Faculty Information Faculty Who Revised & Taught Courses Revision Although no new courses were developed during FY 2012, eight courses were revised extensively. Content experts consisting of nineteen ecore instructors were instrumental in this process. Each had specialized knowledge and professional degrees in their respective subject matter. Instruction During fiscal year 2012, 124 faculty members from 24 accredited University System of Georgia colleges and universities (see the map above) taught ecore courses. Faculty delivered instruction to students channeled through eight different affiliate institutions. Georgia s Online Core Curriculum 43
ecore Teaching Experience When the online curriculum began in FY 2001, 16 faculty members taught ecore courses. During FY 2012, the ecore faculty pool consisted of 124 faculty members, of which 75 were veteran faculty and 49 were first-time ecore faculty. (Online, with instructor review of recording) y Video Lectures with Lab Demo (Instructor-recorded) y Proctored Midterm Exam (Face-to-face with proctoring agent) y Proctored Final Exam (Face-to-face with proctoring agent) y Final Practical Lab (Face-to-face with instructor presence) LiveLabs Definition: An ecore LiveLab is a synchronous online opportunity for instructors and students to meet for supervised course work using real-time video. Purpose: For the CHEM 1211K and CHEM 1212K courses, LiveLab can be utilized for supervision of chemical labs conducted by students. Out of 124 ecore instructors: 94 were full-time at their home institutions; 23 were part-time; and 7 were retired during FY 2012. Instructor s screen view of real-time, proctored lab session with student in Principles of Chemistry I course. Chemistry With Worked Examples: LiveScribe Current Initiatives Chemistry Lab and Knowledge Experiences ecore modified the Principles of Chemistry courses to add more activities that are supervised by the instructor. Some of the new strategies were piloted in Spring 2012. Full implementation will take place in future terms: y Initial Practical Lab (Face-to-face, with instructor presence) y Synchronous Labs/ LiveLabs (Online with instructor presence) y Asynchronous Labs 44 Georgia s Online Core Curriculum ecore provided LiveScribe pens to Chemistry instructors in the Fall of 2011. The instructors were given a brief demonstration on the use of the tool and encouraged to use it in their courses. LiveScribe allows the instructor to record his/her voice while working through examples. Updated versions of the Chemistry courses will include some pre-recorded worked examples within the lesson modules. Faculty Certification Course Modifications to the Faculty Certification Course include: y Screen-shots and detailed instructions for course items that are imperative to a successful ecore course (e.g. creating discussion boards, posting a welcome message, setting up the course calendar, etc.)
y Videos within various learning modules that relate to current trends in online education y Archived webinars and tutorials regarding the most used Vista tools and best practices in online education y Increased emphasis on the importance of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) y Resources regarding FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (Electronic Information Technology) y Communication of strict guidelines for discussion quality More Active ecore Faculty Faculty Information Institutions with five or more ecore instructors in FY 2012 were Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Clayton State University, Dalton State University, Fort Valley State University, Macon State College, North Georgia College and State University, the University of West Georgia, and Valdosta State University. Effectiveness of Faculty Instruction Two weeks prior to the end of each semester, ecore students are issued the ecore Course Evaluation. This online survey links directly from the course homepage and gauges students satisfaction or dissatisfaction in regard to professor, course, and overall experience with ecore. Within the online survey students are prompted to respond to the following statement: Overall the instructor taught this online course effectively. The table below shows the 2012 academic year s results for this question. Overall, more than 85% of students agreed that ecore instructors taught the course effectively. Answer Options Response Percent Response Count USG Institutions with Five or Strongly Agree 56.95% 1373 Agree 27.71% 668 Neutral 8.83% 213 Disagree 3.94% 95 Strongly Disagree 2.49% 60 Not Applicable 0.08% 2 TOTAL 100% 2411 Did You Know? All USG institutions are invited to nominate faculty to teach ecore courses. During FY 2012, there were 135 applicants who submitted the online ecore Faculty Application Form. There were 124 faculty, representing 22 different USG institutions, who taught ecore courses during FY 2012. There were 51 faculty who taught three or more ecore course sections during FY 2012. Georgia s Online Core Curriculum 45
