Re: [ED-TECH] Why do we have an LMS?

Great discussion, Bill.

The comments posted thus far are very interesting, and I would add the following for consideration.

LMSs have become increasingly necessary beyond use for online courses. Traditional brick and mortar courses benefit from LMSs by using it as a repository for digital materials (e.g., syllabi, handouts, supplemental readings, etc.), computer scored quizzes, gradebook functionality, and more. As for costs associated with learning management systems, there are several "free" options available. Moodle, Sakai, and others are free to download and install, however, the "free" usage comes with a cost. That cost is associated with personnel necessary to provide tech support, security, software updates, etc. That said, several institutions have found a way to make free solutions work for them so perhaps it's worth pondering:

- Florida International University (Moodle)
- Johns Hopkins University (Sakai)
- Rutgers University (Sakai)
- University of Delaware (Sakai)
- University of Florida (Sakai)
- University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (Sakai)
- University of Washington (Moodle)
- Wake Forest University (Sakai)
- and others

Moodle has been around since 1999, and Sakai since 2004. Therefore, the user base and available training/support/implementation resources have had a bit of time to grow and mature. Neither free LMS is perfect, but each could provide many of the same functions as LMSs that have a cost for entry. So if cost is the issue, these might find their way into the conversation.

As far as paid online learning solutions go, I think an LMS worth taking a look at is Canvas by Instructure (this company received seed money from Google's Executive Chairman, Eric Schmidt). Auburn University and Brown University recently switched to Canvas LMS. The jury is still out as to whether it holds up over time, but indications look promising.

At the Global Academy, UM's online college preparatory school for grades 6 through 12, we constantly look for ways to make the most of the technology within our grasp, while extending our reach to emerging technologies. Since we are a fully online school, the LMS is essential to our daily operations. And having one that is reliable, scalable, and easy to use is key. If cost is an issue, the previously mentioned solutions (e.g., Moodle, Sakai) could be implemented while saving money, at least in terms of software license costs.

Kind regards,

Craig

Dr. Craig Wilson | JD PhD
Executive Director
Collegiate, Online, and Pre-Collegiate Programs
Division of Continuing and International Education
University of Miami
Web: http://www.miami.edu/bgsdegree
Web: http://www.miami.edu/ssp
Web: http://www.umga.miami.edu
Email: cdw@miami.edu
Phone: (305) 284-2727


Dr. Craig Wilson | JD PhD
Head of School
University of Miami Global Academy
THE PREMIER ONLINE HIGH SCHOOL(r)
111 Allen Hall
5050 Brunson Drive
Coral Gables, FL 33124
Web: http://www.umga.miami.edu
Email: cdw@miami.edu
Phone: (305) 284-2980
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Your life is larger than a classroom. Your education should be too.
The University of Miami Global Academy's mission is to vigorously prepare students
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-----Original Message-----
From: UM Educational Technology List [mailto:ED-TECH@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU] On Behalf Of Vilberg, William R.
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2012 8:12 AM
To: ED-TECH@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU
Subject: [ED-TECH] Why do we have an LMS?

Ed-Tech list members,

I just added a post on my vilberg.com blog that I wanted to share with you all: http://goo.gl/D7JqK

In my 14 years at UM I have brought in, set up, promoted, supported, and updated the Blackboard learning management system (LMS). An article, referring to another institution, suggests that the major functions of an LMS can be done on other systems for free, the minor functions are not being used, and an LMS costs a lot of money each year.

I don't agree with the conclusion that the LMS is a needless expense. I do agree that you, as a faculty member, should evaluate whether your teaching and student learning has been positively affected/changed by the use of an LMS. At the end of another academic year, this is a good chance to reflect on this question.

Please read my post at http://goo.gl/D7JqK and the original article referenced in that post. Then, if you would like, let me know what you think.

Bill Vilberg - bill.vilberg@miami.edu, 786-250-2255

http://vilberg.com - Spreading seeds of education, technology, and more

Re: [ED-TECH] Why do we have an LMS?

