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Wednesday, 14 July 2004: 3:15 PM-4:00 PM | |||
Oceanic 6 (Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel) | |||
I-8: General Education Competency Programs and WebCT, an Innovative Connection. | |||
| Detailed Description: | Using multiple facets of WebCT, the University of Dayton has implemented innovative, non-traditional delivery methods for the University’s General Education Competencies. The end result of a collaboration of faculty, educational information technology professionals, librarians, and students; the courses provide academic content and assessment for the quantitative reasoning and information literacy general competency programs. This session provides an overview of the University’s Competency program, the delivery and assessment through WebCT courses, and outcomes of the efforts. | ||
| Presentation Format: | Showcase | ||
| Topic: | Enabling learning: Effective instructional practices and flexible design models | ||
| Target Audience: | Course Designers, Faculty and Other Instructors, System Administrators, Senior Administrators, E-learning Managers | ||
| Appropriate Audience Level: | Beginning or new users of WebCT, Experienced WebCT users | ||
| Abstract Text: | The University of Dayton initiated general educational competencies in oral communication, reading and writing, quantitative reasoning, and information literacy. Because the completion of required university courses was not suitable for all of the competencies, the University pursued alternative delivery and assessment methods. WebCT was selected to facilitate these programs due to its versatility, secure environment, individualized tracking, and breadth of assessment opportunities. The Quantitative Reasoning Competency Course is a 3-step process involving active learning through online content, self-assessment, and final assessment in a secure environment. WebCT’s question banks, random questions and responses, proctor control, and tracking features are used to deliver content in basic math skills to over 900 first-year students. Using content and assessment guidelines provided by faculty, students adept in math and online course software completed the project by creating assessment questions, designing WebCT courses, and monitoring the tutoring and proctored assessment areas. Portions of the Information Literacy Competencies are delivered in two courses, a library component and computer ethics component. The library component assesses students in 65 sections of English Composition courses utilizing interactive tutorials strewn with self-assessment and a final assessment comprising two randomized quizzes. The computer ethics component uses an interactive tutorial that provides students with acceptable and ethical computer use guidelines. By using WebCT, the University of Dayton is able to deliver and assess two viable general education competencies to all first year students with relative ease. After the initial intellectual content is completed, the project is managed with little faculty involvement. The inclusion of students in the process keeps costs low and maintains a design suitable to their peers. Moreover, the student’s exposure to multiple WebCT courses in the first year provides transition to upper level WebCT courses. Conversely, automating these processes has developed its own unique issues and challenges to overcome. | ||
| Session Leader: | Sheri Stover University of Dayton | ||
| Co-presenters: | Sue Polanka University of Dayton Matt Mize University of Dayton | ||
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