Online Technology in Large Classes

Large Face-to-Face Classes vs. Distance Learning

What is the difference in teaching a large class and teaching a class completely online? Not much. There are obvious issues and barriers associated with teaching large classes: student participation, communication, keeping students on track, grading large numbers of papers, promoting critical thinking. In the online environment, some of these issues can be handled better than face-to-face. There is probably better compliance with assignments and learning outcomes in completely online classes. So, the question becomes, How can WebCT Vista be used to enhance the teaching and learning experience? Research shows that blended or hybrid courses can enhance teaching and learning in large classes.

Blended and Hybrid Courses

Blended instruction is a combination of face-to-face classroom instruction balanced with online technologies such as WebCT Vista. Another expression used for this is hybrid course. It's up to the individual professor as to what percent of the class will be delivered online. Some require students to come to class only once a week, and they do the rest of the instruction and communication online. The following link is a research article that suggests possibilities for teaching large classes in blended or hybrid mode.

Blended Instruction: Adapting Conventional Instruction for Large Classes

Rochester Institute of Technology

The Sloan Consortium is an institution that focuses mainly on blended courses, and is recognized as a leader in the area. They publish research articles, have forums for discussion, and more.

Sloan Consortium on Blended Learning

WebCT Vista for Large Classes

For the record, WebCT Vista is no longer called WebCT Vista. It is simply called Vista. Blackboard, another company like WebCT, bought WebCT Vista in 2006, and they did away with the wording WebCT. Also, do not confuse Microsoft Vista with Blackboard's Vista. Microsoft Vista is Microsoft's new operating system. Both are simply called Vista. Is that muddy enough? The wording WebCT Vista was used intentionally in other parts of this site to avoid confusion during this transition from WebCT Vista to just Vista.

Vista (as you probably know) is an online course management system. It allows you to teach fully or partially online, i.e., blended or hybrid. It can also be an effective way of supplementing a large classroom. You don't like technology? Don't want to go there yet? Well, maybe not, but if you knew how much it could help you teach and manage large classes, you might change your mind.

Vista can be used effectively to help manage large classes. Effective use has to do with course design, proper use of tools, and teaching strategy. This is all within your grasp. The following link explains how some faculty are using Vista to enhance interaction in large classes.

Read Enhance Large Classes with WebCT.

Tools in Vista that Lend Themselves to Teaching Large Classes

There are many tools in Vista that facilitate communication, document exchange and assessments. The following three tables will give a quick account of each.

Communication	Teacher	Student
In general	Less traffic in office Caveat: Might require more work for instructor in time management if not handled properly; there are time management strategies for online communication	Increases opportunities to communicate with peers and instructor outside of class
Email	No “lost” emails from students Can send attachments	Every student in a Vista class has a Vista email. Can send attachments
Discussion Area (Asynchronous)	a public forum area; everyone sees everyone's messages Prep students with topic questions before face-to-face class General class discussion Office hours Classroom announcements (No class tonight!) You can have multiple discussion rooms Can send attachments	Fosters reflective responses Can extend the face-to-face class discussion Shy students interact more Discussions can be private (groups) Discussions can be anonymous (touchy subjects) Students can post questions to one another or to the instructor about class topics Can send attachments
Chat Room (Synchronous)	Live class discussions Office hours You can have multiple chat rooms	Students can meet online in real time to discuss class topics and brainstorm in real time.
Calendar	Post events on calendar tool	Calendar announces to students that events have been posted.
Announcement Tool	Used like a billboard	Students see announcements when they log into the online environment
Content Distribution	Teacher	Student
In general	Does not have to rely on distributing papers during class time Documents can easily be updated without having to be redistributed in face-to-face setting	If students lose a handout, they can access another in WebCT Pitfall - Excessive printing of paper in your department or in library Pitfall – They must have the same software you use, or you need to save documents as Rich Text Format for text documents
Syllabus, handouts	Does not have to rely on distributing papers during class time	If students lose a handout, they can access another in WebCT
Written Assignments	Post assignments in learning modules, through discussion area attachment, or in email attachment	Assignment submitted as email or discussion board attachment
Creating a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file	You can collect questions over a period of time from your discussion postings or emails in WebCT, then create an FAQ to make available in future classes.	If students read the FAQ, it might save them time in waiting for a response from you, not to mention saving you time having to answer the same question multiple times.
Links	You can create links in Vista that point to external sites.	Students can click a link in WebCT to open external sites.
Assessment	Teacher	Student
In general	You can give online quizzes or solicit feedback from your students using the Assessment/Survey tools in WebCT. This is non-paper based.	Students may take quizzes one or more times depending on the settings you choose Students must take quizzes date/time you specify.
Quizzes for Grade	Multiple Choice True/False Matching Short Answer Multiple Response Math (Calculated) Quizzes can be self-grading depending on the question type and the settings you choose Quizzes can be set to specific day/time	Students may view their grades immediately after a quiz if you choose this setting. Quizzes are timed and time released based on the settings you choose.
Quiz for practice, Self-test	Quiz Tool - You can use the quiz tool for practice quizzes Self-test Tool – Similar to Quiz tool, but does not store responses. Instant “yes” or “no”	Students may take practice quizzes one or more times depending on the settings you choose Students may view their grades immediately after a quiz if you choose this setting.
Assignment Tool	The assignment tool allows students to submit entire documents (papers) for grading The assignment tool is associated with the grade book Assessments can be timed and time released	Students read assignment, do assignment, and then upload assignments using the assignment tool.
Grade book	For each quiz you create, a corresponding column is created in the grade book. The grade book may be downloaded into Excel Columns may be added manually for face-to-face testing You can allow or not allow students to see their grades	Students see only their individual grade
Surveys for feedback	Anonymous Paperless May be downloaded to Excel	Surveys are anonymous for students Formative/Summative evaluations

How Do I Build a Vista Course that Will Work for a Large Class?

One word: Structure

In an online environment, good structure is half the battle. Before you ever begin to build a course in Vista, you should plan it out on paper. A picture is worth a thousand words, though, so have a look at a demo Vista course to see how structure and explicit instructions help guide your students through class activities. Type the username and password exactly as you see them below.

Username: trainingGuest
Password: letmein

Who Can Help Me Learn to Use Vista Effectively for Large Classes?

If you would like help organizing a Vista course to support your large class, two things:

The Emerging Technology Center does the hand-on training for the button pushing: learning to use the communication tools, uploading documents, and creating quizzes. Phone: 681-0882
The Center for Excellence in Teaching will work with you to design your course in a pedagogically sound and effective manner. They can suggest the proper teaching strategies for specific situations. They can help you align learning objectives with teaching strategies and assessments. Phone: 681-0049

The question now is, Where do I go first? If you just want a good overview of the possibilities for for using Vista and course design, you might start with the Center for Excellence in Teaching. If you want some technical knowledge before you consider the course design aspect, you might start in the Emerging Technology Center.

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