Submission Type
75-Minute Panel
Abstract
This interactive session will describe the experience of introducing fully online courses into the curriculum of DeSales University, a small, traditional, primarily residential, liberal arts college. The initiative was undertaken in order to meet a university strategic objective that all traditional day students have the opportunity to take up to two online courses as part of their undergraduate degree program. Attendees will be encouraged to share their own experiences, plans, concerns, and successes.
The session will cover:
-
Why the project was undertaken
-
How the challenges involved with recruiting full-time faculty to participate in the project, including how intellectual property concerns, were addressed
-
The thought process behind designing full semester length online courses specifically for the traditional-age student population
-
Why students enrolled in the courses
-
What it’s been like to design and teach the courses from the faculty perspective
-
How the students are performing in the courses relative to traditional format courses
DeSales University has offered online courses to nontraditional and graduate students for many years. However, traditional day students were prohibited from taking online classes on the theory that “parents didn’t send their sons and daughters to a private residential college so they could take online classes from their dorm rooms.” Learn what turned the tide in favor of online courses. Reconsider whether introducing online courses at your institution will add or detract from students’ overall experience.
The panel includes Dr. Brennan Pursell, a History professor in the role of course developer and instructor; Christopher Hewatt, the instructional designer paired with Dr. Pursell; and Dr. Eric Hagan, director of the university’s instructional technology department.
Session
Panel Discussion
Start Date
5-19-2016 1:30 PM
End Date
5-19-2016 2:45 PM
Crossing the Rubicon: Introducing fully online courses into the curriculum of a traditional liberal arts college
This interactive session will describe the experience of introducing fully online courses into the curriculum of DeSales University, a small, traditional, primarily residential, liberal arts college. The initiative was undertaken in order to meet a university strategic objective that all traditional day students have the opportunity to take up to two online courses as part of their undergraduate degree program. Attendees will be encouraged to share their own experiences, plans, concerns, and successes.
The session will cover:
-
Why the project was undertaken
-
How the challenges involved with recruiting full-time faculty to participate in the project, including how intellectual property concerns, were addressed
-
The thought process behind designing full semester length online courses specifically for the traditional-age student population
-
Why students enrolled in the courses
-
What it’s been like to design and teach the courses from the faculty perspective
-
How the students are performing in the courses relative to traditional format courses
DeSales University has offered online courses to nontraditional and graduate students for many years. However, traditional day students were prohibited from taking online classes on the theory that “parents didn’t send their sons and daughters to a private residential college so they could take online classes from their dorm rooms.” Learn what turned the tide in favor of online courses. Reconsider whether introducing online courses at your institution will add or detract from students’ overall experience.
The panel includes Dr. Brennan Pursell, a History professor in the role of course developer and instructor; Christopher Hewatt, the instructional designer paired with Dr. Pursell; and Dr. Eric Hagan, director of the university’s instructional technology department.