Open Entry - Open Exit Courses

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Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1298] Scheduled On Courses VS Open Entry-Open Exit
From: Dlhargrove_at_aol.com
Date: Thu Apr 01 2004 - 08:23:40 EST

Hi group,

As I read NIckie's response on her strategies for engaging students, I realize that most of the online PD everyone is talking about involves a set class time period... that is, students sign up and the online class begins on a certain date and ends at a certain date.

All of the web-based trainings that we offer on the Florida TechNet website are open entry-open exit. After I heard the positive results that the Center for Literacy Studies had after adopting one of our trainings, I thought it might increase our retention if we scheduled the online trainings for certain time periods. No one in our state wanted a set schedule.

My question is, has anyone else used the open entry-open exit process for their online PD?

Debra

Debra Hargrove
Florida TechNet

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1300] FW: Scheduled On Courses VS Open Entry-Open Exit
From: kgongora (kgongora_at_proliteracy.org)
Date: Thu Apr 01 2004 - 08:55:00 EST

Debra,

This is exactly what we are currently doing on Verizon Literacy University. It does pose a unique challenge. One of the strengths of online learning, as has been discussed at great length here, is the creation of a community of learners. However, we cannot guarantee that there will ever be concurrent users in a class at any one time. Furthermore, since the courses are 'open' there is not a facilitator actively engaged in the course while students are proceeding through it, making the learning experience an individual experience rather than a community one.

It's really forcing us to think about 'interactivity' in our courses, as a separate idea from 'activity' and how to get around the prescribed course model of our learning management system. As one example, the LMS has a discussion board feature. We tend to use this in certain courses as more of a 'message board' where students can post ideas/responses to a question and read what others have offered. I consider this more activity than interactivity, since there is no immediate reward or feedback for the learner specific to their post.

Regarding the retention rate for courses such as this, it is my experience from working in online learning in a variety of disciplines that in cases like ours, offering some type of prescribed curriculum, credits or CEUs is the only way to ensure higher levels of course completion. (It's something we are currently investigating with VLU.) Another point is to offer shorter courses specific to a very manageable objective, where learners can take a quick course/tutorial that meets a pressing need, then use that information on the job immediately. Even so, retention rates are generally low for these types of courses, unless it's directly tied to something else in their professional development. Reasons for this run the gamut from poorly designed courses to a wrong student/course match.

I'd be curious to hear what the expectations are in this field on CEUs, credits, etc from literacy programs. What ongoing professional develop requirements do you have for the different types of staff, administrative staff, instructional staff, et al.?

Kristine Marane Góngora, Instructional Designer
ProLiteracy Worldwide
kgongora_at_proliteracy.org

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1301] Re: FW: Scheduled On Courses VS Open Entry-Open Exit
From: Dlhargrove_at_aol.com
Date: Thu Apr 01 2004 - 09:16:55 EST

Hi Kristine,
I like your comment about the difference between activity and interactivity...we have included a new role in our trainings this year ~ an online facilitator.. Her job is to maintain the database of users, track their completion of activities and then email them occasionally to see how they're doing, what questions they might have, etc.. that's the only interactivity we have, except for the new idea we're throwing around about the multiuser bulletin board posting I mentioned earlier.

But that's only the facilitator communicating with the participant. Our courses range from 5 hours to 10 hours, so someone could actually complete one of the smaller ones in a day. Doesn't leave a lot of room for ongoing discussion. The evaluations are coming through just fine too, everyone seems to be happy with what they got for their time. I'm just always looking ahead and constantly improving the process. Your comments and, I think David's or Nickie's are helping me decide which avenue we want to approach.

thanks,
Debra

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1302] Re: Scheduled On Courses VS Open Entry-Open Exit
From: Linda Robinson (L-Robinson1_at_wiu.edu)
Date: Thu Apr 01 2004 - 10:50:50 EST

Hi,
I am enjoying this discussion and would like to respond to Debra's question:

I am with the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood at Western Illinois University and we have online workshops (focusing on assistive technology and young children) that are used in two ways: as part of courses in Early Childhood, Instructional Technology, and Special Education, and as PD for educators and families. So we have the open entry and open exit format for the latter group. We are currently researching the effectiveness of our workshops for educators, families, and university faculty and students. And, of course, it is easier to get data from students who are required to complete pre/post assessments and performance indicators. We are having a difficult time getting the pre/post data from educators and families. Since all of our data is collected online, we would like to build in limits to further workshop access until assessment is completed. In other words, the participant has to complete the post assessment for one workshop before entering another workshop.

Does anyone currently do this in their online data collection?

Linda Robinson
Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood
Western Illinois University

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1336] Limiting access to workshops until feedback is given
From: Duren Thompson (solveig_at_utk.edu)
Date: Mon Apr 05 2004 - 08:30:31 EDT

Linda,

The new online learning system that the MidWest and Southern RTCs is piloting next year - The Learning Manager - has the ability for you to "limit" access to further workshops until a previous workshop is considered "complete."

