INST 5220: Communication in Online Learning Communities
Educational Technology
Dept of Career & Technology Education
College of Education
University of Central Missouri
Spring 2008
(Jan 14 – May 9)
COURSE SYLLABUS
PROFESSOR: DR. ODIN JURKOWSKI
E-mail:
AIM: odinjurkowski (www.aim.com for more info on instant messaging)
Telephone: (w): 660.543.8387 (h): 660.530.4310 – No calls later than 9pm please
Office: Grinstead 120
Office Hours: Mon – Thurs, 1-3 pm, and by appointment (Please call/email ahead of time. Unless I’m in a meeting, I’m in my office or on campus most of the week.)
COMMUNICATION
My preferred mode of contact is via Blackboard discussions so that the entire class can read the question and the response. However, I check my email constantly so feel free to contact me via email at any time with any question. I understand that some questions do not really need the entire class to participate. Other means of contact may include phone, instant message, and office visits. I will usually respond within 24 hours (excluding weekends), although in reality am usually much quicker than that. Unless I’m in meetings or at a conference I am almost always in my office and check email and Blackboard constantly. Just because the class is online does not mean that we don’t have to have contact outside of Blackboard. Feel free to come by my office at any time.
CLASS MEETING TIMES
Course is entirely online using Blackboard course management software. Course access is at: http://courses.ucmo.edu
DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE
Students examine theoretical and practical aspects of communication and collaboration focusing on online communication and its affects on online learning communities. (3 credit hours)
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE
Language theory and computer mediated communication (CMC) research will be used to promote understanding of the affordances and obstacles of communicating in online learning communities. This research is applied to online communication in K-12 settings, workplace training, and higher education settings.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Belief Statement
The Central educator is a competent, caring, reflective practitioner committed to the premise that all can learn.
Mission
As a cornerstone of the institution for over 130 years, the University of Central Missouri's Teacher Education Program develops teachers and other school professionals who are well grounded in theory, display competence in content knowledge and instructional strategies, and possess the dispositions to ensure success for all learners. The Teacher Education Program prepares individuals as professional educators for an ever-changing, culturally diverse population. Faculty and candidates provide support and service to schools in meeting their present and future challenges by developing communities that learn through research and scholarly activities. Educator preparation is a campus-wide responsibility, a commitment that reflects the honor and worth of serving a vital profession.
OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
Upon the completion of this course the student will be able to:
1. Describe characteristics of online communities
2. Evaluate structural elements of online communities
3. Present instances of problems that have occurred in online communities
4. Build a sense of community in an online environment
5. Apply principles of CMC to instructional situations
6. Recognize and create opportunities to enhance instruction using CMC
7. Analyze communication breakdowns in CMC
8. Recognize challenges to online teaching and learning
9. Diagnose difficulties individual students encounter during online instruction
10. Solve problems that occur when teaching online
11. Evaluate communication in online learning communities
STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE / STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Teaching method will require students to use the online classroom provided in Blackboard.The majority of interaction will take place over this medium.It is expected that students will login a few times each week in order to stay informed and participate in class discussions. Furthermore, students are expected to check their student email regularly. Standard rules of conduct for netiquette are expected.
When posting on discussions, please keep to comments that are substantive. While an occasional “Nice job!” is always appreciated, please do not fill up the boards with multiple short posts that don’t move the discussion further along. Keep in mind the relationship between quality and quantity of posts.
Although the class is online, students with questions and problems have the opportunity to communicate with the teacher via Blackboard, email, phone, instant messaging, or in person. Office meetings can always be arranged to fit student schedules.
TECHNOLOGY
Students will need a web browser with Internet access, Microsoft Office or compatible, Adobe Reader, and occasionally other plug-ins when visiting web sites.
Assignments must be word processed, spell checked, and adhere to APA guidelines (double spaced, 12 pt font Times Roman, 1” margins, citations in APA format). Documents shared with classmates should always be in a compatible format so that everyone in the class can view them: Microsoft Word 1997-2003 (.doc or .rtf), PowerPoint (.ppt), html, or Acrobat (.pdf) as a last resort. If you do not have Microsoft Office consider OpenOffice as an alternative (openoffice.org). Please do not save word documents as .docx as many students do not yet have the latest version.