Bill,

The Blackboard LMS system or what ever the university chooses to use going
forward is a very important tool that is required as the university
adjusts to the increasing absorption of technology. Name me a university
that is about to pull the plug on it's LMS? I would think it would be the
reverse where educational institutions are increasing the use of
technology as they deliver content in more and more interesting formats.
Additionally the market in Masters, and other higher degrees requires
universities to complete not in traditional content delivery modalities
but in blended and online delivery formats. Online universities (yes
there are plenty of those and the traditional may turn up their noses...)
rely solely on an LMS to delver their instruction. Interestingly, they
would laugh at your question, wondering what you were talking about...

This leads to where UM is going with regard to content delivery. We know
that UM does not want to get into the "Online" business and we need say no
more about that! However, the move to the "Flip Classroom/Reverse
Classroom/blended model" will rely totally on the LMS. This model even in
the most sacred and hallowed institutions has gained ground and looks like
the way forward. Additionally with the surge of social media and the
improvements with technology in general, we will see that educational
institutions will be relying on an LMS to keep up with the changes in
content delivery styles.

All this being said... We need to make sure educational institutions have
the appropriate support mechanisms in place to empower faculty to use not
just the LMS but also all the other technology that is available. We
cannot go on thinking that faculty will just teach themselves to use
anything we put in front of them. Forward thinking institutions have
support personnel/units that work with faculty to design content delivery
that works and impacts student achievement. UM needs to make sure that
support for faculty is available in all schools and that we have a
consistency across the university.

In the School of Nursing and Health Studies, that support is made
available to all faculty and that has resulted in faculty winning awards
for course design using the LMS. We have investigated alternatives to the
traditional classroom lecture styles and this has been warmly received by
our students. We are currently moving all our orientations to an online
format and without an LMS we could not do that. If you implement the most
amazing technological products, you will need Instructional Technologists
to work alongside faculty to make them work. Research has indicated that
if you support faculty they will use the technology available.

So going back to your original question, I think it should read as the
following,

"Faculty should evaluate whether they have the appropriate support to
utilize the technology (for all technology not just the LMS) that is
available at the university so that it impacts their teaching and student
learning styles."

I think that would throw a whole new light on this discussion. What do
you think?


Lyndon Godsall Ed.D, Ed.S, M.Ed, B.Ed
Instructional Designer
305-284-2710 Office
954-647-4634 Cell
l.godsall@miami.edu






On 4/30/12 8:11 AM, "Vilberg, William R." <bill.vilberg@MIAMI.EDU> wrote:

>Ed-Tech list members,
>
>I just added a post on my vilberg.com blog that I wanted to share with
>you all: http://goo.gl/D7JqK
>
>In my 14 years at UM I have brought in, set up, promoted, supported, and
>updated the Blackboard learning management system (LMS). An article,
>referring to another institution, suggests that the major functions of an
>LMS can be done on other systems for free, the minor functions are not
>being used, and an LMS costs a lot of money each year.
>
>I don't agree with the conclusion that the LMS is a needless expense. I
>do agree that you, as a faculty member, should evaluate whether your
>teaching and student learning has been positively affected/changed by the
>use of an LMS. At the end of another academic year, this is a good chance
>to reflect on this question.
>
>Please read my post at http://goo.gl/D7JqK and the original article
>referenced in that post. Then, if you would like, let me know what you
>think.
>
>Bill Vilberg - bill.vilberg@miami.edu, 786-250-2255
>
>http://vilberg.com - Spreading seeds of education, technology, and more

Re: [ED-TECH] Why do we have an LMS?

Hi Bill,

In both my Thermodynamics classes, the majority voted positively for use of iClicker.

I didn't ask about LMS because I have been using it so long (since the inception by you...it has been so long, I don't remember when?), I assume it is a 'given'. The LMS is useful in efficiently sending mass email to the whole class (and keeping the roster up to date, i.e. removing 'dropped' and 'withdrawals') regarding important issues, and change of venue regarding an interesting event for the class, etc.

