Transcript Distance Education: New Offerings from Ball State University

Developing an Online Masters
in Technology Education
Jim Flowers – James Kirkwood
Ball State University
[email protected]
Master of Arts

Technology Education (TE)

Industrial Vocational / Technical Education
(IV/TE)
 (Career
and Technical Education)
Logistics





Online courses to replace traditional courses
100% online from Ball State
30 Credit Hours (thesis optional)
9 hours may be transferred in
Technology Education


All courses offered in a 1-year period
Industrial Vocational / Technical Education

All courses offered in a 2-year period
MA in Technology Education
Approved for Online Delivery
 Online delivery replaces on-campus over
2-year phase in period
 Summer, 2002: 2 online courses
 Fall, 2002: 3 online courses

MA in Technology Education
Pilot tested online course
 Conducted needs assessment
 Local administration
 Faculty preparation
 Marketing

MA in Industrial Vocational /
Technical Education

Awaiting Approval for Online Delivery
 ICHE
approval is required when 50% of a
program’s courses are offered by DE.

Fall, 2002: 3 online courses
Needs Assessment
Survey sent to Technology Education .
(ITEA members)
 Substantial need exists
 Obstacles exit


http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v13n1/flowers.html
Need

Convenience
 Place
 Time
flexibility
Continuing education credits
 Graduate degree & course in Tech Ed

Obstacles

Misconceptions?
 Poor
quality
 Not much human contact
 Degree mill?
Ignorance (where to find courses)
 Technological obstacles
 Administrative obstacles

Decision to Go Online

Declining F2F
enrollment

8 profs –
unanimous
decision

Proposal:

www.bsu.edu/web/jcflowers1/projects/
onlinemasters/proposal.htm
Approvals
Program Committee & Chair
 Dean
 Continuing Education Dean
 “Teleplex” (funds for development)
 Univ. Graduate Education Committee
 Indiana Commission on Higher Education

Student Concerns
Cost
 Technological requirements
 Flexibility and convenience
 Quality
 Meaningful contact with instructors and
with other students

Cost: 2001 – 2002 tuition for one
3-credit hour graduate course
On-Campus
Online
In-state
$585
$462
Out-of-state
$1,415
$618
Rates are expected to increase in future years.
 One-time admission fee: $35

Technology:
Computer
 Internet access

 56K
minimum, high-speed preferred
Web browsers
 Microsoft Office
 For certain courses:

 Access
to a digital still camera
 Access to a video camera
Flexibility & Convenience
Online admissions and registration
 No trips to campus
 Log on to class from any computer
 Log on at a convenient time
 Apply the new learning right away in one’s
own job

Quality
Equivalent to on-campus courses
 Recently improved courses
 Rigorous course and program assessment

Human Contact
More personalized, meaningful
communication
 Individual and collaborative learning
activities
 Online communication can be deeper

Online in Summer, 2002:

ITEDU 564 Practicum in Technology
Education for Elementary Grades (3)

EDPSY 640 Methodology of Educational &
Psychological Research (3)
Online in Fall, 2002:
ITEDU 510 Technology: Use and
Assessment (3)
 ITEDU 568 Principles and Philosophy of
Vocational Education (3)
 ITEDU 691 Strategies & Materials for
Teaching Technology Education (3)
 EDTEC 550 Instructional Use of
Educational Media & Technology (3)

Sample Course
ITEDU 510, Technology: Use & Assessment
 Info:



www.bsu.edu/web/jcflowers1/510intro.htm
Modules:

www.bsu.edu/web/jcflowers1/rlo/510.htm
Blackboard 5.5.1 L3 Course Site
Discussion Board Forums
Sample Thread
Sample Posting
Learning Modules
Learning Modules
A Case Study
Technology Education for the Elementary
Grades…A Practicum.
 This type of course resents a unique
challenge because of its hands-on,
practical experiences.
 It will be the second course to go on-line.
 It’s been taught “forever” as an existing
course by the same faculty member.
 …me.

