Tag Archive for 'higher education'

Knowledge Services and Enterprise Management (KSEM) Certificate Program

Published by Susan Smith Nash on September 5, 2007 in Programs and Research. 0 Comments

A program designed to prepare individuals for careers in knowledge services, which could include learning organizations and technology software and service providers, is being offered by UC-Santa Cruz (California) at their Silicon Valley Campus located at the NASA Ames Research Center in the South Bay at Moffett Field. It is not clear from the information in the brochure how many (if any) courses are online. Nevertheless, the certificate program appears to be very valuable.

Knowledge Services and Enterprise Management (KSEM) Certificate Program is USCS Extension graduate-level certificate program at the UCSC Silicon Valley Campus in cooperation with the UCSC Baskin School of Engineering. The courses are offered face-to-face. Some may be offered online, but it’s not clear from the informational materials.

While the program is interdisciplinary, individuals must have a solid background in statistics, and should be familiar with stochastic processes and other algorithmic approaches. KSEM is, according to UCSC literature, a program that requires students to bring together the application of information technology and the knowledge services to enable individuals to manage high tech enterprises and other complex systems. Ideas from many different fields come together with the goal of addressing challenges faced in today’s global and knowledge-based economy.

The program could be beneficial for individuals who would like to work in knowledge management systems design, enterprise systems design, new product and service development, portfolio management (products and services), service management and e-business, marketing and product positioning, global supply and value change management, manufacturing and outsourcing, business intelligence, and risk management.

Core courses cover areas such as technology and information management, knowledge services and data analytics, data mining, eBusiness technology and strategy, and more.

For information, call 831-459-1384
Visit http://www.soe.ucsc.edu/programs/ksem

posted by susan smith nash

Classroom and Distance Interaction Enhanced with Turning Technologies

Published by Susan Smith Nash on June 24, 2007 in Tech Trends. 0 Comments

Turning Technologies has announced the release of a cluster of products that are likely to change the nature of educational interaction in classroom and online.

What is the main complaint about the traditional lecture model — 300 hundred or more students packed into lecture halls with the sage on the stage professor? Most people would say the problem is the lack of student engagement. In the past, it has been impossible for students to meaningfully interact with the professor and with other students. Now, thanks to Turning Technologies, professors can take roll, poll students, ask for opinions, and then display responses with their PowerPoint presentation - all with a click of a clicker, provided by TurningPoint software. Turning Technologies has an array of audience response cards, or “clickers,” which work well with many lecture applications, ranging from K-12 to higher education, corporate training, and government.

The Rochester Institute of Technology has been using Turning Technologies’ response cards in its lecture-based courses that include 150 or more students. Using wireless response cards, students not only interact by voting and providing opinions on topics. They can also take quizzes (multiple choice, etc.), and can check roll. The results are gathered in a comma-delimited spreadsheet and imported directly into Desire2Learn, the learning management system used by RIT.

To encourage remote interaction, Turning Technologies is preparing to announce the general release of its VPad, software that allows individuals who are participating in a webinar or other synchronous online activity to vote and for the results to be instantly tabulated and displayed. The possibilities are pretty staggering, particularly in an election year, and in a time when people are seeking ways to improve efficiency in marketing research, census data collection, and more.

I’d like to see Turning Technologies use their products to gather census data. Their products, if used effectively, could collect the kind of data that could help states such as New York, collect census data accurately and thoroughly, and possibly avoid slipping to 4th place (behind Florida) and thus losing even more Congressional representation. Conversely, Florida could use the technology to gather data in hard-to-gather locations, en masse (say, in departments of motor vehicles), to overtake New York.

These are just a few of the possibilities. The point is, the future is interactive, and data gathering is accurate, efficient, and more flexible than ever.

Fast-Track Development of High-Quality Online Courses

Published by Susan Smith Nash on April 15, 2007 in Online Learning. 0 Comments

The following approach represents a way to fast-track the development of online courses by using an integrative approach to develop unique, high-quality courses that reflect the core values and vision of the institution while bringing together media assets, supplemental subject matter experts, and a highly effective online instructional strategy. This article was first written in 2003, but in reviewing it, it seems to be remarkably helpful, particularly as institutions are faced with creating courses and course content for new learning management systems and technologies (m-learning, etc.).

Elements:

* Point Person in the Academic Unit: Coordinates unit-developed curriculum, courses, course descriptions, learning objectives with primary subject matter expert(s) in the academic unit.

