Hybrid Education: It's really NOT about technology, it's about teaching & learning

As I review my previous blogs, I've realized that many of them focus on the technology we're using in our Hybrid DPT Program at NSU.  I want to emphasize that hybrid learning is really NOT about the technology, it's about teaching in a way that connects students to the information so that they can apply it in physical therapist practice.  The technology (voice thread, xtranormal, blogs, powerpoints) are just a means to an end---and the end is student learning.

To really get a grip on this, let's explore traditional professional classrooms. Students get a syllabus which has assigned readings prior to class. Many students don't do the assigned readings and some might not buy the book. After all, when they walk into the class, the instructor gives a powerpoint that details the information they'll need to understand the topic. Hopefully, at that point some students go back to the text/resources and actually read the original sources. Many don't have to because the faculty / instructor is SO good at consolidating the information and making it manageable.  In the live classroom, students can ask questions, although the majority don't unless the instructor really pushes!

• Question: Is it DURING the class that learning occurs?

• My Opinion: Nope, in fact, good listening occurs (hopefully), and even some deep thinking (even more hopefully)...but learning occurs when the student prepares for a test (ie, I have to remember ... and ...) or is asked to APPLY the information (case study, assignment, etc). During the preparation for a quiz or exam, the lecture-based student will a) highlight the powerpoint slide handouts, b) perhaps make some charts/cards to memorize the information and c) try to commit this from short term to long term memory.

What happens in hybrid education? Well, the student is given reading assignments and resources, and then asked to apply the information in either a case, paper, project, quiz....Often, the information in the text is supplemented with a Tegrity video/powerpoint slides (Dr. Shaw), you tube video (Dr. Riba), email from the faculty, or other videos (Blackinton).  This helps tell the student what the faculty thinks is important. The assignment of the week is designed to HELP students learn the material. When the student submits the assignment, he/she receives feedback which is designed to further help with the learning. So learning is an iterative process that occurs through interaction with information, faculty, etc.The role of the faculty moves from the "teller" of the information to the "stacker" of the information-using a combination of resources and feedback to stack the learning deck so to speak.

Question: So when does the student learn in Hybrid education? Is it from the reading? Tegrity session? chats?

My Opinion: Hopefully, students learn in multiple modes (seeing, hearing, doing, asking..).. Do all the students read all the text assignments? I DON"T KNOW! Is it more likely that they have read compared to just showing up for class? ABSOLUTELY! The UNCOMFORTABLE part for both faculty and students is that when you read and think on your own, you may do it differently than your instructor. The FANTASTIC part for both faculty and students is that they are learning to THINK and DO on their own.

Do I have questions? Yes! For example, I am not sure that all students are ready for learning in this manner, and I'm very uncertain how to screen for this individual during the admissions process. I do believe that ALL of us are capable of doing AMAZING things when we are asked to participate! I am SO PROUD of the NSU students because they are working hard, they are participating, and they are LEARNING!

That's what it's all about people, it's all about the learning! And how cool will it be that these HE-DPT Students are prepared with learning skills to last them a lifetime!

Got Ethics? An Invitation to my HE-DPT Students

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to interview a very well-respected expert in the area of physical therapy ethics, Dr. Laura Lee (Dolly) Swisher from University of South Florida. My interview with Dr. Swisher was videotaped (thanks to camera women extraordinaire, Dr. Keiba Shaw) and will be shared in our electronic classroom with the HE-DPT students in my class called Professional Issues in Physical Therapy. One of Dr. Swisher's many accomplishments is the development of an ethical decision making model entitled: Realm-Individual-Process-Situation (RIPS) Model. Although we usually associate the word "dilemma" with ethics, the "Situation" component of her model asks us to determine whether a particular situation is indeed a dilemma or some other ethical challenge. These 5 challenges are:

1. An issue/problem-ie, there are important values present or challenged.
2. A dilemma: 2 courses of action that seem to contradict each other, but both could be considered "right"
3. Distress: You know what should be done but aren't authorized to act.
4. Temptation: a choice between right and wrong (angel vs devil on your shoulders).
5. Silence: Your ethical values are challenged but no one is talking about the challenge.

HE-DPT Students: Fast forward--it is suddenly 3 1/2 years from now.  You are preparing to take the licensing examination, and are told by a reliable source about a website that can give you the "inside scoop" on exam questions.  How would you characterize this Situation using the 5 categories above? Also, after you review the Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapist - (this is a link to the code) and describe which of the principle(s) you believe is/are violated by a student that cheats on the licensing (or any) examination. Keep your responses short and to the point!

