After 16 years as a 小蝌蚪APP chemistry instructor, Andrea Leonard has joined the Office of Distance Learning as an Instructional Designer, building, she says, on the knowledge and experience she小蝌蚪APP檚 gained during nearly a decade of online instruction.
小蝌蚪APP淚 was at the first meeting when the Office of Distance learning asked, 小蝌蚪APP榃ho wants to teach online?小蝌蚪APP櫺◎蝌紸PP She says. 小蝌蚪APP淪ince that time, I小蝌蚪APP檝e become well versed in the theory and practice of course design for online and hybrid students, and I wanted to spend more time doing it.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檝e learned a lot of new and exciting techniques, and hopefully I can bring that knowledge to others.小蝌蚪APP
Leonard has designed several online and hybrid chemistry courses since the 小蝌蚪APP began expanding its offerings.
As the Office of Distance Learning 2017-2018, Leonard conducted a major course redesign in order to explore adaptive learning practices and technology. The result was an adaptive General Chemistry I course built on the Realizeit platform. The course has since been recognized by Realizeit as best-in-class and is currently being marketed to other universities.
小蝌蚪APP淎daptive technology fosters personalized learning,小蝌蚪APP Leonard says. 小蝌蚪APP淣ot everyone will receive the same experience, but everyone will achieve the same learning objectives. It helps learners focus where they need the most help and it won小蝌蚪APP檛 overwhelm learners with constant new information if they haven小蝌蚪APP檛 yet mastered previous skills.小蝌蚪APP
In her new role, Leonard says she wants to help faculty members get the most out of the courses they小蝌蚪APP檙e creating while expanding the use of adaptive learning methods.
小蝌蚪APP淲hen you小蝌蚪APP檙e hired to instruct a class at the 小蝌蚪APP level, you小蝌蚪APP檙e hired as a subject matter expert 小蝌蚪APP you小蝌蚪APP檙e hired because of your knowledge of your field of study,小蝌蚪APP Leonard says. 小蝌蚪APP淵ou小蝌蚪APP檙e not hired because of your knowledge of course design. The job of the instructional designer is to help subject matter experts create quality educational experiences for their students using techniques and technologies that might not be familiar to them.小蝌蚪APP
She says she also wants to help faculty find solutions as they approach online and hybrid teaching for the first time, whether they want to ensure academy honesty, effectively present complex information, or foster interaction between students outside of the traditional classroom setting.
小蝌蚪APP淎ctivity on the instructor小蝌蚪APP檚 part in email and on discussion forums can really overcome the hurdle of not being in the same room,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淲e have technology where we can speak with each other, where we can share screens with each other, we can look at a piece of notebook paper and write down things and share this with each other 小蝌蚪APP and this can happen across the country.
小蝌蚪APP淭he technology exists for these uses and more, but most instructors aren小蝌蚪APP檛 aware of it because they小蝌蚪APP檝e never had to use it, or it wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 used during their undergraduate experience. I want to make sure that everyone that wants to use such technology in their classes will have the understanding and help to use it.小蝌蚪APP
to work with an instructional designer on creating engaging assignments, integrating EduTools, aligning learning objectives and outcomes, improving course navigation and layout, humanizing, and more. We're available throughout the year.