Online Parent Education Licensure Program Interview
Increasingly, technology is being integrated into curricula on a programmatic level, not just on a class by class basis. Administrators, instructors, and staff members must grapple with the need to develop technical skills; beyond this, adopting new technologies requires them to reflect on their teaching practices, on the role of the instructor, and on the nature of learning communities. They must develop a decision making process, commit to common goals, reflect on competencies, and sometimes let go of familiar teaching methods and embrace the unknown.
Donna Pearson has experience leading a team as it navigates these challenges. Pearson, a family education program faculty member and a national research center research associate, is facilitating a team effort to create an online parent education licensure program. We asked her for some insight into the process.
Goals
What motivated your family education program to move an already successful program online?
"We began with a desire to increase student access to our program. There are many individuals in Greater Minnesota and in the Twin Cities who wish to become licensed parent educators and find it difficult, if not impossible, to attend courses offered here on campus. Online courses will open possibilities for these groups, and also have the potential to reach new and diverse national and international audiences.
"The decision to move to online delivery was one made by the entire faculty and, importantly, was part of our greater strategic planning. We [view this as an] opportunity to reconceptualize the program in ways that will make the whole of the learning experience more than its parts—to create a cohesive, meaningful learning experience for those who are becoming parent educators."
Technology Strategies
What technologies are you using to develop and deliver the online courses?
"We are using Vista (WebCT) for our courses. Syllabi, assignment instructions, UMConnect presentations, videotaped panel discussions and other instructional materials will be located on the course sites. We are also providing students course materials on a CD-ROM. Students will also participate in online asynchronous discussions and live chat sessions using Vista."
Project Team
As you've pointed out, an ambitious project like this requires a coordinated team effort. How do you accomplish this?
"A project of this scope must be truly a team effort! As a faculty we meet almost monthly. Together, we have mapped out courses and concepts, developed learner outcomes, and identified programmatic themes. We have engaged ourselves in an inclusive process that involves faculty, adjunct instructors, consultants, graduate assistants and others who serve in advisory capacities.
"I don't believe an initiative [of this scope] is possible without this level of agreement and commitment on the front-end. It’s the foundation on which we move forward in this project."
Who are the team members? What roles do they play?
"My own role has been to coordinate the project as a whole: to conduct meetings, organize task lists and timelines, oversee course development and direct the work of our graduate assistant. Our graduate assistant, who holds TA Web certification, locates and manages the instructional resources we need to support course redesign and acts as a liaison to our college technology fellow. Our college technology fellow assists us with the development of online syllabi and WebCT sites for our courses. Our GA also acts as liaison to our "writing team," a group of consultants and adjunct instructors who work on redesigning course content. All faculty—including myself—meet [regularly to address issues of course redesign]."
Support Strategies
How will instructors be supported in this unfamiliar teaching environment?
"Since our instructors have varying levels of experience and confidence in the use of technology we have focused on providing some introductory-level training this year. We are very fortunate to have support from within the college for this project, which includes the contributions of our college technology fellow, who will provide instructors with one-on-one support once we begin to launch the courses. Our instructors will find support outside of the college as well, as they have access to many TEL training opportunities right here on campus. Finally, I am privileged to have received a Digital Media Center (DMC) faculty fellowship this year. Because of my work with the DMC I am able to bring ideas and resources back to our faculty, facilitate the bridging of technology with course content, and identify our instructors' training needs."
Outcomes
How will you evaluate the success of this effort?
"We are working on this aspect right now. To assist the development of our online courses and modules, we have adapted an online course evaluation [instrument (RTF)] developed by former fellow Melissa Avery from the School of Nursing. Essentially, we are using the evaluation criteria she has identified on the front-end of our course redesign. We hope to continue to use the evaluation tool to gather data for our program as well as contribute to what Dr. Avery has collected thus far. This connection is one of those unexpected benefits that has come through my participation as a DMC fellow!"
Advice
What advice might you give to other departments embracing distance learning on such a large scale?
"Obviously, a project like this will require ongoing commitment, time, and resources. Beyond that, I feel it is absolutely essential in a project of this scale to build consensus among faculty and then move forward on this foundation of agreement. It is also important that the group select one person to assume leadership for the initiative and facilitate the everyday workings of the project.
"This kind of project is ground up. While the 'product' of program and courses is certainly the goal, we have been quite intentional in engaging ourselves in a process that requires both patience and an inclusive disposition. We work very hard in our meetings and sessions, but we frequently emerge energized. I personally feel this is because we respect each other and enjoy working together toward a common goal."
Campus Resources
What campus support services and resources have been especially helpful?
"Moving a program online is a new experience for us as a faculty and we are all growing in our understanding of technology as we progress along. As I mentioned earlier, we are very fortunate to have the support of our college. We have also benefited greatly from the DMC support. For instance, the DMC staff arranged for our parent education group to meet faculty who have successfully undertaken a similar project. Not only did we find this an encouraging exchange, but we were able to gain many insights from their experiences."
How has being a DMC fellow impacted the project?
"As the familiar ad goes, my experience as a DMC fellow has been 'priceless'. Through the fellowship activities and meetings, I have been given access to and training in the latest technologies and have received invaluable support from the staff and former fellows. It has been exciting to hear from experts here in the University system who are successfully implementing technologies into their units and programs. Finally, I don't think I can understate the benefit of being a part of the fellows group - I have learned so much from my peers! I highly enncourage others to consider applying to the program.
