Change is in the air.
From proposed changes to Title V to restructuring of the technology grants that support our system, the 2018-19 academic year is already shaping up to be a watershed year for online education. With big changes comes a greater need for communication. In this newsletter, we’ll highlight some of the most important changes impacting online education this fall, including:
The 2017 Distance Education Report from the Chancellor’s Office
Proposed Changes to Title V: Distance Education
Upcoming @ONE Courses
Guided Pathways
First Friday Webinars
Can•Innovate
2017 Distance Education Report
The first change we’d like to spotlight is the most recent Distance Education Report from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, which highlights some of the advancements we, collectively, have made in online course quality and student success. These gains were accomplished through a combination of strategies to support both students taking courses and faculty teaching those courses. Online support services for students is central to gains in both retention and successful completion.
Our First Friday webinars for October highlight some of the tools that provide the support ecosystem for our students, including online tutoring, online counseling, and the Quest Readiness program. If you care about student success, you won’t want to miss any of the October webinars. See below for more information.
Changes to Title V
The second big change is a draft document that captures proposed changes to Title V as it relates to distance education. Proposed changes affect:
- Definitions of distance education;
- Course quality standards;
- Teacher-to-student and student-to-student interaction;
- Course approval (specifically focusing on regular effective contact and accessibility);
- Professional development and training for online teachers.
Upcoming Professional Development
The revisions to Title V and the recommendations of the 2017 DE Report support course quality and student success, so they are positive changes worth discussing, but they also mean that online instructors and those that support them will need more tools in their online toolkit! Here are just a few courses you can take to help you plan and prepare for these changes:
Introduction to Course Design: Designing a quality online course begins with good planning. This 4-week class walks you through a backward design process tailored for developing online courses in Canvas that align to the OEI Course Design Rubric.
Register for ICD
Session 2, 10/8/18 thru 11/3/18
Session 3, 11/5/18 thru 12/8/18
10-10-10: Communication That Matters: Creating a learning community that supports both teacher-to-student and student-to-student interaction requires course design that builds in interaction from the first 10 minutes in the course. This fun and engaging class will have you looking at your course from your student’s perspective–it’s a 10!
Register for 10-10-10
Final Fall Session, 11/5/18 thru 12/8/18
Dynamic Online Teaching: Online courses don’t need to be static or boring! Expand your repertoire with techniques for creating a dynamic learning environment that engages your students and encourages them to be active participants in the learning process.
Register for DOT
Final Fall Session, 10/8/18 thru 11/3/18
Humanizing Online Teaching: Online education should not be “distant.” In this course, you’ll focus on infusing social presence–both instructor and student–into your online class.
Register for Humanizing
Final Fall Session, 10/22/18 thru 11/17/18
Digital Citizenship: Digital divides. Digital footprints. Digital technology. This course explores what it means to teach and learn in the “digital” era.
Register for DigCiz
Final Fall Session, 11/5/18 thru 12/1/18
Creating Accessible Course Content: Ensuring all students have access to course materials is a shared responsibility involving your entire campus. Online instructors, however, need to be informed about not only their own responsibility to ensure the content and activities they create in Canvas are accessible, but also to be able to verify that other resources they are using in their course are accessible, too. This enlightening course will empower you to build access into your course, supporting the needs of every student.
Register for CACC
Final Fall Session, 11/12/18 thru 12/8/18
Guided Pathways
In addition, we’d like to highlight the third and fourth pillars of Guided Pathways, which help students stay on the pathway, and ensure the pathway leads to outcomes. In individual classes, these two pillars hinge on providing students with a variety of formative assessments that offer rich feedback about their learning and help instructors insert early intervention and help when needed (formative assessments can identify who needs online tutoring, for instance!).
In online classes, our formative and summative assessments are lifelines of communication between students and teachers. In Assessment in Digital Learning (ADL), you’ll explore the myriad ways a robust assessment plan, well-designed activities and assignments, and carefully crafted rubrics can help you build Pillar Three and Four within your course. Register now for our last fall section of ADL beginning on October 22nd.
First Friday Webinars
October 5 – CCC Tools to Support Student Success
The California Virtual Campus-Online Education Initiative (CVC-OEI) provides faculty and staff with an array of digital tools that have been fully vetted for accessibility and FERPA compliance. These tools enable our system to provide unparalleled support for all students, but are especially important for our growing population of students who learn online. Join us for this First Friday webinar series to learn more about online tutoring, online counseling, and our interactive online student readiness program.
Each session requires free, online registration.
- 11:00-11:45 AM – Improving Student Writing with Online Tutoring
- 12:00-12:45 PM – Leveraging Technology to Foster Student Equity with Cranium Café
- 1:00-1:45 PM – Taking the Quest Program to the Next Level
Can•Innovate
Friday, October 26 – 8:15am – 4:45pm
20 sessions・30 speakers・3 Ways to Attend
Join in for a free, one-day online conference designed for CCC Canvas users. Pick up new tips and tricks, equitable teaching practices, and don’t miss our keynote speaker, Natalie Miller, a recent graduate from College of the Canyons. Join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #CanInnovate18.
- Online (from anywhere). Register for each session you plan to attend.
- From a regional hub: American River College, Clovis College, De Anza College, Mt. San Antonio College, Palomar College.
- From an on-campus viewing room (find out which colleges are participating or add yours to the list!)
West LA Digital 