Got Ethics? I think so! Share your thoughts on this blog! If you have trouble posting on this website, email them to me in the Web CT classroom and I will post on the blog.

XtraNormal Video: Ta da!

Well: I did it! I created my first Xtranormal video for the ELC next Monday. Thanks Melissa and Lance for the encouragement, you know I have "issues."

That being said, I had great fun making it (and editing it over, and over...). Seriously, it is a creative venue that hopefully will facilitate some provacative discussions at the Educational Leadership Conference.

Check it out, and if possible, give me your comments. Like a good producer, I am anxious to hear what you thought! There are some snaffoos in the wording, but each time I re-publish it there is a small cost! If for some reason you have trouble responding, shoot me an email at maryb@nova.edu

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12500506/the-talk?page=1?listid=25725340

Diversity is the SPICE of LIFE in Hybrid Education

After a nice hiatus (aka-vacation), I'm back in the saddle of the HE-DPT Program! I'd like to take a moment to thank my fabulous faculty, associated faculty, and staff for not just keeping things on track while I was gone, but really revving things up and making great teaching/learning happen! Here's what's been happening while I was away:

• Dr. Page has been "chatting away" with the students in the Professional Issues in PT class! Phone chats are, as it turns out, a low-tech but VERY effective way to have meaningful discussions with small groups of students. Her insights include: have the chats AFTER the assignments have been turned in, keep the groups small (~ 4 people), and give them the freedom to direct the conversation! Also, if your goal is NOT related to the skill of searching online databases, minimize the searching time for assignments so that they can get to the meat of the assignment sooner.  Her take: students are ENGAGED in the material!
• Dr. Shaw has been using a VARIETY of instructional strategies (voicethread, powerpoint, discussions, quizzes) to keep the students active in the Essentials of Exercise Physiology class. Similar to Dr. P, she noticed that students are very active on the discussion boards and have meaningful discussions. Quiz grades have been improving as students realize that you need to read the text(s) to answer the questions! For those of you reading this who are not in the academic world, it might be surprising to you that reading assignments are considered by many students as "merely a suggestion."  One of the great aspects of a hybrid program is that, without the comfort of powerpoint slides each day, students take more responsibility for their learning by actually buying and then reading the text. Dr. Shaw, like many of us, provides powerpoint slides in the electronic classroom, it's just that the slides cover the basics rather than the entire text. Students, if you are out there, we are so proud of you!
• Dr. Riba has been busy blogging and having her students blog their progress in palpation skills. The blog, set up in the Blogger website but with privacy settings, allow students an excellent forum to post pictures or videos of themselves palpating while simultaneously reflecting on their learning. The blog format allows sharing (via invitation) and commenting by the instructor and peers. Very cool stuff! Dr. R's input: don't assume that setting the blog up is easy, perhaps instruct while on campus to minimize the technology frustration.
• Dr. Morris has been busy making "short but sweet" tegrity videos on the pharmacology topics. His strategy this semester is to have many shorter tegrity videos (lectures) rather than several long sessions. We look forward to hearing his input on which method he prefers!

As I sat and listened to this great group of faculty share what they've done, I've had my own "AHA" moments that I'd like to share! First, there are many ways to effectively engage students in a hybrid program. The diversity in approaches are keeping students engaged, interested, and active in their learning. I love the fact that each faculty has approached the hybrid classroom in a way that suits them, their material, and the learning objectives. Second, when you consider the concepts of learning styles and multiple intelligences, this program addresses a plethora of learning modalities (hearing, talking, doing, touching...) and skills (logic, linguistic, intrapersonal...). To me, this is good news for both faculty and students. Third, one cannot over-emphasize the need for faculty to share and learn from one another. I am lucky to work with a dynamic group of faculty who value this learning community. Likewise, I cannot over-emphasize the need for students to stay organized. It takes much less organization to know what classroom to show up to each day than it does to keep track of assignments, postings, chat times, etc.

Lessons learned: diversity is the spice of life, team learning is PRICELESS!

Ready, Set, GO!

