One Program’s Roadmap to Distance Learning Technology

Retooling Traditional Outreach Through Distance Learning

Kevin Erb, Janice Kepka, Jeff Mullins, Rebecca Power, and Ingrid West

University of Wisconsin Environmental Resources Center

Agenda

1. Introduction of Conservation Professional Training Program (CPTP)

2. Why did CPTP decide to use distance teaching/learning technologies?

3. Moving beyond the traditional classroom4. Program needs and demo of tools in use5. Panel wrap-up/audience questions

Using Distance Education Technology for Personalized Learning

Forum goal: participants will learn about one program’s

insights in using and adapting educational technology for non

traditional student learning.

Distance teaching/learning in your programs?

• Share one idea you’ve had for using distance teaching/learning in your own programming.

• Advantages of using distance teaching/learning that have come to mind, or that you have experienced?

• Disadvantages or challenges of using distance teaching/learning that have come to mind, or that you have experienced?

WHAT IS THE CONSERVATION PROFESSIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM?

Great Lakes Regional Conservation Professional Training Initiative

• USDA/Land Grant University Great Lakes Regional Water Program• Cooperative Extension – Environmental Resources Center• Wisconsin Natural Resources Conservation Service

Building Partnerships Between Professionals, Landowners and The Land

Partnership

Is a six state partnership (IL, IN, MI,MN,OH,WI) for sharing and leveraging resources and opportunities in conservation training

Program Overview

State specific and multi state trainings for conservation professionals and Technical Service Providers (TSP’s) working with farmers and landowners

Program Overview

Training programs cover a wide range of topics and issues but fall in three major categories:• Traditional Farming• Policy • Emerging Issues

The Need

Create a multistate infrastructure to assist partners to create training partnerships• A Regional web

based needs assessment• Two day regional

round table

The Challenge

• Broad Geographic Distance• Political Boundaries• Dwindling Budgets and Increasing Costs• Wide assortment of Agencies and NGO’s• Diverse areas of training needs• Varying levels of expertise in

• Course content• Technology

Building Capacity

Working groups to create recommendations and implement strategies:• Organizational Framework• Curriculum Development• Web and Communication

Goals for Using Distance Education Technology Tools

• Build successful partnerships

• Build a multi state E-learning program

• Identify and use distance education tools for

individualizing education outreach opportunities

• Engage non traditional students in the digital age

• Customize assessment tools to enhance outcomes and

achievement

Assessing Infrastructure

Assess capacity of our partners both in technical knowledge and in infrastructure• Surveyed our partners • Developed a Matrix

Create a Foundation

• Researching the technology• Learning and choosing the best fit• Developing our protocols for use

MOVING BEYOND THE TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM

Making the Transition

• We’re going to do this, so now what?

• Online delivery requires a significant change in thinking and planning process.

Making the Transition

Step 1: Examine existing agenda, learning objectives and students.

• Take the opportunity to review overall learning objectives and make sure they are still relevant.

Making the Transition

Step 1: Examine existing agenda, learning objectives and students.

• Review target audience and assess their preferred learning style / daily activity

– An audience who spends 90% of their worktime in the forest is not suited for 90% online training

Making the Transition

Step 2: Appraise resources.

• Look for existing online content and compare to your handouts/resources/presentations.

– eXtension / Universities– Private sector materials

Making the Transition

Step 3: Extend your timeline.

• Creation of online content takes much more lead time.

– Instructors must be appraised of new expectations– Walking in the day-of the program with a jump

drive is no longer possible

Making the Transition

Step 4: Selection Process.

• What information would it be good for students to know beforehand? (online readings)

– Also good for information that changes regularly

Making the Transition

Step 4: Selection Process.

• What is best taught by hands-on teaching or will generate many situation-specific questions? (traditional classroom or field)

Making the Transition

Step 4: Selection Process.

• Which hands-on experiences can be done by students working in small groups via the web? – online collaboration projects– Communities of practice

Making the Transition

Step 4: Selection Process.

