Getting our Feet Wet: Converting to Online and the Infusion of One Health and Interdisciplinary Views into Aquatic Animal Health Courses

Transcription

1 Getting our Feet Wet: Converting to Online and the Infusion of One Health and Interdisciplinary Views into Aquatic Animal Health Courses Iske V. Larkin, PhD Heather T.D. Maness, MS

2 Background Strong push for expanded online courses/distance education degree programs Larger market of students - Flexibility of asynchronous courses attracts more adult learners - Global audience Likely a direct funding source for your program Viewed as a critical part of the long term strategy by the majority of Chief Academic Officers (CAO) - Babson survey (Fall 2010) NAVMEC recommended as a high priority research area & likely avenue for students & CE

3 Background

4 Background But Attitudes and Biases: Quality concerns: Maintaining integrity/reputation of excellence Adaptivity of instructors Perceptions of CAO s: Course difficulty/ease online vs. traditional Increased cheating Legitimacy of online degree programs

5 Goals/Aims Explore instructional design concepts Instructional Design: The practice of creating instructional experiences which make the acquisition of knowledge and skills more efficient, effective, and appealing Provide interdisciplinary experiences Diversify faculty and students Evaluate technology tools and user satisfaction Assess student learning: Maintain standards of excellence and make improvements where possible (including adding more expert lecturers to courses which physical logistics prevented previously)

6 Course example

7 Collaborative Teaching: UF Emerging Pathogens Institute UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences University of Florida UF College of Veterinary Medicine UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Throughout the University

8 Collaborative Teaching: University of South Carolina UF Emerging Pathogens Institute UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences New College of Florida University of Central Florida Texas A&M University Howard University Florida International University University of Florida UF College of Veterinary Medicine UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences University of North Carolina Duke University and with other universities

9 Collaborative Teaching: University of South Carolina UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration New College of Florida University of Central Florida UF Emerging Pathogens Institute US Geological Survey University of Florida UF College of Veterinary Medicine UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences US Fish and Wildlife Service Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission University of North Carolina Duke University including Govt. agencies Texas A&M University Howard University Florida International University

10 Collaborative Teaching: Lowry Park Zoo University of South Carolina SeaWorld UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration New College of Florida Mote Marine Laboratory University of Central Florida Disney Animal Programs US Geological Survey University of Florida UF College of Veterinary Medicine Chicago Zoological Society UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences UF Emerging Pathogens Institute Texas A&M University Florida International University US Fish and Wildlife Service Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission University of North Carolina Sea to Shore Alliance Plus the private sector/non-profits Duke University Georgia Aquarium Howard University Florida Museum of Natural History

11 Diversity of Students Undergraduates Graduate students Veterinary students CE Professionals: Biologists, Veterinarians, Aquarists

12 The Technology Lecture presentations:

13 Mediasite

14 The Technology Lecture presentations: Discussion section methods: Online discussion boards, by

15 Adobe Connect

16 The Technology Lecture presentations: Discussion section methods: Online discussion boards, by Specialized online tool: ImageScope by

17

18 Methods Evaluated 3 courses via electronic survey (Respondents = 158 students, responses to individual questions ranged from students) - Introduction to Aquatic Wildlife Health Issues - Aquatic Animal Conservation Issues - Manatee Health and Conservation Collected anecdotal feedback in 4 courses from Course Coordinators and instructors (n = 60) - Same as above plus Introduction to Fish and Aquatic Invertebrate Histological Techniques Check out our courses at:

19 Results Prefer >50% Online Prefer <50% Online Which of the following best describes your preference for online courses? Prefer Fully Online Prefer Trad # of student responses (N = 151)

20 Results Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree Did the technology used in this course allow you to understand the material better? # of student responses (N = 157) Did the technology used in this course increase your interest in the subject matter? # of student responses (N = 158)

21 Results Did the Mediasite format of the lectures provide the same level of learning as traditional, live lectures? Learned Significantly More Learned More Neutral Learned Less Learned Significantly Less # of student responses (N = 151) Faculty Comments: - Cannot use a laser pointer - Cannot play videos easily - Likes that there is a talking head not just narrated PPT Student Comments: - Mediasite uses Microsoft Silverlight which is not supported by ipad (iphone currently supported)

22 Results Did the Adobe Connect format of the discussion sections provide the same level of learning as traditional classroom discussions? Learned Signifcantly More Learned More Neutral Learned Less Learned Significantly Less # of student responses (N = 156) Instructor Comments: - Student participation highly variable. EC increased participation

23 Results How would you rate your overall learning experience? Excellent Above Average Average Below Average Poor Top 1% Top 5% Top 10% Top 25% Top 50% Lower 50% N/A # of student responses from 2013 classes (N = 77) How does your experience in this class rank compared to other online courses offered outside of UF CVM? # of student responses from 2013 classes (N = 77)

24 Conclusions Technology appeared to enhance learning (both the interest in and understanding of the material) Mediasite lectures equivalent to traditional, classroom lectures Adobe Connect sessions similar to classroom discussion sections Richer content from having varied faculty Collaboration/ team approach

25 Acknowledgements We would like to thank all the faculty and students that provided this valuable feedback and the Aquatic Animal Health Program at the University of Florida for its tremendous support. This study was conducted under IRB reference #: U

26 Student Quotes The different lecturers was my favorite part. It made every lecture a little more interesting since you weren't listening to the same person every week. I loved having the opportunity to learn from the experts and will always value the knowledge they shared. This class was a great introduction to the things I might want to do with my career later in life This class was unique in that numerous people, who 100% knew their field, presented different topics. Very rarely can one teacher specialize in all of these fields to such detail in which students can grasp a variety of knowledge.