Large Online Courses – A solution for online course demand in a Hispanic Serving Institution
The demand for online courses increased exponentially at UTRGV, the second Hispanic Serving Institution in the US, leading to a long wait list of students at the registration time. One solution was to increase the maximum enrollment in online courses. The Center for Online Learning offered a comprehensive solution that included a professional development plan to assist faculty in managing large online courses. In this session, we will discuss implemented plan including strategies and best practices for managing large online courses: Quality in Course Structure & Design, Teaching Techniques, Effective Communication, Technical Training, Effective use of Academic Coaches and more.
Technologies
Large Courses are offered online via Blackboard, the University’s Learning Management System. Faculty are recommended to use the maximum number of Blackboard tools including rubrics for discussion forums and assignments to assist Academic Coaches with the grading process. Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor are utilized during exams to prevent any possible dishonesty. Faculty also utilized SoftChalk Lesson Builder to create interactive on content. Finally is the use of Blackboard Collaborate to keep an open communication between instructor of records and academic coaches, as well as Coaches with Students.
Explain project results
With the implementation of this project, Faculty are prepared to assist students in large online courses. Faculty are also aware of the assistance they can receive from Academic Coaches in managing a large number of students online. On the other hand, more students can enroll in online courses, providing more options for courses and reducing the time to graduate.
Why it should be considered best practice?
The implementation of the Large Online Course Project at the University provides access to more class options for our students. At the same time, students will have the possibility to reduce their time to graduation. On the other hand, the university enrollment and generation of semester credit hours increased tremendously.
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