Lessons Learned, Insights Gained: Pivot to Quality Online Education using Evidence Informed Practice Francesco Barillaro Julie Gilbert CTLR's COVID-19 "Journey" COVID-19 Global Pandemic hits VCC and the world CTLR worked with faculty and departments to support design & development of online courses Mar. 2020 May–Aug. 2021 Mar.–Apr. 2021 CTLR supported a Rapid Pivot to online delivery of VCC programming Preparing for next phase... Mar. 2021 Sept – Feb. 2021 Continuing work to ensure quality program and course delivery Challenges Faced in the Pivot to Online Teaching and Learning Beliefs/ perspectives Faculty with Limited or no experience in online teaching Resistance (culture change) Workload (Constantly putting out Fires ) Fatigue/ Uncertainty IT challenges and learning curves Intradepartmental communications Assessment strategies Curriculum Delivery (S.v.A.) UDL Access to technology & internet Video Conferencing "Zoom" Equity and Inclusion Academic integrity LMS: "Moodle" Attendance Student engagement Course design (e.g interactivity) Expectations (where do we go from here?) Themes : Support Educational Quality IT Accessibility Moving forward • Supporting faculty in times of stress and global uncertainty • Striving for educational quality in online delivery • Tending to Moodle and Zoom challenges and learning curves • Working to Enhance Accessibility • "Planning" for the next phase What is it? Evidence Informed Practice (EIP) • Integration of research AND experience. • "integrating professional expertise with the best external evidence from research to improve the quality of practice” (Sharples, J. 2013) How did EIP support our work? • We utilized our knowledge as curriculum developers, experience with faculty, and theory of learning to inform our work. • We synthesized the theory to provide guidance to instructors and programs for practical application. How has EIP guided our practice? Faculty Support Pedagogy Course Design • Online resources • Model online strategies • Course design • Alternative approaches to teaching • Assessments • Feedback • Active learning • Holistic learning approaches • Autonomy and student choice • Synchronous and Asynchronous • Backwards Design • Communicate Clear outcomes • Academic integrity • Involve students • Pragmatic considerations Student Engagement Technology Accesibility • Engagement with course content • Socialization • Critical thinking • Elicit student feedback • Simplify • Support resources • Involve students in troubleshooting • Technology and internet • Universal Design (UDL) How did we operationalize EIP? • Addition of online developers (OD) • Workshops and resources on a variety of topics, such as online course design and online facilitation, to support capacity building • 1:1 with faculty • Selection of curated resources for moving courses online • Support at department and school meetings • Drop in zoom sessions • Email responses ++ • CTLR Team collaboration • Provide exemplars (e.g. Moodle showcase, ODs at workshops) • Universal Design for Learning Lessons learned • Culture of Care – “be kind, be calm, be safe” (Dr. Henry) • People are resilient • Community of Practice • Backwards Design • Focus on pedagogy, then technology to support your pedagogical needs • Moving to a new modality leads one to think critically about teaching and learning strategies (Vanleeuwen et al., 2020) • Equity and Inclusion (Universal Design for Learning) • Importance of belonging to a team, being seen and heard. • Support instructors to integrate Ed tech tools that contribute to student engagement • Teams must work to create communication channels within department and with administrators • Flipped classroom model (balancing synchronous and asynchronous delivery) • The college must continue to build on what it has learned and know that we will continue to be on this learning curve… • Evidence Informed Practice What's next? • Expand and build on PD offerings to support capacity-building and evidence-based teaching practices. • Increase our efforts to orient new faculty and support existing faculty to ensure readiness for online teaching. • Continue to build instructor confidence to support students in the online learning environment. • Continue working with instructors, programs, and the senior team to promote positive attitudes towards online learning. • Encourage pedagogical practices that support student access and equity • Work with the college community to ensure we’re ready for any disruptive change in the future. References • Bates, T. (2020, November 5). Post-Pandemic Lesson 2: Support for instructors is essential for quality online learning. Retrieved from Online Learning and Distant Education Resources: https://www.tonybates.ca/2020/11/05/post-pandemic-lesson-2-support-forinstructors-is-essential-for-quality-online-learning/ • Eynon, B., & Iuzzini, J. (2020). ATD teaching and learning toolkit: A research-based guide to building a culture of teaching and learning excellence. Silver Spring, MD: Achieving the Dream. • Lederman, D. (2020, October 6). Faculty Confidence in Online Learning Grows. Retrieved from Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2020/10/06/covid-era-experience-strengthens-faculty-belief-value-online • Lockman, Alison & Schirmer, Barbara. (2020). Online Instruction in Higher Education: Promising, Research-based, and Evidence- based Practices. Journal of Education and e-Learning Research. 7. 130-152. 10.20448/journal.509.2020.72.130.152. REtrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341314303_Online_Instruction_in_Higher_Education_Promising_Research based_and_Evidence-_based_Practices • Nelson, J. & Campbell, C (2017). Evidence-informed practice in education: meanings and applications, Educational Research, 59(2). Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00131881.2017.1314115 • Sharples, J. (2013). Evidence for the frontline a report for the Alliance for useful evidence. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/EVIDENCE-FOR-THE-FRONTLINE-A-REPORT-FOR-THE-FORSharples/28b8ed0c76bd92b71efbaacab694e07fcd1d215f • Terada, Y. (2020, October 9). 7 High-Impact, Evidence-Based Tips for Online Teaching. Retrieved from Edutopia: https://www.edutopia.org/article/7-high-impact-evidence-based-tips-online-teaching • VanLeeuwen, C. A., Veletsianos, G., Belikov, O., & Johnson, N. (2020). Institutional Perspectives on Faculty Development for Digital Education in Canada. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 46(2). Retrieved from http://www.cjlt.ca/index.php/cjlt/article/view/27944/20499 • Zydney, J.M., McKimmy, P., Lindberg, R. et al. Here or There Instruction: Lessons Learned in Implementing Innovative Approaches to Blended Synchronous Learning. TechTrends 63, 123–132 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-018-0344-z