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Access & InnovationA Publication of the Institute for Distance and Distributed Learning

“Through distance learning, we bring experts to students and build a world community of learners studying important subjects in their own time and in their own villages and cities.”

— Richard Hezel

2 The Institute for Distance and Distributed Learning

NewsContents

News3 Message From the Director3 Meet Lujean Baab: Expansion for Our Future

Feature4 Empowering Students and Faculty

Through Interactive Learning Opportunities

World6 Shaping a Global Community of Leaders

Local7 Enriching the Hokie Spa Experience8 ‘Now is the Time for VTOnline‘

Access & Innovation

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In 1998, Virginia Tech responded to the need for extending its education beyond the confines of the classroom and as a strategic initiative, the Institute for Distance and Distributed Learning (IDDL) was created. Thirteen years later, distance learning at Virginia Tech has surpassed the early adoption stage, and continues to evolve to meet the academic needs of a wide spectrum of students who were once classified as nontraditional but are now becoming the norm.

Today our faculty create courses that provide high quality teaching and learning at a distance. Classes are designed with a foundation in sound pedagogy that push the envelope of what is possible. Research is being conducted in order to contribute to innovation in the field of distance learning as well as the course disciplines. Perhaps most important of all, the distance learning

community knowledge at Virginia Tech is growing due to the desire for faculty to learn and share alongside one another.

I hope that you join with us in celebrating the distance learning efforts of our faculty and agree with our message that ‘Now is the Time for VTOnline.’

Message From the Director

Lujean Baab has been appointed assistant director of design, development, and support for IDDL. In this role, she will collaborate with academic departments and programs offering distance degree and certificate programs, and with other university-wide departments and organizations to establish course quality improvement initiatives.

Looking Ahead“Working with IDDL’s instructional design, development, and support team at Virginia Tech and living in the Blacksburg area allows me to do what I love best both personally and professionally,” notes Baab. “I look forward to working with the faculty as we expand the high-quality online course and program offerings.”

Baab has served in a faculty role within the distance learning field for nearly 15 years, having developed and managed online learning programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her areas of research include factors affecting the online student’s sense of classroom and integration of group project-based learning in online courses. Most recently, Baab served as assistant professor of instructional technology at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pa., where she provided strategic leadership and operational management as director of the master of education programs.

To partner with Lujean and the design, development, and support unit, contact her at: lbaab@vt.edu

Visit VT eLearning Faculty on Facebook and Twitter

Meet Lujean Baab: Expansion for Our Future

News

Peter Macedo

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Virginia Tech Instructor Matthew Komelski is no stranger to IDDL’s professional development opportunities.

Branching OutKomelski’s desire to seek out innovative forms of pedagogy led him to attend an IDDL-sponsored brown bag lunch series designed to encourage discussion of the best practices and strategies used to foster a successful online environment for eLearning faculty. Through the brown bag series, Komelski, an instructor in the Department of Human Development, discovered IDDL’s master online instructor certificate program and immediately enrolled to become adept at designing and facilitating courses online. “I wanted to branch out in new and innovative ways to ensure that my place in the workforce would remain dynamic.”

Master Online Instructor Certificate ProgramThe master online instructor certificate program brings together faculty of different disciplines, tenure, and interests. “The participants are interested in expanding the limits to whom they can reach with their knowledge since distance education knows no bounds,” cites Komelski. The frequent brainstorming sessions provide participants the chance to receive advice and critiques of faculty members with experience in facilitating an online course. The certificate program also emphasizes the benefit of integrating new tools and teaching strategies into online courses to promote effective learning among students in the online environment.

Empowering Students and Faculty Through Interactive Learning Opportunities

Ico Bukvic, left, and Matthew Komelski are creating a special study in integrative health practices designed to engage and support students’ health and well-being.

Feature

The Institute for Distance and Distributed Learning 5

Empowering Students and Faculty Through Interactive Learning Opportunities

meditation, yoga, and Tai Chi. This is a highly innovative endeavor; among the first of its kind due to the interactive components.

This special study in integrative health practices is designed to engage and support students’ health, well-being, and resilience across the lifespan by increasing their knowledge and understanding of mindfulness and its effect on relationships, exercise, and healthy dietary practices. Currently, the special study is being offered in a face-to-face environment, but based on students’ high ratings and positive feedback, Komelski was eager to make the course more accessible to students unable to attend classes on the Virginia Tech campus. “The feedback on the traditional course has been outstanding; over the past two semesters students have evaluated the course with a 3.9 [out of 4.0] rating.”

“This flexible structure will give students the chance to choose how much time they devote to each activity [yoga, meditation, or Tai chi]; therefore, continuing to engage students in the practice of health, well-being, and resilience,” explains Komelski. “The course is expected to launch with great success during the 2013 summer sessions.”

—Amy Shaffron

Komelski incorporates numerous tools and teaching strategies from the certificate course to engage his students in the traditional classroom as well. This mixed teaching style allows Komelski to optimize his classroom lecture time, “I use Scholar’s [online] testing platform to offer tests and quizzes in my face-to-face classes to save me time, labor, and paper allowing me to focus more on my students.”

By attending IDDL’s professional development workshops and teaching several online courses, Komelski now serves as a distance learning resource to colleagues and teaching assistants in the Department of Human Development. “Thanks to the knowledge and teaching strategies I have acquired through the certificate program and the brown bag lunch series, I feel confident mentoring our new teaching assistants on how to become effective teachers in online environments.”

From Classroom to Online CourseIn addition to teaching five courses, Komelski and Ico Bukvic, assistant professor in the Department of Music, are developing an online special study to teach healthy lifestyle practices to students. Bukvic, who also serves as the co-creator of the online interface and lead software programmer, received funding through IDDL’s research fellowship to help with the initial development of the course prototype.