TEACHING STYLE
This is not a lecture based class where students sit back, absorb information from the teacher, and then are tested on their knowledge of what they remembered. Rather, the teacher is a guide. Using a constructivist model and following a structure suited for adult learners in graduate level courses in an online environment, students will be required to build their own knowledge in collaboration with other students and stemmed from their own experiences. It is also expected that students will be seeking out information when needed from a variety of sources (professional journal literature, books, online resources, colleagues, classmates, personal experiences whether past or present, etc.) and will ask questions of the teacher and other students when necessary. The online classroom should be a friendly environment and everyone should be free to comment, ask questions, and answer questions.
EVALUATION OF THE COURSE
Grades will be figured using the standard scale.
100-90% = A 89-80% = B 79-70% =C 69-60%=D 59% and below=F
Instructor created rubrics will be used to evaluate subjective assignments. Feedback will usually be provided via Blackboard discussion boards, from the instructor and from other students. Occasionally the instructor may need to email students for additional feedback. Up-to-date grades can be found through Blackboard within Tools | Check Grade. The instructor will grade assignments and post grades by the end of the week that they are due. The student will always have the option to ask for additional feedback if desired.
Late work will be marked down one letter grade unless prior arrangements are made. Each week thereafter that the assignment is not turned in it will be reduced an additional letter grade. Assignments must be submitted early if you know you will be absent when something is due. It is to your benefit to submit assignments earlier in the week rather than at the last minute in case technical problems or other difficulties arise. Incomplete grades for the course will NOT be issued upon request. Note: if Blackboard is down and it prevents you from posting assignments, please post as soon as possible after the system is back up. Blackboard failures, while rare, are possible and you will not lose points if late for that reason.
Students will have the option to revise and resubmit work if they are not satisfied with their assigned grade. While points can not be made up for late work, students who are persistent in learning should do well in this course.
EARLY ALERT
As part of the College of Education commitment to building a positive, student-centered learning community that supports the success of every student, the faculty member instructing this course participates in the UCM Early Alert Program.
ADA
Students with documented disabilities who are seeking academic accommodations should contact the Office of Accessibility Services, Union 222, (Voice and TTY) 660-543-4421.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Honesty in all endeavors is essential to the function of society. Honesty in the classroom among students and between students and faculty is a matter that should concern everyone in the University Community. Please see the Central Student Handbook for the complete policy, student responsibilities, and procedures for enforcement http://www.ucmo.edu/x71440.xml
GET HELP @ YOUR LIBRARY!
You may access your library account, the online catalog, and electronic databases from James C. Kirkpatrick Library’s website at http://library.ucmo.edu. For research assistance, you may contact the Reference Desk:
Phone: 543-4154 Email:
AIM: JCKLReference
MAILING LIST
Each student is expected to subscribe to the listserv maintained by the department. Important information may be missed by students who are not subscribed.
For more information see http://www.ucmo.edu/x100422.xml
TEXTBOOKS FOR THE COURSE
There are 2 required textbooks for this course:
Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. (2004). Engaging the Online Learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wainfan, L., & Davis, P. (2004). Challenges in Virtual Collaboration: Videoconferencing, audioconferencing, and computer--mediated communication. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.
Recommended (Needed throughout the program for formatting papers in all courses). Note: if you have access to this from a library or another source you may not need to purchase. http://apastyle.apa.org
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington: American Psychological Association.
Textbooks can be purchased from the University Store, in person or via a distance and then shipped to you (1.800.330.7698 or http://www.ucmbookstore.com).
COURSE CALENDAR
Wk / Dates / Topics / Overview of Major Readings & Assignments Due(Additional online activities posted in Blackboard under the Assignments link. Please check weekly.)