READY: Fall term 2011 has officially started! Although our students have been in class all summer taking Anatomy and Physiology, most of the faculty (other than Dr. Morris who was tres busy teaching) have been working on our classes and preparing for this fall term. The fall marks the beginning of physical therapy specific classes: Professional Issues in Physical Therapy, Clinical Applications of Anatomy, Essentials of Exercise Physiology, and Pharmacology.  So this is exciting for the students as well as faculty. It also marks the first time most of us are really 'doing' hybrid in an entry level program. This is where we'll begin to evaluate if our strategies have been on target, what activities 'engage' students versus those that don't, and also how to manage a class that are geographically distant for 3.5 weeks. In a hybrid program, being ready is a lot more UP FRONT work compared to a traditional classroom. Materials need to be ready for students to peek at so they can get a handle on the term-if an assignment is made, the grading rubric and support material should also be available. I would say the "r" in ready needs to be capitalized in a hybrid program.

As is the norm for most professional education programs, while we prepared for the fall term, we are also planning and strategizing for the subsequent terms. Having 5 core faculty and 2 associated faculty on board at this point has allowed us to evaluate our curriculum and have a productive currriculum meeting this past week. How much fun is it to create, discuss, brainstorm, and discuss some more? Ok, well maybe it's not fun for everyone but to me it is much like I imagine a composer feels when she or he puts the finishing touches on a song! I am enjoying and relishing the spirit of our faculty-everyone shares and we are trying (thank you Keiba) not to talk over one another as we get excited about something! That's a good thing to work on, right? White coat ceremony is also scheduled for this October 22nd, so there is much to celebrate ahead!

SET: All classes are up in WebCT (our online classroom system), students have begun interacting (learning how to create their own Blog in Dr. Riba's class, signing up for chats with Dr. Page, connecting to online resources and presentations in Dr. Shaw's class) just to mention a few. In our pre-semester meeting, we were able to look at all 4 classes super-imposed on one another to check for possible conflicts in time or testing. So I guess we're also SET.  The students-many printed materials from WebCT before they even left campus last Sunday-and thus I would say they're ready to GO!

GO:  Speaking of GO, I'm about to take a much needed and anticipated vacation. I'll be back in time for our first on-campus session and greatly appreciate Dr. Page leading Unit 1 of the Professional Issues class  :-)  I feel 100% confident that the students, faculty, and staff are ready for an interactive semester ahead.

Arrividerci! Fans can follow my upcoming travel blog entitled: Io sono Americana

It's the little things...

Yes, it's the little things that make me smile these day! This afternoon, I created my first voicethread. Voice Thread is a website (http://www.voicethread.com/) that allows you to share files, media, presentations, etc in a manner that facilitates interaction, collaboration, and expression using various modes of communication.  Here is a screen capture from the website:

I imported 2 pictures related to a video presentation I created about the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice. Then, on voicethread, I was able to insert my voice on the pictures, explaining what I want the students to do. I also 'doodled' on the picture by using the doodle pen to circle myself in a picture. But the really cool part is that the assignment is for the students to insert their own voice and comment on the 'clear' or 'muddy' points about the Guide.  If your curious to see what it's like (come on-I know you're a little curious...) you can go to this link http://voicethread.com/share/2178786/ and see how it works. But wait: BEFORE you can log on to see my link you have to sign up for VoiceThread. It is free, and all it requires is you to register an email address and create a password.  The free account excludes some fancy schmancy type of applications, but you'll enjoy the examples that are published.  If you do go to this link, you can actually make a comment on the board as well! You will be asked to save or delete your message, so if you're shy but curious give it a try.  If you post, please make sure it is professional because it is for my Professional Issues in Physical Therapy class!

Now for the honest part: it took me about 2 hours to figure it out. My colleague let me test it with him (thanks Lance) because I almost couldn't believe I finally did it! Now for those of you who are quick on the uptake (you know who you are) it will probably take you 2 minutes. But in keeping with the purpose of my blog to share actual experiences, I had to humbly report that I'm a slow learner. So, if I can do it...so can you!

For my non-educator friends out there, there are a TON of applications for voicethread! You can upload a family picture, narrate it, and then hear you're friends and family's comments...OR...start a poem and have others help you complete it! Go for it my friends, there is nothing to lose but a little time!

Time for planning and brainstorming: A must have for hybrid courses

I am a big fan of brainstorming and reflection  as both a teacher and a learner. Of course I'm also a fan of  Dewey and Schon-great thinkers who emphasized reflection as a necessary part of learning.  Shhh-I just shared my geeky side-don't tell anyone! It might ruin my 'hip' reputation!

