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The online courses at Tiffin University have remained largely text‐
based and static for the past several years.
Today’s online learner strongly prefers interactive course content.
TU’s current online courses are not broken, nor is the LMS, but
with the rapid pace in which academic technologies have and
continue to evolve, we have fallen behind and need to catch up.
To provide our online learners with the best educational
experience possible and to remain competitive in an already
saturated distance education marketplace, a transformation of
our online course design is required.
Based on research and industry best practices, there are three
must‐have components of any successful online course:
o Engaging Content
o Technology‐enhanced Items (TEIs)
o Corrective, Targeted Feedback
Planning
Recommendations:
The successful transformation of Tiffin University’s online courses lies
not necessarily in technology, but in four specific target areas: (1) a
learner focus, (2) an emphasis on interactivity, (3) scalability, and (4) a
goal to reduce costs while maintaining high‐quality courses.
We recommend:
The assembly of an internal team to determine the new design of the
“Next Generation” of online courses at Tiffin University. The team will
consist of select staff, faculty, and academic administrators.
Rationale:
Allowing faculty members, staff, and academic administrators to see
themselves as designers, coaches, and members of a learning
development team with these particular goals in mind will be a major
catalyst in the transformation process of our online courses.
This will be a highly collaborative team that will meet on a regular basis
to share ideas and discuss best practices for online course design. The
objective is to identify pathways to the achievement of these next
generation goals and to deliver a tactical plan to the Provost within 60
days of the first team meeting.
Obstacles:
Selecting the appropriate mix of faculty, staff, and administrators
to foster a variety of experiences and suggestions for the
“NextGen” online course shells.
Resistance by committee members to challenge the status quo.
Other high‐priority projects taking precedence over committee
meetings.
Cost and resources required to implement the technology
suggested by the committee.
Resources:
1) NextGen Executive Summary Document
2) Project Charter
3) Keeping Pace with Online Learning Trends
4) Distance Education Enrollment Report 2017
Communication
Recommendations:
Delivering clear and timely communication to the stakeholders who will
be directly impacted by the recommended changes by the committee is
critical to a smooth implementation.
We recommend:
A series of email and video communication leading up to the
implementation including:
1) Weekly email notification of upcoming changes to all faculty, staff,
and students
2) Several town hall meetings with the Provost to announce the
changes coming for the fall semester and to generate excitement.
3) Publish video with both an explanation and demonstration of the
enhancements to the online course shells:
o Two versions of video
Student Focused
Faculty Focused
4) First week live chat during business hours for online students and
faculty
Rationale:
The rationale behind the development of this communication plan is to
inform the stakeholders in a clear and honest about what is changing in
the online course shells and why the changes are necessary.
We believe that successful implementation hinges on our ability to
create two‐way communication channels where students and faculty
can ask questions, express their concerns and get answers. A dedicated
email account is one option, but a series of town hall meetings makes it
more personal and helps to provide the sense that “we are all in this
together.”
Obstacles:
Providing focused communication and avoiding information
overload:
o An excessive amount of information will confuse the
intended audience and can make them feel overwhelmed
with too many details
Creating sufficient pathways for stakeholders to provide open and
honest feedback.
Administration providing timely responses to questions and
concerns.
Resources:
1) Adobe Connect
2) Adobe Captivate
3) G‐Suite, Gmail/Drive
4) Communication Planning: A Template for Organizational Change
Onboarding
Recommendations:
We are very confident that the implementation of the recommended
technologies in our online course shells will have a positive impact on
student outcomes. However, it is essential to have a plan in place to
train and support the faculty and staff as they learn and adapt to new
technology.
We recommend:
All admins, faculty, and staff:
o Mandatory, 1‐hour Moodle boot camp session
o Successful completion required to teach online
o Offered both seated and online
Supplemental training sessions for teaching faculty will be offered
as part of the CITL instructional program throughout the year.
New students
o Mandatory component within new student virtual
orientation course
Returning students
o Asynchronous tutorial options
o Link on course landing page
o Email blasts with tutorial link
Rationale:
An effective training plan is critical to the successful implementation of
the proposed changes to our online course shells. To augment these
efforts, the development of new and relevant training materials will be
a continuous process.
It is also important to offer both synchronous and asynchronous
webinar training and informational sessions throughout the year along
with live on‐campus training sessions throughout the year (group or
individual). Departments will be consulted on their training needs, and
sessions will be built to meet those specific needs.
