Blended Learning Intiative
An Innovative Learning Opportunity for Students at the University of Maryland
July 1, 2011
The University of Maryland has launched a new initiative to develop innovative learning opportunities for students. It involves the complete redesign and implementation of ten challenging undergraduate courses from across the campus into blended learning formats. A blended learning course involves a combination of face-to-face and online interactions, built on a rich collaboration environment that includes a variety of information sources such as multimedia data, social technologies (such as blogs, Wikis, Twitter), simulations, and visualization for individual and collaborative learning and for team projects. With funding from the office of the Senior Vice President and Provost, this initiative ushers in a new paradigm of undergraduate education of the highest quality, at the same time providing a model for enhanced student-faculty interaction and more efficient use of institutional resources. The faculty leading these efforts will constitute a corps of Blended Learning Faculty Fellows, who will serve as the initial resource and catalyst for technology-based innovations on campus. They will be supported over the next twelve months by a team from the Office of Information Technology and the Center for Teaching Excellence in addition to the long-term commitment by the departments and colleges to continue to enhance these courses. This new initiative complements the University's new plan for General Education and other recently announced undergraduate initiatives, which together will transform undergraduate education on campus and establish the University of Maryland as a national leader in educational innovation.
Brief descriptions of the ten undergraduate courses to be redesigned by the end of Fall 2011 are provided below.
ARCH 170: Introduction to the Built Environment, led by Drs. Luis Diego Quiros Pacheco and David Cronrath (Dean of Architecture)
Introduction to the Built Environment, a General Education course in the Humanities, explores the conceptual, perceptual, behavioral, and technical aspects of the environment through methods of analysis and problem-solving. This project integrates an interactive multi-media online text, online weekly evaluations, online student performance assessments and virtual live and recorded lecture discussions and problem-solving examples. Taken together, this new format will enable a reduction of in-class time, increased flexibility for students and faculty, and prepared lecture material to be content specific, integrating questions raised by students. The revised course uses three major e-learning tools: Wimba Classroom to conduct "live" discussion groups and record the interactions for other students to watch; a hyper-linked text planned to be delivered through ELMS; and weekly online evaluations through the use of blogs, wikis, and other online tools.
BMGT 340: Business Finance, led by Dr. Susan White
This is the introductory finance course required of all business majors. Blended learning approaches will provide students with the tools to develop a solid grasp of the fundamental concepts and learn the necessary skills for data collection, analysis, evaluation and synthesis. Instead of practicing finance concepts in weekly discussions, students will apply finance theory to companies that they are assigned to work with using Camtasia videos on ITunesU, power point animations illustrating key finance concept, Wimba sessions, social networking assignments, Panopto and voice-over power point recordings, all of which will replace several classes. This strategy will make it feasible for faculty to devote more time to interact directly with students on their individualized projects.
BSCI 410: Molecular Genetics, led by Drs. B. Booth Quimby, Caren Chang, Zhongchi Liu, Steve Mount and Leslie Pick
This is a conceptually challenging advanced genetics course emphasizing the molecular basis of gene structure and function in the context of modern approaches to genetics; it is one of the cornerstone courses for biological science majors. Numerous concepts in genetics are not conveyed well by a lecture or a textbook and can be effectively taught through the use of online simulations, models, visualizations and database tools. Therefore, molecular genetics is ideally suited to a blended learning approach. Furthermore, there is already an enormous range of online resources available. Perhaps most important is the fact that the field itself is increasingly based upon integration of shared genomics databases and analysis tools made available by the research community. With the ongoing and ever-expanding revolution in genomics, students must be well-prepared to make the best use of this online environment. The re-designed BSCI 410 course will integrate self-paced online learning, face-to-face lectures and cooperative problem solving/discussion to upgrade the course to a fully blended learning experience.
COMM 382: Essentials of Intercultural Communication, led by Dr. Meina Liu
This course, one of a suite of courses approved for the University's new Cultural Competence category for General Education, is designed to expand students' understanding of the role of culture in shaping the ways in which we communicate with and relate to others. In a blended learning format, students will watch a weekly lecture online, take an online quiz, complete homework assignments, and attend a 75-minute face-to-face meeting led by the instructor and two graduate TAs. The face-to-face time with the instructor and the TAs will be dedicated to reviews of lecture materials, group discussions, role-play exercises, or other in-class activities that are relevant to the online lectures, so as to integrate theoretical and experiential knowledge in ways that are meaningful to the students' personal and professional lives. Revised 11/11.
