Workshop Program

All times are listed as Eastern Daylight Time.

Note: This workshop has already taken place. See the program below for links to presentations, links, discussions, and workshop material downloads.

Jump down to: Homework for the week

Jump down to: Review Assignments

Jump down to: Day 1: Wed, May 26 | Day 2: Thu, May 27| Homework for the week| Day 3: Thu, June 3 | Day 4: Thu, June 4

Pre workshop preparation:

  • During the workshop, you will review at least one assignment/activity that has been submitted to the Cutting Edge collection by one of the other workshop participants. Each participant must submit at least one assignment/activity to the collection in advance of the workshop using our activity submission form.
  • Test drive the screen sharing program Elluminate, as described on the Technical Information page.
  • Use the Workshop Discussion Board to introduce yourself to the other workshop participants. What are your interests? Where do you teach, and what do you teach? What course do you plan to design or redesign during the workshop? Post your responses in the Personal Introductions thread.
  • Download the course design worksheets (Microsoft Word 88kB May25 10).


Day 1: Wednesday, May 26

11:00-11:15 Workshop introduction

11:15-12:00 Introduction to effective course design

  • Barb Tewksbury: What does it mean to "rethink" a course? (PowerPoint 769kB May26 10) (Watch the screencast (MP4 Video 113.6MB Jul31 17))
  • Individual work on the "What do you do?" question: post to Elluminate chat as you work, if you wish, and call back in at 11:45.
  • Brief discussion of questions that emerged during individual work.

12:00-1:00 Course context and audience

1:00-1:45 Instructions for setting overarching goals

1:45-2:15 Individual work - first draft of overarching goals

  • Go to the Participants Page and click on the link to course goals next to your name.
  • John McDaris: How to edit workspace pages
  • If you want to see commentary on each of the "practice goals" on the worksheets, you can go to the goals practice section of the Online Course Design Tutorial.
  • Complete the first draft of your overarching goals and add them to your workspace page by 2:15, and call back in at 2:15.

2:15-3:00 Commentary on other participants' overarching goals

  • Access other participants' goals pages via the Participants Page, and provide feedback on each participant's goals draft by entering comments in the "Add to the Discussion" box at the bottom of each person's goals draft workspace page.
    • Do the goals meet the criteria?
    • What suggestions do you have for improving wording or focus?
    • What do you particularly like about the goals?
  • Call back in at 3:00.

Homework for Thursday:

  • Complete the road check to let us know how the workshop is going for you.
  • If you have not yet finished providing feedback to everyone on their goals, please provide that feedback by 3:30 today.
  • Read the feedback from the conveners and other participants on the first draft of your course goals.
  • Revise your course goals, and enter the revisions in the second part of your course goals workspace page. Please do not delete the original version.
  • You may find the section on setting goals in our Online Course Design Tutorial useful. You might also find the Goals/Syllabus Database useful as well. Just recognize that not all of the course goals that have been submitted to this database over the years meet the very specific criteria that we are asking you to meet in this workshop!
  • Download the zipped folder of files (Zip Archive 5.6MB May26 10) for tomorrow's activity review session. Unzip the folders. Print out the files so that you can read them while still having Elluminate up.
  • Read and respond to discussion threads.
  • If you want to sign up for a phone or Skype consultation with Barb or Char, check the Consultations posts on the Discussion Board.
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Day 2: Thursday, May 27

11:00-11:10 Preview of the day

11:10-11:50 Small-group discussions of revised goals (PowerPoint 782kB May27 10)

  • Keep Elluminate on, but hang up the phone; call back in using the access code for your group listed below:
    • Group 1 Access Code: 22235699 (Srogi, Cardace, Bartley)
    • Group 2 Access Code: 55442755 (Lobegeier, Kelly, Bradford, Conklin)
    • Group 3 Access Code: 65846187 (Buchanan, Stutz, Cull)
    • Group 4 Access Code: 24386965 (Montgomery, Joseph, Rojas, Mamo)
  • Each person will have 10 minutes to receive feedback from the group on revised goals.
  • Groups should hang up from group discussion at 11:50.

11:50-12:15 Break; optional discussion via Elluminate chat

  • Call back in to main access code at 12:15.

12:15-2:15 Assignment/activity review

2:15-2:30 Setting ancillary skills goals

2:30-3:00 Choosing content to achieve overarching goals

Homework over the next week:

  • Complete the road check to let us know how the workshop is going for you.
  • Explore other teaching strategies. Here are some great web sites to get you started. All have links to other terrific resources.
    • Teaching Stategies section of the Cutting Edge Online Course Design Tutorial.
    • Pedagogy in Action library, which has a wide variety of teaching methods and examples of their use.
    • Classroom strategies for teaching introductory geoscience, although the approaches describe are applicable to any discipline.
    • Obervational protocol for evaluating the success of an activity as used in the classroom.
  • Make revisions in your assignment/activity; in the "Add to Discussion" box on your activity page, indicate what revisions you made.
  • Revise and resubmit your activity.
  • Develop the first draft of a course plan for accomplishing goals through content and activities. You will also work on this on Thursday next week. Please enter the elements of your course plan on the Final Course Poster workspace page before 11 am EDT on Thursday June 3. To locate your workspace page, go to the Participants Page, and click on the link to Final Course Poster next to your name.
  • If you want to sign up for a phone or Skype consultation with Barb or Char, check the Consultations posts on the Discussion Board.
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Day 3: Thursday, June 3

11:00-11:30 Preview of the day and general Q&A

  • We'll try to answer any questions that have come up over the week that you've been working on your course!

11:30-12:30 Assessment

12:30-1:00 Break; optional discussion on Elluminate.

1:00-2:30 Small-group work on assignment/activity design

  • Participants can choose to work on their own or join a group phone call on a particular teaching strategy. Barb and Char will offer tips at the start of each session listed below.
  • Keep Elluminate on, but hang up the phone; call back in using the access code for the working group you want to join:
    • From 1:00-1:45: tips and tricks followed by discussion, answers to questions, and advice on ideas and plans
    • From 1:45-2:30: tips and tricks followed by discussion, answers to questions, and advice on ideas and plans
      • Concept Sketches - Barb
      • Writing Assignments - Char

2:30-3:00 Instructions for final posters

  • Call back in to Elluminate using the main number and access code

Homework for Friday:

  • Complete the road check to let us know how the workshop is going for you.
  • Prepare two posters in your online workspace, one on your current course plan and one outlining a new assignment or activity.
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Day 4: Friday, June 4

11:00-11:10 Preview of the day and and instructions for poster session

11:10-1:30 Poster session with feedback

  • Link to the Final Course Posters and Final Activity Posters via the Participants Page, and make comments in the Discussion Thread at the bottom of each page.

1:30-1:45 Tips for Making it Work (PowerPoint 772kB Jun4 10) (Watch the Screencast (Quicktime Video 209.5MB Jun4 10))

  • Call back in to Elluminate using the main number and access code

1:45-2:30 Individual work

2:30-3:00 Workshop wrap-up

  • Call back in to Elluminate using the main number and access code (Call-in #: 1-800-704-9804, Access Code 78331341).
  • Complete the end-of-workshop evaluation.