Bisk Education and the University of St. Thomas have collaborated to create a faculty development course designed to help educators translate face-to-face courses to the online environment and will present “Practice What We Teach: Practical Ideas for Critical Reflection in Faculty Development Courses,” at the 20th Annual Online Learning Consortium (OLC) International Conference.
Set for Oct. 29-31, the OLC conference puts a spotlight on the implications of specific e-learning experiences and practices through a host of presentations. The event draws administrators and educators in the nonprofit and public sectors ranging from kindergarten to continuing education, along with professionals from a range of other fields. The 2013 conference attracted more than 2,000 onsite attendees and 1,600 who attended virtually.
The University of St. Thomas presentation sponsored by Bisk Education showcases a course developed in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Brookfield, adult education theorist and John Ireland Endowed Chair at the University of St. Thomas, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a Best National University.
The course promotes the use of alternative methods to measure comprehension and engagement in faculty development courses that result in more dynamic instruction for online courses.
The goal of the course is to present practical ideas for creating course components such as formats for non-traditional discussion boards, interactive learning objects, alternative forms of assessment and synchronous activities.
To create the faculty development course, designers used Dr. Brookfield’s ideas for traditional teaching and learning and adapted them to online learning environments meant to engage students.
“Delivering fresh and engaging course content online is crucial to improving student comprehension and retention,” said Bisk Education’s Chief Strategy Officer George Straschnov. “Giving faculty the tools and knowledge to make the shift onto the digital platform will help create courses that will be truly dynamic.”
The presentation is scheduled for Oct. 30 at 2:15 p.m. during the conference’s Concurrent Session 9. It takes place in Northern Hemisphere A4 at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Dr. Deb DeMeester, Program Director for the 100% online Master of Arts in Public Safety & Law Enforcement Leadership at St. Thomas, will introduce the session and represent the university in the presentation.
“This new course gives faculty added guidance and support when developing online courses,” Dr. DeMeester said. “It was developed to give faculty the tools to transition their on-ground curriculums into a dynamic online experience by utilizing new approaches.”
To learn more about the University of St. Thomas’ video-based e-learning courses powered through University Alliance technology, visit www.StThomasOnline.com.
About the University of St. Thomas
Founded in 1885, the University of St. Thomas is a Catholic university based in the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The largest private university in Minnesota, St. Thomas offers bachelor’s degrees in more than 90 major fields of study and 60 graduate degree programs, including master’s, education specialist, juris doctor and doctorates.
About Bisk Education
Founded in 1971 by Nathan M. Bisk, Bisk Education is one of the world’s leading providers of higher education online. University Alliance (UA), a division of Bisk, is a leader in facilitating the online delivery of associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as professional certificate programs from the nation’s leading traditional universities and institutions. Universities powered by UA’s technology and support services have surpassed 757,000 individual enrollments from more than 185,000 students – making UA one of the largest facilitators of e-learning in the country.