About OTL @ McDaniel

McDaniel's Online Teaching and Learning track (planned soon to be a stand alone certificate) is designed to meet the needs of classroom teachers (K-20), professional development trainers, and any individual interested in the design, development, and delivery of online learning.

The track consists of three 3-credit hour courses and one 4-credit hour capstone course.

OTL 501: Foundations of Online Teaching and Learning
OTL 502: The Technology of Online Teaching and Learning
OTL 503: Designing Online Learning Environments
OTL 590: Portfolio Project (Capstone)

Together, OTL 501, OTL 502, and OTL 503 focus on:

• the theoretical foundations of online teaching and learning
• flexible and appropriate instructional design strategies for learner-centered, online course design
• strategies for establishing community, appropriate online personae, and managing an online class
• strategies for assessing online projects, conferences, and ePortfolios
• practical hands-on experiences with the basics of Web page development and multimedia production, as well as building and managing online learning objects

Although the OTL series is not prescriptive in terms of theory and pedagogy, it does emphasize learning design (which focuses on the needs of the learner) over the traditional Systems Design (which, it can be argued, has tended to focus more on the needs of the instructor). To that end, we carefully consider collaborative learning, student-centered strategies, constructivist pedagogies, and performance (digital portfolio) assessments. While giving due respect to Systems Design and behaviorist learning theories, one goal of this program is to seek less industrial course development processes and more flexible design strategies--ways of putting together online learning courses and activities that are, it is hoped, more appropriate to students, as well as to the institutional/cultural situations most faculty and trainers find themselves in.

The purpose of OTL 501 is for the participant to develop his/her own theoretical framework appropriate to online learning. OTL 502 covers the essential technical skills necessary for building basic online learning activities. OTL 503 uses the theory from 501, the skills from 502, and applies them both as participants develop an appropriate design process, build the complete structure of an online class with at least one content module, and start to apply best practices for preparing and teaching an online class.

In OTL 590, the capstone course, participants complete the design and development of the online class and document each design decision in an online portfolio--connecting each decision and class component with appropriate online theoretical, pedagogical, and technological contexts.

back to top

Course Description

OTL-590: THE CAPTSTONE PORTFOLIO FOR ONLINE TEACHING AND LEARNING (3 credit hours) provides a traditional class structure for students to complete the design and development of an online class while documenting the process in an online portfolio--connecting each decision and class component with appropriate online theoretical, pedagogical, and technological contexts.

Course Objectives

Students who complete OTL-590: THE CAPTSTONE PORTFOLIO FOR ONLINE TEACHING AND LEARNING will be able to:

• design and develop an online class that is appropriate to the participant's individual/institutional teaching situation
• make appropriate theoretical, pedagogical, and technological choices when designing this class
• reflect on those choices, explain them, and make appropriate references to the most recent research and literature

 

• Anderson, R.S., Bauer, J.F., & Speck, B.W. (2002). Assessment strategies for the on-line class: From theory to practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Bender, T. (2003). Discussion-based online teaching to enhance student learning: Theory, practice, and assessment. Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing.
• Gillani, B. (2003). Learning theories and the design of e-learning environments. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America.
• Hiltz, S.R., & Goldman, R. (2005). Learning together online: Research on asynchronous learning networks. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Ko, S., & Rossen, S. (2004). Teaching online: A practical guide (2nd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
• Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2003). The virtual student. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

• Ally, M. (2004). Foundations of educational theory for online learning. In T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and practice of online Learning. Athabasca Canada: Athabasca University. Retrieved April 5, 2006 from http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/ch1.html
• Anderson, T. (2004). Toward a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and practice of online Learning. Athabasca Canada: Athabasca University. Retrieved April 5, 2006 from http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/ch2.html
• Gallagher. Universal design for learning theory: A practical application to online instructional design for the adult learner
• Gallagher. Multiple intelligences and online instructional design

Key Dates

DATE	Class Begins
END OF MODULE 2	At least half the modules/assessments of the online class should be completed.
END OF MODULE 3	All modules/assessments should be complete, along with revisions (if required) in the class "housekeeping" components
END OF MODULE 4	All Portfolio components (theory, technology, reflection) should be completed
DATE	Class Ends

Grading Policy

Grades will be apportioned as follows:

Grading Guidelines

According to Graduate School grading policy, the following symbols are used: "A "--excellent; "B"--good; "C"--passing; and "F"--failure. In this course, assignment and course grades will be calculated as follows: "A" = 90-100; "B" 80-89; "C" =70-79; "F" --<70

The grade of "B" represents the benchmark for the Graduate School. It indicates that the student has demonstrated competency in the subject matter of the course, i.e., the student has fulfilled all course requirements on time, has a clear grasp of the full range of course materials and concepts, and is able to present and apply these materials and concepts in clear, reasoned, well organized and grammatically correct responses whether written or oral.