Faculty Development
Undergraduate course has been using the
web for about five years.
 At first for things that could be done on
paper, slides, or face-to-face.
 Gradually included units that were
available only on-line.
 Some developed by instructor.
 Some existing on-line courses.
 For example; NASA “Space Place.”

Examples of early web pages
Other glimpses of early starts
Teaching an Old Dog
Learned web design from young dogs—
Graduate Assistants, beginning in 1996.
 Course Info workshops sponsored by Ball
State faculty development beginning 1999.
 Signed up for web design workshops in
Page Mill, (1997) Dreamweaver, FrontPage.
 Blackboard workshop, an intensive twoweek workshop, summer of 2000.

Teaching an Old Dog
Faculty Workshop for Department, Summer
of 2001.
 Taught by Jim Flowers.
 Put the other learning into a context for me.
 Learned strengths and weaknesses of
colleagues I’ll be teaching with.
 It gave me a chance to practice what I had
been preaching.

Try-out in Summer of 2001
“Hybrid” ITDEDU 564, Practicum in
Technology Education for Elementary
Grades.
 Only six students, all within 70 miles.
 Met just 3 times in class, and once on
their site.
 Met as virtual classes twice.
 Discussion groups most helpful.

Still learning—but the time is now!
Spring 2002.
 Developing the course
for on-line instruction.
 Where do I start?

An Old Dog Learns Science!
Jason Academy
 A science teaching site
 Introduction to teaching science on-line.
 I was put into a group with two science
teachers, and we had to collaborate to
produce a teaching unit.
 The unit had to be correlated with
Learning Styles and Gardner’s Multiple
Intelligences.

Now I was a student!
I had to work!
 I created my home page.
 I was put in a group and had to
contribute!
 There were a flurry of e-mails among
Gayle, Jill and me.
 We all had other things to do.
 But we managed to put together a
magnificent piece of work…(ahem!)

Assessment
How does this differ from a regular class?
 Each class is unique, of course.
 Jason Academy provided a RUBRIC for
evaluating discussions.
 I’ve adapted that for a 400 course this
semester.
 Students are usually “open” in discussions.
 If they are to be graded on it, assessment
has to be fair, above-board, and with
clearly stated guidelines.

Assessment
A lot of work to assess fairly.
 The rubric makes it more mechanical.
 Discussion submissions can be “coded” by
a trained assistant.
 Volume of contribution is assessed along
with quality. Emphasis is on quality,
because if the problem is real, students
will communicate often.

Communication

Most frustrating is technical difficulties!!!

Can be solved at the beginning for most
students.
Communication
A very pleasant surprise.
 Students DO COMMUNICATE OFTEN!
 Students are “open.”
 Students will say things on-line that they
will not say in class.
 Even though they know they are
monitored, they do bash the instructor.
 They also ask relevant questions of each
other and of the instructor.

Developing an Online Masters
in Technology Education
Jim Flowers – James Kirkwood
Ball State University
[email protected]
Required Courses: MA in Tech Ed
21 hours:
ITEDU 635 Implementing Technology Education (3)
ITEDU 690 History and Philosophy of Technology Education
(3)
 ITEDU 691 Strategies & Materials for Teaching Technology
Education (3)
 ITEDU 694 Curriculum Development in Technology
Education (3)
 ITEDU 698 Seminar in Technology Education (3)
 ITEDU 699 Research in Industrial Education (3)
 EDTEC 550 Instructional Use of Educational Media &
Technology (3)


Electives: MA in Tech Ed
9 credit hours:
ITEDU 510 Technology: Use and Assessment (3)
 ITEDU 564 Practicum in Technology Education for
Elementary Grades (3)
 EDPSY 640 Methodology of Educational & Psychological
Research (3)
 ITEDU 550 Career and Technical Student Organizations
(renamed) (3)
 (other electives or transfer credits approved by the
program advisor)