The LMS is a great tool in keeping records of grades,etc., especially from previous semesters...takes the pressure of the instructor. I am sure others can go on-and-on about its benefits and disadvantages.

The iClicker raises the average of the test scores in both classes. (The LMS aids in the final scoring of students by including iClicker scores, etc. ) The iClicker also automatically encourages the students to attend class and be on time, which unfortunately many of the faculty and part-time lecturers don't care about. Unfortunately, this is an insidious behavior that tends to breed amongst students. Not instituting any kind of negative feedback regarding lateness or absenteeism in class is the root of many other negative behaviors. My research into neural science tells me that the human brain automatically seeks to make everyday tasks or chores as 'efficient' as possible, if there is no self-control or external control to make it do otherwise. For the unguided student brain, the most 'efficient' way is to go to class 'whenever' it is convenient and fits into other 'things', or not to go at all. These are the exceptions of course, at this time.

The majority are well-behaved students who attend class regularly and promptly, and who voted positively to use the 'iclicker'.

Cheers,

KV Wong
Professor and Faculty Senator

________________________________________
From: UM Educational Technology List [ED-TECH@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU] on behalf of Vilberg, William R. [bill.vilberg@MIAMI.EDU]
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2012 8:11 AM
To: ED-TECH@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU
Subject: [ED-TECH] Why do we have an LMS?

Ed-Tech list members,

I just added a post on my vilberg.com blog that I wanted to share with you all: http://goo.gl/D7JqK

In my 14 years at UM I have brought in, set up, promoted, supported, and updated the Blackboard learning management system (LMS). An article, referring to another institution, suggests that the major functions of an LMS can be done on other systems for free, the minor functions are not being used, and an LMS costs a lot of money each year.

I don't agree with the conclusion that the LMS is a needless expense. I do agree that you, as a faculty member, should evaluate whether your teaching and student learning has been positively affected/changed by the use of an LMS. At the end of another academic year, this is a good chance to reflect on this question.

Please read my post at http://goo.gl/D7JqK and the original article referenced in that post. Then, if you would like, let me know what you think.

Bill Vilberg - bill.vilberg@miami.edu, 786-250-2255

http://vilberg.com - Spreading seeds of education, technology, and more

[ED-TECH] Why do we have an LMS?

Ed-Tech list members,

I just added a post on my vilberg.com blog that I wanted to share with you all: http://goo.gl/D7JqK

In my 14 years at UM I have brought in, set up, promoted, supported, and updated the Blackboard learning management system (LMS). An article, referring to another institution, suggests that the major functions of an LMS can be done on other systems for free, the minor functions are not being used, and an LMS costs a lot of money each year.

I don't agree with the conclusion that the LMS is a needless expense. I do agree that you, as a faculty member, should evaluate whether your teaching and student learning has been positively affected/changed by the use of an LMS. At the end of another academic year, this is a good chance to reflect on this question.

Please read my post at http://goo.gl/D7JqK and the original article referenced in that post. Then, if you would like, let me know what you think.

Bill Vilberg - bill.vilberg@miami.edu, 786-250-2255

http://vilberg.com - Spreading seeds of education, technology, and more

[ED-TECH] Finding Open Textbooks

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A new web site has been created at the University of Minnesota to collect information about open textbooks. Take a look. You may be able to save your students some money without reducing the high quality of the education we provide to them.

https://open.umn.edu/

DETAILS

An average university student is assigned around $1,200 of textbooks each year. This isn't as big an issue at UM as it is at public institutions, particularly community colleges, but it is worth our consideration. If there is a way to reduce that cost without reducing the quality of education students obtain, we should consider it.

There is a large and growing open textbook movement, often being funded by state legislatures trying to reduce the cost of higher education. They are paying faculty members to write quality textbooks and then release them under the Creative Commons license. That usually means that you can use them, chop them up, and even modify them, as long as you credit the original author and make your material available under the same license.

As many of you know, it takes time to write a textbook, so these texts are just being finalized now and becoming available. Since there is no publisher, finding these texts can be difficult. The University of Minnesota is working to build a database of open textbooks. Because Minnesota is such a large school, because they are publicly financed, and because they are making this commitment to collect the information and add reviews and comments, I think this has a good chance of succeeding.

