I am happy to present a short video on how hybrid courses improve peer-to-peer learning. The point of my internship is to create a class where the focus is off the instructor and lecturing and on self-directed and peer-to-peer learning. This concept promotes student acceptance of responsibility for their own learning experiences and seeks to direct them toward finding their own academic path while in college. When the instructor becomes a facilitator instead of a lecturing instructor, the focus shifts. It becomes a learning process for everyone, including the instructor. The learning becomes each student’s responsibility, individually and in a group of peers with the guidance of the instructor. Most importantly the students do not have to “power down” in this environment and can continue to build on their technological skills and abilities.
My eLearning Certificate arrived last Friday. One year of work has been completed. The next step was to use the skills I had learned. I contacted Robin and was told to interview with the department chair (Charlene) of the Criminal Justice department. After meeting with Charlene, it became very clear to me that she would be the best person to work with. She is very intelligent and grounded. I liked her modern ideas and the passion she has for all things academic, including teaching. She agreed to take me on and help me set up a hybrid course, “Introduction to Criminal Justice.”
The internship program coordinator (Michael) helped me set the 5 credit program up with Bellevue College. It will last through the end of Winter Quarter 2012. Michael was extremely helpful in reviewing my ePortfolio and directing the writing of my objectives for the internship. Robin, my instructor during the eLearning program, is my mentor. We met a week ago to begin the process of placing the hybrid course online
By the first week of Fall Quarter 2011 (week beginning September 19th), I had attended two classes. The instructor (Mike), for the Criminal Justice course I am observing, is a criminal defense attorney for the state of Washington. He is highly knowledgeable and a good instructor. His syllabus was very detailed. The second night, he quizzed the students on the contents (I only managed to get 80% correct). From the very beginning of the first class he motivated the students to discuss the chapter contents and participate in the discussions. No small feat with circa 33 students in his class.
By the second day of the quarter, I received my instructor’s copy of the course textbook. After my weekly meeting with Charlene, I began to see the beginnings of a syllabus forming in my mind. It will be placed online in Blackboard Vista (Bb) Bellevue College’s learning management system (LMS). I want to find a common theme that threads its way through the syllabi I have received from Mike and Charlene. Charlene offered to help me get the syllabus the online instructor is using for that course for comparative purposes. Between the three of them, I should have a clear idea on how to put the information in the syllabus using my own style. I think I have the “Big Idea” or the take away idea of the course.
I will be attending a class on Wednesday of next week (September 28th) that will give me the basic skills I need to put information into Bb. Once I understand how to operate the system and use it, I will begin to load the file. I can hardly wait to take the class. The first module will be the Intro to Course CJ 101 or the Getting Started module. I hope to place a Camtasia video in that module to help the students navigate in Bb. I want to think about using a rubric and will need to create one that fits what the students will be asked to do.
I hope to place my biographical information in the introduction portion of Bb. I will encourage the students to do the same. Having that information where it can be re-visited is often helpful in understanding where a student is at academically and where they hope to go with their studies. Also, it helps other students make contact with each other and establish what they might have in common. I have found adding a picture is very helpful. Students seem to respond better to those students who have included a picture, especially in the beginning of the course.
Finally, I hope to place all my contact information in Bb. Since I do not have an office, I hope to use Elluminate as the synchronous application for one on one or even group discussions and meetings. In closing…I hope you enjoy my definition of peer-to-peer learning and what it means to be a “teacher” in the following Walt Disney video (it appears Goofy doesn’t have an office either). No matter how old we get or how advanced we become academically, we still harbor a happy somewhat rebellious child within.
JOYSTECHTOOL 