Browsing by Subject "online course"
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Item Building a Community of Learners: The Value of Social Presence and Peer Mentoring in an Online Nutrition Course(University of Minnesota Extension, 2012-10) Burns, Connie“Social Presence” or a sense of ‘belonging’ is important in any classroom setting, whether face to face or at a distance. It is needed to create a level of comfort in which people feel at ease around the teacher/facilitator and other class participants. Social Presence is a direct contributor to the success of an education experience when there are affective goals, as well as purely cognitive ones (Garrison, D., Anderson, G. & Archer, W., 2001). Aragon (2003) identified a number of strategies used to establish and maintain social presence online. After a number of Aragon’s strategies were utilized in course design, Community Nutrition Educators (CNEs) in the Simply Good Eating Program who participated in online nutrition course offerings were surveyed on the ‘social presence’ aspect of the course. Results indicate that CNEs found most of the ‘social presence’ strategies used in nutrition course design ‘useful to very useful’ for increasing their level of comfort. In the most recent course offering, where peer mentors were involved, post course surveys administered to students, and reflection papers completed by peer mentors suggest the use of peer mentoring to be a valuable course component. Social presence strategies and peer mentoring opportunities should not be underestimated when designing courses at a distance, as they help to create a learner centered environment, offer a level of comfort, and enhance knowledge sharing, which can all encourage student success.Item Leadership Matters Online: Technology for a Hybrid Course(St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota Extension, 2012-10) Herman, Margo; Olson, Carrie; Vogel, EricLeadership Matters Online was developed in 2011-12 as a signature course for the Extension Center for Youth Development funded through the Minnesota Department of Education. The course is a hybrid online course with three modules, including three live webinars, pre-recorded sessions, breakout chat rooms, interactive phone calls, as well as self-paced learning. We piloted some innovative interactive learning using technology tools, including Voicethread, Mindmeister and GroupZap. The course was piloted in March 2012 with 16 participants. Evaluation data from 13 participants (two peer reviewers and 11 course participants) was collected by the Youth Work Institute and guided revisions to the course content to be offered again late October 2012. The Moodle course site uses custom designed template formats that provide visual appeal and easier navigation. UMConnect break out rooms during the webinar allow for more extensive conversation between participants. Global Premier phone connections assure the integrity of the phone lines which is often a detraction in online webinar courses. The poster will feature screen shots of the Moodle templates as well as the Mindmeister, Voicethread and Groupzap tools.