As a teacher, I have always struggled to find time for reflection.When our plates are full (as they often are), reflection is the first to go! We've got classes to get ready for, classes to teach, scholarly work to do, throw in a little service or practice...you get the picture. Yet without reflection, how do we improve? If we don't take the time to ask "what worked? what didn't?" then we might make the same foibles next year. Also, the LESS we reflect, the LESS we ask students to reflect! Reflecting before teaching has always helped me answer the big questions: What is the take home message? How can I best reach the students on this concept? Will they remember this in 1 day, 1 month, 1 year? What about 2 or 10 years?

As I prepare for my first hybrid entry level class, I find that time for brainstorming and reflection are even more in demand! Why? When I move my content away from a "lecture" focus, I must think long and hard about the types of  activities that will promote learning without distracting the students. I worry about the time it takes for students to FIND information, then also process it AND apply it!

Similar to the face-to-face classroom, I am trying to avoid monotony: In the classroom, I moved around, changed the pace of the lecture, started with a story or an anecdote! Likewise, I can begin a unit with a video one week and a reading another! However, I have relinquished control of timing, pace, and order in this new hybrid format. So, I need to ponder, think, run ideas by my colleagues, all in the name of making sure I've thought the idea through to fruition.

Yesterday, the faculty got together and presented our fall courses to one another. First-I am so proud of this crew-they are amazing. Second, I learned so much from them! The BONUS is that during this together time, rather than just being another mandatory (which it is) and boring (which it isn't) meeting, it was actually a solid time for both brainstorming and reflecting. The results--priceless!

I close with a picture of our wipe board in our conference room-by the end of the session we were able to agree on a schedule of time/dates for our on-campus days with some lobbying (Keiba) and good organization (Melissa) and flexibility (Kendall). Muchas Gracias!

Research, Learn, Apply: No one said it would be easy or fast!

Well, now that I have successfully created a blog, it's time to start blogging!

Developing a hybrid DPT Program is more than just thinking, it's doing. For the last few months, and especially in the last few weeks, those of us at NSU's HE-DPT program have been learning as much as we can about hybrid education and the technology that goes behind it. No, we're not learning programming skills, rather we're learning about BEST PRACTICES in hybrid education (researching), learning about new technologies (like blogs), and applying what we've learned to the classes we're developing. Sound like fun? Well, it is, yet it's also humbling.

Here's a few things I've learned just in the past few weeks:

1. Making an audio recording SOUNDS easy but it is NOT. Why? Because although I have taught in a classroom for almost 17 years, hearing my voice on a 3 minute introduction is EYE opening..even embarrassing. It took me about 5  takes and probably 30 minutes to record my 3 minute message as an introduction to the class. I even had my message pre-written! I did all the things we learned from our hybrid mentor Dr. Mike Simonson...I used a microphone, had a script, yet it still took 30 minutes. Perhaps my friends, colleagues, and loved ones would say I am too picky? seeking perfection? I say: "Who me?"
2. There really is such a thing as a community of learning! I am so proud of the faculty and staff here at NSU Tampa-we are all learning new skills and sharing what we've learned with one another. BIG thanks to Dr. Riba for bringing us back LOTS of ideas from the Merlot conference in California. She has happily accepted the role of "TECH GAL" and we are eternally grateful! Tomorrow we'll be sharing our plans for the fall courses with one another, and I can't wait to get some good ideas.
3. Less is MORE.   I used to do about a 60 minute lecture teaching students about  "The Guide to Physical Therapist Practice."  Now I am creating a "5 minutes to the Guide" session accompanied by a VoiceThread to allow students to comment on the guide. Why less? Because watching me for 60 minutes on the computer would be HORRIBLE! I found that out just by listening to myself for 3 minutes (see #1 above). Also, there has been some research done that says we can boil down our lecture to a few minutes of important points.  Why more? You got it, it has taken me HOURS to figure out how to cut down my session to the key points.
4. Mastering this form of teaching will require good "systems management" on my part. What do I mean by that? You need to set up accounts (google, youtube, voicethread, wordle, etc) and then REMEMBER the accounts and passwords, and also remember how to use the technology. For those of you who know me, you know this is not my strong point! Thank you to Mike Buck and James Pfrehm from Ithica College who presented at 2011 CSM pre-conference course entitled "PT 2.0"! You were incredible!

Well, that's all for now. I have youtube videos to find, voicethreads to make...