* Instructional designer and information technology liaisons: develop templates and manage the course management system / informational infrastructure

* Template or approved course structure: This provides a consistent look and feel, as well as encouraging coordination and competence with students, instructors, and support staff

* Core textbook with extensive media asset support, including online learning elements: Although other texts and resources will be used, a well-respected, high-quality core textbook that contains high-quality media assets provides a content credibility assurance. By utilizing the streaming media, presentation graphics, audio, interactive quizzes and other features that have been developed by the textbook company, huge time and cost savings are possible. See http://www.mlearners.com for examples of content suitable for mobile devices.

* Subject Matter Expert Collaborator #1: The SME is asked to review the course from his/her unique perspective and add content, instructional guides, and directed activities. For example, SME #1 may be asked to provide historical perspectives.

* Subject Matter Expert Collaborator #2: This SME does not duplicate the work of SME #1. Instead, he/she brings a new set of assumptions and approaches to the task, and generates content that goes in a slightly different direction. For example, this SME may focus on adding connections to contemporary concerns (ethics, case studies, etc.).

* Academic Review Committee

Stages of Quality Review and Development:

Review 1: Develop a curriculum and courses that make sense in terms of institutional vision and mission. This is done by members of the academic unit, a key subject matter expert with coordination from the point person.

Review 2: Develop course descriptions. The point person works with the primary subject matter expert, with a review by the instructional designer to make sure that key points are included. It is acceptable to develop a template or form to standardize the course descriptions.

Review 3: Select texts, leverage textbook media assets and support to build a foundation.

Core text: Depending on the course, select a best-selling, widely-adopted textbook from a major textbook publisher which has significant media assets with it. This would include online content, interactive material, presentations, streaming audio and/or video, as well as a CD-ROM.

Additional required texts: Particularly in the case of graduate courses or surveys of literature, trade books which address specific topics will provide depth and breadth to the course.

Articles and online resources: Identify articles, obtain permissions, and place in the online library reserve.

Review 4: Build-out based on course objectives and textbook.

Build-out 4a: Syllabus. Develop a form or template approach in order to provide standard information. Widely-used text and logos should be made into objects and used in a SCORM-compliant manner. A standard course structure can be implemented for a unit’s online offerings, with slight variations depending on the course objectives and approach.

Build-out 4b: Meshing core textbook assets with units.

Build-out 4c: Meshing activities, supporting content, etc. with media assets from core text.

Build-out 4d: Incorporate the additional readings to add depth and breadth to the course content. This may take place in Review 5 or 6 if the SME Collaborators are charged with recommending readings and texts.

Review 5: SME Collaborator #1 — this person complements the primary unit’s online course developer and subject matter expert. SME #1 may be a part of the unit, or an outside contractor / adjunct.

Build-out 5a: Add new SME perspective — develop lecture notes, online reserve articles, additional resources. Provide the SME with a checklist of tasks in order to assure consistency of performance and that he/she does not simply repeat work already done. Carefully define SME’s focus - for example, SME #1 may be asked to provide historical perspectives, a history of key ideas and developments, and an annotated bibliography of seminal works in the field, in addition to guiding questions, sidebar items, readings, etc.

Build-out 5b: SME provides guiding questions, sidebar items, focus / talking points, recommendations on readings / texts / online reserve articles.

Review 6: SME Collaborator #2 - as in the case of SME #1, this person supports the work of the point person in the department and unit-generated content / structure. This person builds on the core course foundation that includes the primary text. SME #2’s focus can be on making connections to current contemporary situations, settings, developments.

Build-out 6a: SME follows a checklist / guidelines sheet in order to accomplish specific tasks. The focus should be carefully defined and delineated so that the work provided creates depth and breadth, always building on the work of the unit point person, unit curriculum / content experts, and SME #1.

Build-out 6b: SME provides guiding questions, sidebar items, focus / talking points, recommendations on readings / texts / online reserve articles. These follow the focus set out in the checklist and guidelines.

Review 7: Instructional Designer / Information Technology Review: The course is reviewed to make sure that objectives are being met, and to suggest places for editing, revision, or expansion.

Review 8: Alignment with Institutional and Academic Vision and Mission. Stakeholders take a look to make sure that the course objectives, instructional strategies, and course content are in line with the institution’s vision and mission, both in terms of academics and in terms of access, etc.

Review 9: Academic Review Committee - The purpose of the academic review committee is not to second-guess or “correct” the work, but simply to take a look at it to make sure it conforms with the institution’s policies and procedures with respect to Best Practices.

Review 10: Final revision before putting into course template and the course management software.

Useful Video on Certificate Courses