentation emphasized that using cloud computing and virtual worlds gives students opportunities to experience and learn about tools that will become part of the "Next Generation Internet." She has found that students' virtual teamwork and leadership development opportunities in the online environment has increased student engagement, satisfaction, and the quality of online group work.

About MDLA

MDLA is a chapter of the United States Distance Learning Association with a mission to promote education, training, and research for distance learning. MDLA offers conferences twice a year with a low-cost fall conference and a free half-day conference. In addition, MDLA conducts a free webinar series called Wired Wednesdays that showcases distance education technology and pedagogy.

For more information about future MDLA conferences, webinars, and membership, visit the MDLA Web site.