I like the use of flight as a metaphor for my journey, as I feel I have been flying under the radar, yet covering a large territory since I began working in graduate medical education 22 years ago. The Medical University of South Carolina is my 4th institution, having now worked in three states and two countries.  Although I have consistently integrated technology into my work during this time span, I was never employed as an instructional designer or IT specialist.  I just became known as the person who was “good with computers.”

Spending time in graduate program management, I was able to see how the delivery of education could be fraught with deficiencies.  I heard it directly from the students, read their end-of-course evaluations, and experienced it first-hand (by watching people fall asleep in lecture halls).   Despite the advances in research in the biomedical sciences, there was little acknowledgement educational research had moved beyond 1970. Didactic delivery in large lecture halls, rare student-student interaction, professor as absolute keep-of-knowledge, papers, books, whiteboards, overhead projectors, standardized testing, PowerPoints and final exams.  They were all approaches to learning I suspected didn’t work, could be eliminated or improved upon. Despite encouraging faculty to participate in role playing, group collaboration, or simulations, they all showed up to their lectures with the same Powerpoint they had been showing every medical class for the past decade. One faculty member, whom I was helping redesign his online course, admitted that he hired graduates who took his course and they did not function well in the workplace as they learned nothing he taught!

I participated in small and large funded projects for the transformation in mode of delivery from in-class to online. Yet, in most instances, faculty were reluctant to embrace starting over in their course redesign – they still delivered the content in the same manner, only now it was posted in a Learning Management System. One such faculty member told me he did not like the LMS because you could not read his slides well.  When I told him I could help with this, by possibly adjusting the resolution, I could see that his slides we  overcrowded with small text from top to bottom; additionally, they were the same slides he used for two decades and had shocking color schemes.  No amount of resolution would fix this.

My goal is to facilitate teaching faculty how to use technology to effectively teach online.  This involves not the technology specifically, but demonstrate what a social constructivist approach looks like in a distributed environment. Over two decades (and being married to a faculty member myself) has shown me what the best approach must entail:

1. Any new idea needs to be based on best practices as found in the literature.
2. The transformation can only ask the faculty to invest a minimal amount of time as there are a multitude of competing demands on their time.
3. Do not expect them to do any research into new technologies, make the decision for them and tell them why it will work.
4. Do not expect to make large changes overnight; incrementally introduce new technologies.
5. Identify your early adopters in the faculty early and use them to create a competitive environment that the early majority will adopt.
6. Don’t waste too much time on the laggards
7. Faculty are not necessarily interested in positive student outcomes; unless, it advances their career or contributes to research funding. (I anticipate I may be challenged on this concept)

As well, I am enrolled in Phase One of an independent study to investigate quality in online course delivery as defined in the literature, and; in Phase two I will survey instructional designers in the US to see if they incorporate these course attributes, and what percentage of the courses at their institutions actually have instructional designer input.

I am familiar with using a lot of technology but always embrace the opportunity to try out new things.  I have built courses in LMSs (Blackboard, WebCT, Canvas & Moodle).  WordPress always frustrates me but nothing I cannot overcome.

If the lone wolf model prevails, I would like to be able to provide as many clear simple resources to faculty as they need. In ETEC 510, our group created this website.  Being a course assignment, we did not spend as much time on it as we would have liked.  One of the other course designers will be working with me to help develop and evolve this site, or an alternate site, into a better product we can share at our institutions. In my current position, I am involved with acting as a resource to guide faculty into developing online courses so I do have a self interest. The majority of my position, however, involves state authorization for distance education. If you are interested, you can read more about this issue in the US here.

Another short introductory digital artifact I created for another course sums me up just as easy as this longer narrative.

As I work to develop online learning environments, I try to keep these core ideas in mind:

Anderson (2004) guides me with his framework, which does not include ‘instructor-centered’ learning environments. Mills (2003) reminds us to ask questions about technologies we choose. Ke (2009) explores the importance of focusing on student-student interaction and collaboration for adult learners to achieve deeper learning. Most importantly, the social constructivist theory of Vygotsky (1978) encourages learning environments that allow the learner to build their own knowledge through interaction with others. Rogers (2003) reminds me to focus on the innovators and early adopters.

Anderson, T. (2004). Toward a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds), Theory and practice of online learning (pp.33-60 ). Athabasca, AB: Athabasca University.

Ke, F., & Xie, K. (2009). Toward Deep Learning for Adult Students in Online Courses. Internet And Higher Education, 12(3-4), 136-145.

Mills, S. (2003). 78 Reasonable Questions to Ask About Any Technology. Clamor, i.18, Jan/Feb03. Retrieved from: http://www.mindfully.org/Sustainability/2003/78-Questions-TechnologyFeb03.htm

Rogers, Everett (2003). Diffusion of Innovations, 5th Edition. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-5823-4.

Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.