Registration for our Fall semester has already started, so we should have already submitted our textbook adoption lists, or at least submitted "To Be Determined," for every fall class at UM. I believe you can update and change adoptions if you want. I encourage you to take a look at the Minnesota web site right now and see if there is a text that your department could use in place of a more expensive alternative,particularly for your introductory survey courses. If there is, please share that information with the appropriate people in your area. If not, check back during the summer to see if more have been added. And check each semester to see whether this site can serve as your one stop reference for open textbooks.

https://open.umn.edu/

If you made it this far, thank you. You also might be interested in checking out the featured WikiBooks to see if any books there can meet your needs. Wiki books are often written by groups of people, so the quality and voice might not be as consistent as a text written by one or two authors. But in the case of a survey course where the text is not necessarily the primary source of information, they may serve your needs. Take a look.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikibooks:Featured_books

Bill Vilberg - bill.vilberg@miami.edu, 786-250-2255

http://vilberg.com - Spreading seeds of education, technology, and more

[ED-TECH] SecureCanes and EduRoam

Two new networks are available for wireless users on the Gables campus. Take a moment of your valuable time to read and think about what these excellent services can offer to you. 

SECURECANES

SecureCanes allows you to encrypt everything you are doing on the Internet as it flies between your computer and the UM network. Normal communication with web pages, with http for example, is sent in the clear. People could (easily) monitor your wireless traffic and see what you are doing. Secured communication, with https for example, is encrypted all the way from your computer to the destination. If you use SecureCanes EVERYTHING will be encrypted during its flight through the air. It is your decision whether to use it or not. If you choose to use it for a session you will have to authenticate with your CaneID credentials. So you trade off the convenience of just going online directly with the benefit of increased security. The decision is yours, as it should be. Nice!

EDUROAM

UM provides the EduRoam network as a service to our guests from other EduRoam institutions. Using the EduRoam network at UM, users from other schools can authenticate onto our network using their home institution's credentials. As you hosts colleagues or guests, please let them know that this service is there for them. If there institution is a member of EduRoam, they can use the service here at UM.

This means that YOU can authenticate onto EduRoam networks at other EduRoam schools using your CaneID credentials. To see what schools are part of the EduRoam service, go to http://eduroam.org. This network is expanding rapidly, so the data on the web site may take a while to catch up to reality, and the number of institutions participating is likely to increase dramatically as awareness of its benefits increases.

NOTE: WirelessCanes and SecureCanes networks at UM are for people with CaneID credentials. EduRoam is for people from other EduRoam institutions who do not have CaneID credentials. YOU don't need to, and you cannot, use EduRoam AT UM using your CaneID. Guests use it here; you use it when you are a guest elsewhere.

When combined with the recent change in WirelessCanes so that CaneID authentication is no longer required, these new services give us an incredibly powerful and useful wireless network, in my opinion. I have nothing to do with the wireless network, but I am happy to now be part of the IT department that provides this level of service. I was told that the information about and request for this service came from a faculty member who had visited an EduRoam institution. The service was quickly provisioned at UM so that faculty and students can use it elsewhere and guests can use it here. Wonderful!

Bill Vilberg - bill.vilberg@miami.edu, 786-250-2255

http://vilberg.com - Spreading seeds of education, technology, and more

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Cortes, Diana" <dcortes@MIAMI.EDU>
Date: April 19, 2012 5:11:26 PM EDT
To: <SYSTEM-ADMINS@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU>
Subject: Change Control Notification: SecureCanes and eduroam
Reply-To: "Cortes, Diana" <dcortes@MIAMI.EDU>

2 New Wireless Services to be available:

SecureCanes is a wireless network that allows for secure user authentication and wireless communication encryption. Users must use their CaneID and password to authenticate to this network. For more information, please visit: www.miami.edu/it/index.php/services/network_voice

 

eduroam (education roaming) is the secure, world-wide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community. eduroam allows students, researchers and staff from participating institutions to obtain Internet connectivity when visiting other participating institutions by simply opening their laptop and connecting to the eduroam SSID. For more information please visit: www.eduroam.org

[ED-TECH] Can't open an assignment a student has submitted?