The online special study implements a custom interface that can allow the delivery and assessment of a wide range of programming, such as

“ I wanted to branch out in new and innovative ways to ensure that my place in the workforce would remain dynamic.” —Matthew Komelski Learn more about this fellowship

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Egyptian faculty delegates are engaging with Virginia Tech staff and faculty completing the six-month Education Staff Capacity Enrichment Program.

While Virginia Tech’s main campus is located in the small town of Blacksburg, the university’s impact can be felt worldwide.

As evidence of the university’s global impact, seven distinguished professors from various universities in Egypt are at the Blacksburg campus completing the Education Staff Capacity Enrichment Program (ESCEP), which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

An Immersive Experience During their six-month course, the participants will work with Virginia Tech professors, become acquainted with various teaching methods, and share perceptions of their learning experience. In addition, they will attend conferences and workshops held by Virginia Tech’s IDDL, Faculty Development Institute, and the University Organization and Professional Development.

The professors hope to gain new teaching practices to implement in their home country and disseminate the information to students and other faculty. “I have learned many skills during my time at Virginia Tech and will transfer them to my home institution when I return to Egypt,” notes Zakaria Sorial, assistant professor in industrial technology at Egypt’s University of Mansoura.

Virginia Tech liaisons include Randa Abdelmagid, project coordinator for the delegation’s visit, and John Burton, professor for instructional

design and technology and director of the Center for Instructional Technology Solutions in Industry and Education, who is overseeing their stay in Blacksburg.

“The program is designed to provide the visiting faculty with a comprehensive faculty development program, immerse them in Virginia Tech’s community and education system, and to expose the group to the larger U.S. educational system,” says Abdelmagid.

During their visit, participants in the program will experience the United States culture outside the classroom. They will take trips to Richmond and Washington, D.C., tour museums, and sightsee to experience the U.S. culture beyond the classroom.

As for their work inside the classroom, the participants are routinely matched up with Virginia Tech faculty members who share their areas of expertise. “The main benefit is learning how another institution does things and discussing among themselves what they have seen, what would work in Egypt, and how things compare,” cites Burton.

—Charlie Feaster

Shaping a Global Community of Leaders

LocalWorld

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Enriching the Hokie Spa ExperienceTeam Takes Shape During the fall 2011 semester, a Hokie Spa planning team was formed, uniting several units across campus that feed content to Hokie Spa, including University Bursar, University Studies/University Academic Advising Center, and University Scholarships and Financial Aid. An IDDL team facilitated the initial meetings and developed a process for the creation and recording of the content for narrated video tutorials.

Moving Forward “The goal of this project is to develop resources to help students and parents understand the functionality available to them in Hokie Spa,” says project manager Noah Schoenholtz, a graduate assistant in University Scholarships and Financial Aid.

IDDL supported this initiative by gathering baseline data from both students and parents during a focus group session held at Family Day 2011. The data revealed that video tutorials explaining Hokie Spa and its uses would be beneficial to all users of the system.

Team members worked together to prioritize the most important topics, starting with an ‘Introduction to Hokie Spa’ for students to debut during the 2012 freshman orientation. To create greater authenticity, Virginia Tech students Josh Thompson and Maggie Jaronski will serve as the narrators.

The team has plans to build an online library of video tutorials that students and parents can access from the Virginia Tech website and within Hokie Spa.

—Jenise JacquesNoah Schoenholtz, near, and Josh Thompson, in the recording studio for the Hokie Spa tutorial.

By definition, Hokie Spa is “a tool for students, faculty, and staff to view academic, financial, and other pertinent information about their relationship with Virginia Tech.”

The definition further states that “students can also find grades for previous semesters, class schedules, financial aid reports, and much more.”

Championing the Cause It is the broader ‘much more’ category that Barry Simmons, director of University Scholarships and Financial Aid, is eager to illuminate for students and parents. Simmons has long championed the value and benefit of narrated tutorials to illustrate the range of resources and services offered by Hokie Spa.

Local

8 The Institute for Distance and Distributed Learning

Access & Innovation Spring 2012Volume III, Number II

DirectorPeter Macedo

EditorTracey Allen

Editor and Lead WriterJenise Jacques

Graphic DesignerPeter Means

Editorial BoardCharlie FeasterAmy Shaffron Tammie SmithAngie StarrDaron Williams

Cover quote provided by Richard Hezel, president and CEO of Hezel Associates and board member of United States Distance Learning Association.

Access & Innovation is published two times a year (fall and spring). Reader comments and requests to reproduce any material in the newsletter should be directed to marketing@iddl.vt.edu. Information on IDDL is available at www.iddl.vt.edu.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants for admission or employment on the basis of race, gender, disability, age, veteran status, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or political affiliation. Anyone havingquestions concerning discrimination shouldcontact the Office for Equity and Access.

© 2012 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityPhotography provided by University RelationsPrinted by Virginia Tech Printing Services

IDDL www.iddl.vt.edu

‘Now is the Time for VTOnline’Bus Campaign Hits the Open RoadIDDL recently rolled out the largest element of its most comprehensive awareness campaign with the message, “Now is the Time for VTOnline” in the form of a complete bus wrap on the newest member of the Blacksburg Transit hybrid fleet.

“This three-year campaign aspires to effectively measure its reach through the use of quick response (QR) codes, dynamic content, and ties to social media, including the Virginia Tech Online Facebook page,” noted Peter Macedo, director of IDDL at the bus wrap unveiling ceremony. This is the first bus wrap in the Blacksburg Transit fleet to incorporate QR codes as part of its design.

Virginia Tech Online