Obstacles:
Determining who does the training. Internal or External?
Training material development.
Accounting for and adjusting to cultural differences.
Schedule management.
Resources:
1) Training Management System (ADOPT)
2) Employee Training Rooms in the Hertzer Technology Center
3) Tiffin University’s Moodle Site
Implementation Strategy
Recommendations:
One of the first steps that must be taken to ensure a successful rollout
is to develop a clear strategy in a way that the faculty, staff, and
administration at the university can rally to support its implementation.
This strategy will tie together our goals and objectives and clearly
explain what our intentions are.
We recommend:
A four–step phased approach to implementation:
Phase 1: The Innovation in Teaching and Learning Team will make
the necessary course and LMS changes
Phase 2: The switch to Snap on April 30 will serve as the
foundational change
Phase 3: Begin phasing in the additional components of the
NextGen project over the summer (work in conjunction with the
training plan)
Phase 4: Initiate Training Plan
Rationale:
Due to the amount of time and effort required to make all of these
changes combined with limited resources, we feel that a phased
approach to implementation will be the most effective. The following is
the list of enhancements recommended for implementation by the
NextGen committee:
LMS Enhancements
Moodle Mobile
Online Content Accessibility/ADA Compliance
LMS Reporting and Analytics
Real‐time Communication (within the course)
Easy to Use Web Conference System
Video Lectures and Interactive Lessons
Obstacles:
Limited amount of manpower
Accounting for and unforeseen expenses and technical difficulties
Time
Maintaining a balanced workload
Resources:
1) Strategic Plan Document
2) RACI Matrix (Responsibility Assignment Model)
3) Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
4) Risk/Issues Log
5) Lessons Learned Log
Processes and Forms
Recommendations:
Several processes based on industry best practices will need to be
utilized in order to effectively and efficiently manage problems,
incidents, and change during the pre and posts phases of the
technology rollout plan.
We recommend:
The implementation of change, problem, and incident management
processes. There are going to be a lot of moving parts during the
implementation of the technology rollout plan and having rock solid
procedures to manage unforeseen issues is critical to a smooth
transition.
Rationale:
The goal of change management is to ensure that standardized
procedures are used to efficiently handle all changes, and minimize the
impact of any related incidents upon a service. The goal of incident
management is to restore normal service as quickly as possible, with
minimal disruption to the university.
This ensures that the highest achievable levels of availability and
service are maintained. Problem management extends the process of
incident management by identifying the underlying cause of one or
more incidents that are being investigated.
Obstacles:
Proper training for the technical staff on the new procedures
Commitment to the use of the new procedures
Concern about how much work employees will have to do beyond
their existing responsibilities to change over to new processes
Resources:
1) Freshservice Cloud‐based Change Management Software
Key features include:
Problem management: isolates issues, enables linking to
current or past incidents, and identifies the root cause of
any problems
Incident management: handles support tickets and
automates repetitive workflows
Release management: improves future planning by
helping to document any builds and test plans
Reporting: flags any bottlenecks, monitors software
performance, and improves delivery through canned and
custom reporting capabilities
Additional features include workflow approvals, audit
trails, change calendaring, change planning, compliance
management, prioritization, and task management
Administration Role
Recommendations:
During this time of transition, administration can be either a great
contributor or a formidable obstacle to successful change. The reality is
that the leadership team’s ability to lead their employees through
change is often the deciding factor in how quickly and fully a change is
adopted.
We recommend:
That the leadership team take the following actions in the change
process:
Communicate with direct reports about the change
Demonstrate support for the change
Coach employees through the change
Engage with and provide support to the project team
Identify and manage resistance
Rationale:
Every member of the university plays an important role in times of
change. As an employee‐facing member of the organization, the
leadership team should be viewed as critical players. It is important for
the NextGen Committee to remember that leaders are employees, too.
Therefore, they need to be led through the individual change process
before they can become true leaders of change.
Obstacles:
Inability or resistance of leaders to square themselves with the
changes before they can effectively guide their direct reports.
Other priorities taking precedence over the change process.
Inadequate change management resourcing.
Resources:
1) ADKAR Model
2) Project Charter
3) Project Management Plan
4) Project RAID Log
RAID stands for:
o Risks
o Actions
o Issues
o Dependencies