Ed-Tech people,

The semester is almost over. If you get files from your students, either via email or, I suppose, via Blackboard, be aware that there is a web site that can create corrupted files. Its purpose is to give them some extra time on the assignment. They submit it at the last minute. You try to open it, say the next day, and it fails. You contact the students. The student has now completed the assignment. The student sends it to you, saying "The computer must have eaten it." You accept it, not realizing that this is a new strategy.

Isn't that an interesting scenario?

The site that I just heard about is http://neddyy.net/docs/. I have not tried to send it a file to be corrupted. I just looked at the page and thought, "Oh, No." I still want to believe in students who want to learn. There will always be a way to get around everything. 

Bill Vilberg, bill.vilberg@miami.edu, 8-3944 or 786-250-2255

[ED-TECH] Apple TV In The Classroom – The New Smart Board?

Ed-Tech list members,

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

How important is the ability to mark up material being projected on the screen in the classroom? Would having an iPad that you could walk around with, controlling your presentation and marking it up, be something we should investigate as an alternative to the Sympodium writing tables we are using today?

DETAILS

The Instructional Advancement Center manages the technology in the original 65 general assignment classrooms: Memorial, Learning Center, and Residential Colleges. When we designed the technology for those rooms we put in the SMART Sympodium writing tablet LCD displays. The goal was to allow faculty to write on the screen when presenting PowerPoint or other material through the computer. Usage of the Sympodium has been very low, based on our faculty surveys, the Sympodiums cost a LOT more than a normal computer display, and they are failing as they reach five years of age.

Here are some questions we are beginning to ask. We would love to have your views on these questions.

1. Is this functionality something that faculty want? Do you want to be able to "mark-up" PowerPoint slides, or web pages, or Word documents in front of the class?

2. Is the fact that you have to stand at the podium one of the factors that limits usage of this technology?

3. Is an alternative, such as an iPad, where you could walk around the classroom, controlling your presentation, and marking it up, a "better" solution for you?

4. The iPad "solution" is not clean, at this point. There are lots of gotchas that would have to be worked out in order to make this widely available. How much effort do you think we should expend researching and developing solutions for use of the iPad by the instructor in the classroom?

We would really appreciate your thoughts on these questions. Our efforts in the IAC are measured by how they actually enhance learning in your classrooms. We need your input as we look into the future and make plans that will affect the student experience in your classrooms.

Bill Vilberg - bill.vilberg@miami.edu, 786-250-2255

http://vilberg.com - Spreading seeds of education, technology, and more

Who is working harder?

I am listening to a webinar on Flipped Classrooms, where the students watch videos, read, and learn as homework and then do activities like homework during class. A fascinating quote during the presentation was, "Who is working harder during class time, the students or the teacher? It should be the students, but it is usually the teacher." Who is working harder in your classrooms?

[ED-TECH] Students Endlessly E-Mail Professors for Help. A New Service Hopes to Organize the Answers. - Technology - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Ed-Tech list members,

I just read an interesting article in the Chronicle about a new teaching support system. It tries to make it easier to get students to ask questions and help each other. Many people are using discussion boards on Blackboard to do this now, but apparently this system must have some bells-and-whistles that make it better.

Two interesting quotes:

"Ms. Sankar said her biggest challenge is convincing professors that they can use a technology tool that is not officially endorsed by their colleges. She intentionally does not seek out deals with campus technology offices because she feels that what type of tool to use should be left up to individual faculty members. That's a shift that could change the way technology is supported on campuses."

"The service is so easy for students to use that he worries people are using it as a crutch. 'I got the feeling that students were asking the questions because that was easier than thinking,' Mr. Morrisett said."

ARTICLE: http://chronicle.com/article/Students-Endlessly-E-Mail/131390

Bill Vilberg, bill.vilberg@miami.edu, 786-250-2255

http://vilberg.com - Spreading seeds of education, technology, and more

[ED-TECH] Luncheon Wednesday - Be Prepared...

