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U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
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Associate Director Joanne Nicoll and Senior Instructional Designer Carol Washburn, of the Center for Instructional Development & Distance Education (CIDDE), received Blackboard’s Greenhouse Exemplary Online Course award at the 2007 BbWorld Conference in Boston. The award recognizes Allied Health Education, their online methods of teaching course.
The Greenhouse Exemplary Course award focuses on course design that exemplifies excellence in online teaching and learning. Courses are carefully reviewed by experienced instructional designers and instructional technologists from universities around the world. Only a few courses are recognized annually, and this year just 10 were selected from the 90 courses reviewed for the conference.
Allied Health Education is an upper-level online course, delivered via the Blackboard course management system, for students planning to pursue a career in a dental hygiene or other allied health program. This course provides the knowledge and skills needed to prepare students for both classroom and clinical teaching. Students learn about components of classroom teaching, such as developing a lesson plan, designing and presenting a lecture, and creating test questions. Clinical instruction is another important part of a dental hygienist’s teaching responsibilities. Students will be prepared to implement these skills during the practicum part of this two course sequence. The basic goals for this course are for students to (1) apply principles of instructional design in creating classroom lessons and lesson components [instructional objectives, teaching activities, and ways to assess student learning], (2) develop effective ways to present instructional information, i.e., lecturing skills, active learning opportunities, and (3) develop student evaluation procedures, including tests and informal classroom assessments.
Nicoll originally taught this course in a traditional face-to-face classroom setting, but later developed it for the online environment with the help of Washburn, who is currently teaching the course. Using the Blackboard rubric for online courses, Washburn worked to make the course as user friendly for students as possible. Provided with concise, structured, and relevant feedback in a timely manner, students are able to move through the course and develop the skills they need while completing the required course work.
Washburn and Nicoll agree, “It is extremely rewarding to be recognized by our peers for following the solid instructional design principles that we value and incorporate into all of our work. This honor is a strong affirmation that instructional design is essential to faculty developing online courses. Ultimately, online courses have to be judged by the learning outcomes of our students. By working as a team, we stay focused in aligning the goals, assessment, and methods of teaching that are most effective for our learners.”
A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh
Center
for Instructional Development & Distance Education
1996-2007 © University of Pittsburgh,
CIDDE. All Rights Reserved.
Editor: Carol DeArment,
Staff Writer: Michelle Lane, Copy Editor: Tim Kyle,
Art Direction, Graphic Design and Illustrations: Alec Sarkas, Photography: CIDDE, Photography & Electronic Imaging
Questions or comments, please contact CIDDE
Webmaster,
09/20/2007
CIDDE Instructional Designers Receive Blackboard’s Online Course Award 