ECON 200: Principles of Microeconomics, led by Drs. Marianne Hayek, Cindy Clement and Robert Schwab
This course introduces students to economics and provides a framework for evaluating and analyzing a broad range of policy issues such as trade restrictions, environmental protection, provision of public services, taxes, minimum wage laws, and inequality. It is usually taught by lectures to 400 students; nearly 3,000 students take ECON 200 each year. In Spring 2012, the Department of Economics will offer a section of ECON 200 that will employ a blended learning approach, combining a variety of online information sources and web-based teaching tools with face-to-face instruction. The online instructional materials will include economic experiments, articles, blogs, film clips and news reports that motivate students to directly engage with microeconomic concepts applied to real-world issues. It will also provide improved methods for students to ask questions and practice using basic concepts, terms and definitions. Classroom instruction will emphasize active learning, student participation in simulations, collaborative exercises, and problem-solving activities.
ENGL 393: Technical Writing, and ENGL 101: Academic Writing, led by Lea Chartock and Dr. Linda Macri
The English Department's Writing Programs serve over 9,000 undergraduates annually, satisfying the Fundamental Studies writing requirements for General Education. Several sections of English 101, Academic Writing, and English 393, Technical Writing, a key Professional Writing Program course, will be transformed into a blended learning format. In the blended approach, many typical activities of the writing classroom, including peer workshops and discussions of model texts, will move online, a change that will increase opportunities for students to write and receive feedback while maximizing the benefits of face-to-face class time for guided practice and revision. These blended learning writing courses will enhance student learning by creating environments that are available when students need them, thus shaping the course experience to each student's own learning style and pace.
GEOL 120: Environmental Geology, led by Dr. Saswata Hier-Majumder
This General Education Natural Science course focuses on the fundamental principles of environmental geology; the causes, effects, and settings of natural disasters; the natural resources and pollution; and scientific visualization of environmental models. The Blended Learning approach is implemented through the use of online multi-media content, multi-mode interaction and collaboration technologies, and information sharing through social networks. The combination of face-to-face and online interaction is implemented by: a) reducing in-class lectures by posting over half of the lectures as You Tube videos; (b) using clickers so that students can contribute more effectively to in-class discussions and quizzes; (c) using scientific simulation data to visualize environmental processes using open source software; (d) distributing and sharing information on environmental issues and natural disasters via social networks; (e) providing online quizzes and midterm exams; and (f) enabling students to participate in peer-reviewed, collaborative term projects and presentations instead of a traditional final exam.
JOUR 150: Introduction to Mass Communication, led by Dr. Ron Yaros
This course is an overview of mass media. It engages the students in issues related to today's communication channels including ethics, libel and privacy, as well as the importance of the news profession in a democratic society. The course will be transformed into a new "blended" format that utilizes and tests multiple technologies for enhanced student engagement and learning. State-of-the-art web tools, social media, mobile devices plus a custom app for the iPhone, iPad and Android will all be deeply integrated into the course. These tools will help students to interact with each other and with course content during face-to-face meetings and also virtually between classes.
KNES 370: Motor Development, led by Dr. Marcio Oliveira
This core Kinesiology course leads students toward an understanding of the development processes that underlie movement coordination and control throughout the human lifespan. The blended learning format will encompass a range of instructional styles made possible by the rich array of online tools and systems that will enable the development of strategies to meet different students learning needs. In this course, online material will be blended with face-to-face presentations to create a virtual multisensory environment in which students will be able to choose and explore different learning strategies and assessment tools. This will include the potential to learn through reading, listening, watching, interacting, playing learning games, practicing skills, reviewing, re-constructing, and even creating new course content.
SPAN 301: Advanced Grammar and Composition, led by Dr. Roberta Lavine and colleagues
Writing skills are among the most difficult to acquire -- and to teach -- in another language. Taught entirely in Spanish, Advanced Grammar and Composition I, is one of two gateway courses for all students who wish to take upper-level Spanish classes. The new blended format will enhance student acquisition of second-language skills by rationalizing the use of time and resources, maximizing the potential for individualized learning, and expanding the range and real-world connection of skills acquired and texts produced. This format will also allow a strong focus on collaborative writing and teamwork skills, as well as providing individual help and guidance for all students.