• Are there short processes that can be learned best by watching someone? (video clip/JING)

• Are there presenters whose primary role is to show collaboration or partnerships, or emphasize the importance of the project? (short video clip)

Making the Transition

Step 4: Selection Process.

• Longer processes/concepts that require explanation or detail after online readings? (narrated PowerPoint or live webinar)

Making the Transition

Step 4: Selection Process.

• Evaluation documented confusion or a need to reinforce concepts taught?– follow up webinar– MENTORING

Making the Transition

Step 5: Moving Forward.

• Identify resource people and systems (eXtension) to facilitate process

• Test website before release/course opening

Making the Transition

Step 6: Integrate Evaluation.

• Distance education technologies create new challenges, opportunities to evaluate our impact.

Making the Transition

Step 6: Integrate Evaluation.

• Distance education technologies create new challenges, opportunities to evaluate our impact.– Evaluate the process of creation

Making the Transition

Step 6: Integrate Evaluation.

• Distance education technologies create new challenges, opportunities to evaluate our impact.– Evaluate the process of creation– On-the-fly progress (quizzes)• Moodle module routing based on answers

Making the Transition

Step 6: Integrate Evaluation.

• Distance education technologies create new challenges, opportunities to evaluate our impact.– Evaluate the process of creation– On-the-fly progress (quizzes)• Moodle module routing based on answers

– Post-course online evaluations

Making the Transition

Final Advice:

• Allow plenty of time to produce a quality product.

TECH TALK & DEMO:BASECAMP

REGISTRATION W/RUBY-ON-RAILS

Our Challenges

• Diverse audience with varying technology restrictions:– My entity vs. your entity– Just say NO to Google Docs, the “cloud”, others!– Security concerns relating to downloads (LiveMeeting)– Web cams not allowed

• Long-term support and hosting • We aren’t a typical model for distance teaching and learning.

This should be easy! These challenges didn’t go away.

Resources

• https://dmc.wisc.edu/• http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/• http://depd.wisc.edu/• http://fyi.uwex.edu/edtech/– “Choosing Educational Technologies and

Methods”

The ERC has access to many levels of resources.

How do we get there?

• Create a requirements list• Allow plenty of time to experiment• Develop implementation and evaluation plans• Implement incrementally as your comfort

level increases• Expect to train and support everyone

Program Tech Needs

Need Technology We Use to Meet the Need

Project management Basecamp

Course registration/student tracking Custom-built web site

Centralized file sharing Basecamp/Drupal

Webinar Adobe Connect/WisLineWeb

Online course delivery Moodle (via eXtension)

Collaboration space Drupal/Adobe Connect/

Conference calls WisLine/Adobe Connect

Open-source site hosting UWEX Central IT Services

**Also need course designers, technical support staff and programmers

Content DevelopmentTools

• Audacity – free tool used for creating audio recordings

• PowerPoint – native capacity for narrated slides• Camtasia – develop/edit training videos• Snagit – screen capture• Jing – create short how-to training videos• Wirecast – record/create videos of live courses

Basecamp

• 37signals.com• How it meets our needs:– Document repository for regional team– Repository for course materials– Student resource collection (migrate to Drupal)

Basecamp

A Basecamp Project

Registration

Features: Course catalog Student course tracking (plans to

integrate training plans) Payment/invoicing Registration

Registration

http://conservation-training.wisc.edu

Registration

Google calendar

Registration

Click on title to see available sections

Registration

Registration

Registration

Use this link to register walk-ins

Use this link to mark who completed the

section

Registration

Thanks to:Rick Wayne, Systems ProgrammerUW-Madison, Dept of Soils

Open-source technology: Ruby-on-RailsHosted by Soils, moving to UWEX Fall 2010

TECHNOLOGY DEMO:EXTENSION

COURSE DELIVERY W/MOODLESITE PORTAL W/DRUPAL

eXtension

Moodle

Moodle

Moodle

Moodle

Drupal

Drupal

Drupal

Drupal

PANEL WRAP-UP