Master class series

Liz Warwick
Teaching Assistant, Learning Theories 613
Thursday, March 6, 2014
10 - 11:30 a.m.
MB 12.101

About this session

Since September 2013, Dr. Philip Abrami (Education) has used web-conferencing software to conduct live, on-line sessions of his graduate seminar Learning Theories 613. In this master class, Liz Warwick, teaching assistant, will talk about conducting a discussion-based online class using streaming video, chat, and small-group meeting rooms. She’ll present recent research into the effects of blended learning on achievement and discuss the challenges and opportunities in the live, virtual classroom.

Tony Bates
President and CEO, Tony Bates Associates Ltd
Thursday, March 6, 2014
10 - 11:30 a.m.
MB 13.101

About this session

This master class follows on from the public lecture, focusing on planning and managing course and program development, identifying and supporting the role that learning technologies/e-learning will play within new or revised courses and programs. Its intended audience is deans and associate deans. This is a more interactive session, with a short introductory presentation followed by an open discussion on possible actions/strategies that associate deans might consider (or have been considering/implementing).

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Patrick Devey
Chief Learning Officer
KnowledgeOne (eConcordia)
Thursday, March 6, 2014
1 - 2:30 p.m.
MB 12.101

About this session

Have you ever considered developing and/or teaching a course entirely online? The purpose of this master class is to introduce you to the process of designing, developing, and teaching an online course. We will explore how Concordia professors work with a team of e-Learning specialists at eConcordia to analyze the course content, design an interactive and comprehensive learning environment based on the learning objectives, develop digital course materials using various tools, and to operate the course in eConcordia’s custom learning management system.

Saul Carliner
Associate Professor, Education
Thursday, March 6, 2014
1 - 2:30 p.m.
MB 13.101

About this session

One of the most challenging parts of teaching online is assessing whether students learned anything. Part of the problem results from the affordances of computers in processing responses to questions so many instructors limit themselves to questions that computers can easily process: multiple choice, true/false, and fill-in-the blank. But perhaps part of the problem is that we e-learning instructors let these mechanics of questioning interfere with our conceptualization of the questions. This session explains how to write meaningful assessment questions and use them in online programs.  

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Deborah Dysart-Gale
Chair & Associate Professor, CES
Casey Burkholder
Part-Time Lecturer, CES
Thursday, March 6, 2014
3 - 4:30 p.m.
MB 12.101

About this session

This session outlines strategies for introducing “flipped course” practices into traditional classroom settings. Based on our experiences teaching a developmental writing course for graduate engineering students, we present our methods for incorporating an on-line component that augmented, rather than completely disrupted, our existing course. We found that the flipped format provided time and space for learners to apply course concepts, enhancing their in-class experiences. 

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Ann-Louise Davidson
Associate Professor, Education (Educational Technology)
Nadia Naffi
Doctoral student, Education (Educational Technology)
Thursday, March 6, 2014
3 - 4:30 p.m.
MB 13.101

About this session

In the end of the 1990’s, eLearning was deemed to be one of the panaceas of 21st century education. Very early into the century, we realized that eLearning, like all types of learning, had its merits and its pitfalls. The biggest criticism of eLearning is that it tends to value step-by-step structured instruction and leaves very little space for the learner. Online problem-based learning or online PBL is often presented as a solution to what eLearning could not do, but we have to be critical in terms of what PBL can really do for learners. In this talk, we will address the following question: will online PBL be just another fad, or can we design it so that it really addresses problems that learners can relate to and really wish to solve? We will argue that storytelling and problem-based learning objects are good solutions for online PBL, as long as the course designer possesses a theory of the typical novice, a theory of the typical expert, a theory of the pedagogical interactions and a theory of pedagogical competencies.