Right now we are targeting Adult Education programs - but contact Bill McNutt mcnutt@utk.edu or Tim Ponder (our co-facilitator) tponder@zhost.net to find out if there is anything this system could do to meet your needs.

Duren Thompson
Center for Literacy Studies

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1305] RE: Scheduled On Courses VS Open Entry-Open Exit
From: Moore, Shelley L. (smoore2_at_lhup.edu)
Date: Thu Apr 01 2004 - 11:15:09 EST

Debra asks: "My question is, has anyone else used the open entry-open exit process for their online PD?"

Our online courses also use a set class time period for beginning and ending dates, however, actually working through the course is usually at the convenience of the individual participant. For the most part, we list "suggested due dates" for activities to give the participants a framework for progress, but generally the only mandatory due dates are ones that are associated with group work.

This set-up seems to work well, taking into consideration the time constraints may that face adult educators. It allows participants the freedom to complete course work as time permits, but also encourages participation, interactivity and connectivity within the group.

Shelley Moore
ABLE Academy
West Branch Technology Center
110 East Bald Eagle Street
Lock Haven, PA 17745
Phone (570) 893-4038 Fax (570) 748-1598

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1334] Re: Scheduled On Courses VS Open Entry-Open
From: Duren Thompson (solveig_at_utk.edu)
Date: Mon Apr 05 2004 - 08:28:32 EDT

Debbie,

We've toyed with the idea of offering the information *both* ways. Get it out on the internet for anyone to browse AND offer it as a facilitated course with peer interaction. You might try that and see if anyone "joins." maybe they don't want it "scheduled" because that is *different* and sounds *restrictive.* But if you offer it - maybe some would like it better? We'll gladly lend you some of our evaluation comments as "marketing tools."  :)

"This course has been such an important part of my life the past 6 weeks. I have looked forward to finding out what was waiting on me each week in the form of an assignment, a reading, etc. The information that I have received from the assignment introductions, the links to associated sites, reflecting on myself as a teacher and my students, and the comments from my fellow adult educators have all been invaluable to me." July 2002 participant in GED 2002 Part #2 - Teaching Tools.

(Nothing makes me feel better than to read the evaluations - for most of our completors we are meeting a *real* need! Now if we can just figure out a way to measure it's effect on their AE learners....Do they actually "hang on" to what they have learned? Does it have a long-term impact on their instruction? Is "Online - in more depth" more effective than "face-to-face but only one day?)

Duren Thompson
Center for Literacy Studies

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1314] RE: Scheduled On Courses VS Open Entry-Open Exit
From: Beth Wheeler (bwheeler_at_sbctc.ctc.edu)
Date: Thu Apr 01 2004 - 17:35:25 EST

washington state doesn't have the experience you have, debra, but our "new teacher orientation" course has a set start date, but the instructors have flexed at the other end of the four-week course and kept some aspects open to accommodate instructors who could not complete all the work in the four weeks. retention has improved with this flexibility. the course is non-credit, but we offer a great certificate and proof of attendance and/or clock hours (for k-12 certified instructors.

beth wheeler
office of adult literacy
washington state

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1342] Re: Scheduled On Courses VS Open Entry-Open Exit
From: Jerome Johnston (jerej_at_umich.edu)
Date: Mon Apr 05 2004 - 08:35:21 EDT

There is a need for the type of PD that Debra's site offers. I think of it as just-in-time training that meets the needs of teachers to learn about a topic when the need arises.

The goal for my PD effort is to build a community of professionals who can help one another solve problems. This requires a fairly stable membership.

However, the next PD effort at Project IDEAL is creating an online environment where graduates of our Study Groups can find two things when they return to the PD site: a growing electronic library of relevant materials and a place to pose a question. When a question is posted, the facilitator's job will be to alert other community members that they need to log on to the site to address the question.

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1344] Re: Scheduled On Courses VS Open Entry-Open
From: Dlhargrove_at_aol.com
Date: Mon Apr 05 2004 - 11:43:45 EDT

Duren,
thanks for the suggestion regarding have the course offered BOTH ways ~ open entry and scheduled. I think I'll bring the option up at our next technology meeting.

thanks for sharing
Debra

Debra Hargrove
Florida TechNet

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1345] Re: Scheduled On Courses VS Open Entry-Open
From: Eunice Askov (ena1_at_psu.edu)
Date: Mon Apr 05 2004 - 11:47:56 EDT

Jere, I really like your idea of creating an ongoing resource and discussion place AFTER the PD course occurs in Project IDEAL. At Penn State all our courses remain open for one year following the completion of an online course so that students can go back into the course to revisit web links and other resources that were part of the course. One other advantage that we offer as part of credit-based courses (that has not been mentioned in previous discussions) is access to the complete library resources of Penn State, all available online. This also includes a special librarian who is dedicated to helping distance education students with accessing all the online databases, full text journal articles, etc. With the stress on research-based practice, students are finding this resource very helpful to their practice as adult educators. Nickie

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