Overall Student Course Satisfaction For FY 2012 more than 2,400 students completed course evaluations. After course evaluations are completed, the individual course section ratings are provided to the ecore faculty member as part of the professional development experience. The ecore course evaluation survey instrument can be found at: http://ecore.usg.edu/admin/12spring/ index.html For the course evaluation questions that can be quantitatively scored, five-point Likert scale calculations are performed. In FY 2012 there were 19 Likert-style questions, covering the following categories: y Instructor Satisfaction y Course Satisfaction y y Student Preparedness y Course Usability Satisfaction Online Learning Environment The response options for questions in these categories were: Strongly Agree (5), Agree (4), Neutral (3), Disagree (2), and Strongly Disagree (1). Below are the averaged Likert score calculations for each semester along with the overall average calculations for FY 2012 (semesters combined). For comparison, the overall average Likert score calculations for FY 2011 (semesters combined) are provided. FY 2011 Overall Course Title Summer 2011 Fall 2011 Spring 2012 FY 2012 Overall 4.33 American Government 4.88 4.55 4.64 4.69 4.36 American Literature II 4.59 4.34 4.68 4.54 4.41 Calculus I -- 3.82 4.40 4.11 3.98 Chemistry I -- 3.89 3.67 3.78 4.37 Chemistry II -- 4.10 4.40 4.25 4.29 College Algebra 4.42 4.47 4.35 4.41 4.22 Elect. Tech. in the Educ. Env. 4.37 3.84 4.95 4.39 4.24 English Composition I 4.75 4.35 4.54 4.55 4.21 English Composition II 4.25 4.34 4.40 4.33 4.28 Geosciences I -- 4.27 4.51 4.39 4.06 Human Communications 4.32 4.27 4.19 4.26 4.30 Environmental Science 4.45 4.52 4.51 4.49 4.14 Intermediate Spanish I -- 4.01 3.66 3.84 4.37 Intermediate Spanish II -- 4.31 4.26 4.29 3.91 Mathematical Modeling 4.48 4.31 4.67 4.49 4.32 Philosophy 4.34 4.51 4.24 4.36 4.13 Physics I -- 4.29 4.05 4.17 4.15 Pre-Calculus 4.12 4.50 4.41 4.34 4.47 Psychology 4.52 4.43 4.05 4.33 4.23 Sociology 4.12 4.16 4.35 4.21 3.71 Statistics 4.07 4.46 4.12 4.22 4.34 U.S. History I 4.39 4.41 4.38 4.39 4.11 World History I 4.19 4.51 4.42 4.37 4.09 World Literature I 4.09 4.35 4.05 4.16 4.10 Overall Semester Satisfaction 4.32 4.38 4.37 4.36 * -- Not Offered FY 2012 Likert Scores (Left) FY 2011 Student Course Evaluation Likert score averages. (Middle and Right) FY 2012 Student Course Evaluation Likert score averages. 46 Georgia s Online Core Curriculum
Faculty Review of Course Evaluations The ecore Curriculum and Instruction department provides faculty with three important items for review and reflection of their performance: y a course evaluation (completed by students) y an instructor evaluation (completed by the ecore Dean) y an instructor evaluation survey (completed by the faculty member) ecore instructors review the results of the evaluations and then complete the Instructor Evaluation Summary survey. Course Evaluations Faculty have access to results from both closed and open-ended questions in the course evaluation. Student identification and information is not included. Instructor Evaluations The Instructor Evaluation currently includes: y two elements from the course evaluation (timeliness of response to students and overall instructor effectiveness) y course retention percentages and the average retention for the course subject area y discussion quality and participation measures Instructor Evaluation Summary Major Findings Faculty Information In FY 2012, faculty evaluation summaries revealed: Use of Wimba Classroom sessions both continued and increased. Instructors reported that theexperience helped to improve student comprehension. Use of weekly task lists increased. More instructors used TurnItIn to assist with both plagiarism detection and prevention. Faculty found it useful to call at-risk students in addition to emailing them. Faculty Evaluation Summary responses are published each term under the course information webpage at http://ecore.usg. edu/admin/. ecore Administrative Services first implemented the Instructor Evaluation Summary during the 2009 summer term. The Instructor Evaluation Summary poses the following questions to ecore instructors: 1. After reviewing your student evaluations, what do you think went well in the class? 2. What was problematic? What needs to be improved? 3. What do you plan to change next time you teach he course? Georgia s Online Core Curriculum 47
ecore Faculty Training & Certification All new ecore Faculty complete a two-week initial ecore certification course, offered online. The course is offered each term for new ecore Faculty. During FY 2012, 66 instructors successfully completed the ecore Online Faculty Certification course. In addition to the one-time online certification, ecore faculty are required to attend an ecore Annual Meeting each May. This year s ecore Annual Meeting included informational sessions presented by the ecore Associate Dean, a staff member of the Board of Regents, ecore administrative staff, and ecore faculty members. Online Course Content for Faculty Certification Program: Module 1: ecore Philosophy & Expectations. Readings, Discussion Postings, Quiz. (3 days) Module 2: Student Retention and You. Readings, Discussion Postings, Quiz. (3 days) Module 3: Assessments, Evaluations and Exams. Readings, Discussion Postings, Quiz. (2 days) Module 4: Online Teaching Strategies. Readings, Discussion Postings, Exercise, Quiz. (4 days) Module 5: Course Maintenance and Management. Readings, Journal Submission, Exercises, One Live Wimba Meeting. (3 days) Things are Growing in The Garden of ecore! A GeorgiaView Vista course called the Garden of ecore: Faculty Community is also