Only students who fully meet this standard and, in addition, who demonstrate exceptional comprehension and application of the course subject matter, merit an "A".

Students who do not meet the benchmark standard of competency fall within the "C" range or lower. They, in effect, have not met graduate level standards. Where this failure is substantial, they earn an "F".

The Grade Of "I" (Incomplete): The grade of "I" is exceptional and given only to students whose completed coursework has been qualitatively satisfactory but who have been unable to complete all course requirements because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond their control. The grade of "I" may be considered only for students who have completed at least fifty percent (50%) of the total coursework requirements and who have received a passing grade on all the coursework, which they have completed The instructor retains the right to make the final decision on granting a student's request for an "I", even though the student may meet the eligibility requirements for this grade.

Writing Standards

Effective teachers and trainers are also effective communicators. Written communication is an important element of the total communication process. The Graduate School recognizes and expects exemplary writing to be the norm for course work. To this end, all papers, individual and group, must demonstrate graduate level writing ability and comply with the format requirements of the Publications Manual of the American Psychological Association (latest ed.). Careful attention should be given to source citations, proper listing of references, representation of numbers, and the presentation of tables and figures.

Policy on Academic Integrity (Plagiarism)

Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional presentation of another person's idea or product as one's own. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to the following: copying verbatim all or part of another's written work; using phrases, charts, figures, illustrations, or mathematical or scientific solutions without citing the source; paraphrasing ideas, conclusions, or research without citing the source; and using all or part of a literary plot, poem, film, musical score, or other artistic product without attributing the work to its creator. Students can avoid unintentional plagiarism by carefully accepted scholarly practices. Notes taken for papers and research projects should accurately record sources of material to be cited, quoted, paraphrased, or summarized, and papers should acknowledge these sources in footnotes.

The penalties for plagiarism include a zero or a grade of 'F' on the work in question, a grade of 'F' in the course, suspension with a file letter, suspension with a transcript notation, or expulsion.

Note: Work submitted for this class must be your own, and it must be original to this course. If you have questions regarding this stipulator, please consult instructor.

Honor Code

The McDaniel College community affirms its commitment to the ideals of personal integrity and community honor, including academic endeavors and respect of personal property. Academic violations consist of cheating, plagiarism, revamping other student's work, and misuse of library materials and electronic media. Students will uphold the Honor Code in all endeavors.

Back to top

Successful Online Learners

Beyond motivation and self-discipline, following are the other traits we find successful online students have in common:

1. Successful Online Learners actively participate in conferences. The conferences are set up to help you better understand a specific aspect of the course. Taking part in the interchange will lead to a better understanding of the topic.
2. Successful Online Learners are active members of their student group. Blackboard has a special feature that allows students to work in a private study area with or without the faculty member. This is an excellent place to work out your strategies on group work or run ideas by your course mates.
3. Successful Online Learners take advantage of the fact that there are no time and place barriers. Students can access their courses 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at home or away. The coursework fits their schedule, it doesn't dominate it. They work on their course when they can give their full concentration to it.
4. Successful Online Learners ask questions. They put their questions in the Café whenever they have a question, and before they can forget it.
5. Successful Online Learners work at their own pace. Some modules may take some students longer than others (others may take less time). Because there is no rigid pacing as required in a classroom, successful students take the extra time they need to absorb material before moving on.
6. Successful Online Learners are adventuresome. The course material provided on the Web is just the beginning. The advantage of the medium is the window it provides to all sorts of electronic libraries and other interesting places to visit that give new perspectives or updates on the course material. Research is easier on the Web, and research is a significant advantage in understanding college-level material.
7. Successful Online Learners understand the power of their computer. In addition to the Web resources, online learners know how to manipulate text, cut and paste citations (always using proper references, of course), e-mail, and chat.
8. Successful Online Learners start early. They don't wait a few before they get started. They log on right away, get an overview of the course and the workload, plan their five weeks, and surf around to see what resources are available (help desk, tutorials, etc.).
9. Successful Online Learners keep an informal and clear writing style that aids online communication, which is predisposed to textual ambiguity.
10. Successful Online Learners give correspondents the benefit of the doubt when their intentions seem unclear. Ask for clarification and always assume the best intentions. Sometime, it takes patience, courtesy, and kindness to listen through the noise.
11. Successful Online Learners submit work on time.

Back to top

Contact Information

The instructor will be checking into the course several times a week and will be posting messages and announcements regularly.

• Email: Instructor's Email

If you do not receive a response same day, you can usually expect a response within the next 24 hours.

Back to top

Technical Help

Steve Kerby can be reached at skerby@mcdaniel.edu or 410-386-4686.

Phone calls are only returned during business hours. Email, however, is usually answered 7 days a week during all hours. It is advisable to include OTL in the email subject header.

Back to top