Ed-Tech list members,

It looks to be an EXCELLENT luncheon on Wednesday in the Bank United Center, Hurricane 100 room. I expect Dr. Turner to have some fascinating things to say about redesigning courses to enhance student learning. Before this valuable session you might want to take a look at a presentation Dr. Turner gave and/or read an article he wrote on his experiences with blended learning. 

----------- BEGIN INSERT FROM ARTICLE

We didn't start out planning to transform teaching at the university. Instead, in 2004 we began a modest, one-year project to redesign a few general education courses, and we did so largely because of a collective guilty conscience.

"I learn better having someone explain something to me rather than figuring it out on my own." One of the 25 percent of students who prefer the traditional approach

"I liked being able to get involved as opposed to reading out of a textbook." One of the 75 percent of students who prefer the NGen approach

"I don't want to take the 'me' out of teaching." Reaction of an instructor at the prospect of not spending all of the class time lecturing to a 200-student class

"The biggest thing that I have learned is that students will be as responsible for their learning as you let them." NGen senior faculty fellow

The university had invested considerable resources in creating a technologicai and human-resources infrastructure to support online instruction, and it had succeeded beyond its wildest expectations. It had tapped new student populations throughout Texas and in all fifty states, and online programs had begun to account for the majority of the institution's enrollment growth. By 2004. the University of North Texas had emerged as the largest provider of online learning of any public university in Texas and one of the largest in the country. We could proudly point out that we were leaders in the technological revolution in higher education.

But we realized in 2004 that this revolution had almost completely bypassed the freshmen and sophomores at UNT. The University of North Texas was teaching undergraduates in ways that would make a time traveler from the nineteenth century feel comfortable. It is true that whiteboards had replaced blackboards, and these had been replaced in turn by screens for computer-projected displays. But the vast majority of college and university instruction involved the aural transmission of content from faculty members' heads to the hands of students.

So we began a course-redesign project to blend some emerging technologies with traditional instruction. Five years later the project continues with substantially more ambitious goals, because the need to transform teaching and learning in general education courses is stronger than ever.

----------- END INSERT FROM ARTICLE

LINK TO ARTICLE: Opens in PDF reader (UM Library link)

LINK TO PRESENTATION: http://www.slideshare.net/umiami/sloan-bl-workshop04192010final 

I hope to see you at the luncheon.

Bill Vilberg
Instructional Advancement Center
Information Technology
University of Miami, FL
bill.vilberg@miami.edu
786-250-2255

The Office of the Provost and UM Faculty Learning Community

cordially invite you to a lunch presentation by

 

Dr. Philip Turner

Professor Emeritus, College of Information, University of North Texas

The Next Generation Course Redesign Project

Wednesday, April 4^th, 2012

12:00-2:00PM

Hurricane 100 Room at the Bank United Center

University of Miami

 

The Next Generation Course Redesign Project at the University of North Texas aims to redesign undergraduate classes to enhance student learning outcomes.  At the heart of the Next Gen Project are interdisciplinary faculty learning communities in which faculty nurture, mentor, and encourage each other.  NextGen courses are a blend of lecture, online, and experiential learning and are designed on a foundation of Student Learning Outcomes.

Dr. Phil Turner has been a classroom teacher, a librarian, a college professor, and the owner of an information company.    He served simultaneously as an academic dean and the lead administrator for distance and distributed learning for fifteen years at two institutions: The University of Alabama and the University of North Texas. Dr. Turner is currently serving as Professor Emeritus in the College of Information at the University of North Texas, and serves as a consultant to UNT's Next Generation Course Redesign™ Project. 

He has written extensively on the subject of the application of technology to the teaching and learning process, especially in the area of planning and policy. In 1994, he was the second academic to receive the Annual Award for Achievement in Managing Information Technology sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University and American Management System.

 

 

Please RSVP by March 28 to e.johnson5@miami.edu or 305.284.3356