1 / Jan 14 – 20 / Course Intro / Read: Wainfan & Davis, Ch 1-2; Conrad & Donaldson, Ch 5
2 / Jan 22 – 27 / Holiday: Martin Luther King – Monday Jan 21
Due: Icebreakers
3 / Jan 28 – Feb 3 / Literature / Read: Wainfan & Davis, Ch 3-5
4 / Feb 4 – 10 / Engagement / Read: Conrad & Donaldson, Ch 1-3
5 / Feb 11 – 17 / Synchronous: Chat / Due: Chat
6 / Feb 18 – 24 / Second Life
7 / Feb 25 – Mar 2 / Due: Second Life
8 / Mar 3 – 9 / Asynchronous
Mar 10 – 16 / Spring Break
9 / Mar 17 – 22 / Holiday: Easter – Sunday Mar 23
Student Led Discussions: Conrad & Donaldson, Ch 4, 6
10 / Mar 24 – 30 / Student Led Discussions: Conrad & Donaldson, Ch 7, 8
11 / Mar 31 – Apr 6 / Student Led Discussions: Conrad & Donaldson, Ch 9, 10
12 / Apr 7 – 13 / Collaboration
13 / Apr 14 – 20 / Due: Group Presentations
14 / Apr 21 – 27 / Designing Instruction
15 / Apr 28 – May 4 / Due: Design of Training Materials
Final / May 5 – 9 / Due: Course Reflection
Course Projects (Total possible points = 1000)
Assignment and Point Summary
Assignment / Points Possible / Points ObtainedOnline Activities and Participation / 300
1. Icebreakers / Relationship Building / 100
2. Synchronous: Lead Chat / 100
3. Synchronous: Second Life / 100
4. Asynchronous: Two way - Lead Discussion / 100
5. Asynchronous: One way - Design of Training Materials (NCATE) / 100
6. Group Presentation / 100
7. Course Reflection / 100
Total / 1000
ASSIGNMENT DETAILS
Online Activities and Participation (300 points)
There will be online discussions and activities throughout the semester. This will include the general Discussion Board and Group Discussions, with some variation depending on the size of the class. With each activity you are expected to respond to the initial questions as well as interact with classmates in a discussion. Grading is based on the frequency and regularity of logins (2-3 times per week is standard), on time completion of all discussion board activities, and the quality and depth of online discussions.
Three attendance / participation grades will be provided, covering the first third of the semester (100 points), second third of the semester (100 points), and final third of the semester (100 points), for a total of 300 points at semester end. This will allow students to adjust their activities as the semester progresses if need be. (Standards: 5.3)
Grading Rubric:
Target / Acceptable / UnacceptableRating / 3 / 2 / 1
Quantity of discussion posts / Posts multiple new threads and replies to other messages / Posts a single message per board per week / Does not post weekly on the discussions
Quality of discussion posts / Ties together readings, concepts, experiences, and other posts, contributing to an in depth discussion / Posts touch on readings and experience / Short and uninformative posts that do not add to the discussion
Blackboard logins / Logs in 2 or 3 times per week / Logs in 1 or 2 times per week / Logs in less than once per week
Clarity / Posts are clear and easy to follow / Posts are readable and can be understood / Difficult to understand what the point of the messages are
Rating Scale:
Score / Rating / Grade10-12 / Target / A
8-9 / Acceptable / B
0-7 / Unacceptable / C or below
Icebreakers / Relationship Building (100 points):
Following introductions students will select an icebreaker in order to build relationships at the start of the semester. The icebreaker may be one from the course text, a modification from the text, or an entirely different activity. Students will use the given wiki to add ideas and then select which is their favorite. As a class, one activity will be chosen for students to complete. Assessment of this assignment is completion of the icebreaker by participating and engaging other students.
Synchronous: Lead Chat (100 points):
Using the wiki to find common times when students are available this week students will take turns leading part of a text chat. The topic of what you cover is up to you. Find a topic from a news item, a web site, a journal or magazine article, or something of personal interest. For instance, an article from the Journal of Computer Mediated Communication linked under the Literature folder in the Blackboard Course Documents. Post this topic and any accompanying information you want to share ahead of time on the course wiki. During the chat I will prompt each of you to start your turn. You will summarize very, very briefly, i.e. in a sentence or two, and then ask at least two questions, one at a time, for other students to briefly respond to. Everyone should feel free to discuss and follow up questions of each other. Each student led chat should be less than 10 minutes in length.