available as a tool for mentoring and sharing of experiences and information. As the online community for ecore faculty and administrators, the Garden of ecore has served as a sounding board during FY 2012. Overall, discussions accounted for over 64% of the activity sessions in the garden and the Wimba Classroom webinars accounted for 15% of the activity. The Secret Hedge The Secret Hedge (anonymous forum) has become the virtual water cooler for ecore faculty. Topics addressed have included managing the online classroom and handling difficult students. Much to Learn in the Seminar Yard The Seminar Yard for FY 2012 provided webinars for faculty regarding best practices, demonstrations, tutorials, and virtual meetings. Sessions/Rooms included: y Grading Operations and Tips y 7 Principles of Good Practice and ecore Archive y Strategies for Promoting Academic Honesty y Improving Your Grading Turnaround Time y Using Audio and Voice Tools y Attendance Verification y Influencing Student Perception of Online Learning y Grading Forms y Media and Your Course y Top Tips for Online Classroom Management y Using the Group Manager Tool in Vista y ecore Town Hall Meeting y Annual Meeting 2012 (Web Session) Recommendation for Course & Faculty Improvement The ecore Administrative Services team implements areas for curricular and instructional improvement through a variety of standardized and informal means. The Course Outcome Learning Assessments (COLAs), course evaluations, instructor evaluations, instructional evaluation summaries, and Subject Nest faculty discussion forums all serve as assessment tools for improvement. Through the assessment of student performance, ecore identified the need for improvements in instruction for MATH 1101 (Mathematical Modeling) and assessments in CHEM 1211K (Principles of Chemistry I). Subsequently, during FY 2012, videos were implemented into all of the MATH 1101 lesson modules. ecore will begin to 48 Georgia s Online Core Curriculum
utilize percentages of successful course completions and learning outcomes to indicate areas in need of instructional and/or course improvement. ecore Faculty Support Survey Fall 2011 In Fall 2011, ecore faculty were invited to participate in a brief online survey regarding their satisfaction with ecore support and training. Of the 96 faculty polled, 56 responded. Overall, Fall 2011 ecore faculty indicated a high level of satisfaction with the ecore administration and its support services. Specifically: y 100 percent agreed or strongly agreed that their questions and needs are quickly addressed by ecore administrators. y 100 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the ecore administration is supportive of faculty. y 100 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the ecore administration is supportive of students. y 75 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the Garden of ecore Online Faculty Community s webinars are useful, and its discussions are helpful. y 89.2 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the at-risk advisor assigned to their course subject is helpful. ecore Faculty Mentorship During each academic term, new professors are paired with experienced professors who share their knowledge and offer assistance in their respective subject matter. The two collaborate throughout the semester to address any questions, concerns, or other issues that may arise. Both the mentor and mentee can access one another s courses in order to receive necessary feedback and ideas for improvement. At the end of each term, the mentor and mentee complete a formative evaluation in which they rate the overall effectiveness of the mentorship. Mentees state their goals for future terms, and mentors provide suggestions for mentee improvements. During FY 2012, ecore veterans mentored 53 new faculty members. Of the 53 instructors, six participated in the mentoring program as mentees in Summer 2011 and 22 faculty members participated in Fall 2011. In Spring 2012, twenty-five faculty members participated. Mentorship Evaluation for FY 2012: Mentor s Helpfulness : Very Helpful 97.22% Helpful 2.78% Mentee s Receptiveness : Very Receptive 84.91% Receptive 11.32% Technology Usage for Faculty (TurnItIn) TurnItIn prevents and detects plagiarism, and it improves the student writing process by providing feedback to students. There were 23 different ecore instructors who utilized TurnItIn.com during FY 2012. Additionally, 572 active ecore students produced 2,638 TurnItIn submissions. There were 2,591 TurnItIn Originality Reports generated to help detect plagiarism in ecore students written submissions such as essays and research papers during FY 2012 Textbooks MBS Direct is the official supplier of textbooks for the University System of Georgia s ecore Program. Students have the option to safely and securely purchase their books through the ecore Virtual Bookstore. MBS Direct offers students the option to sell used books back with the Guaranteed Buyback program. Also, students have the option to purchase ebooks or rent books. The University of West Georgia and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College have partnered with MBS Direct in a program called Bookstore to the Rescue which allows students to purchase books by using available financial aid bookstore credit. Georgia s Online Core Curriculum 49