Overview The online courses at Tiffin University have remained largely text‐ based and static for the past several years. Today’s online learner strongly prefers interactive course content. TU’s current online courses are not broken, nor is the LMS, but with the rapid pace in which academic technologies have and continue to evolve, we have fallen behind and need to catch up. To provide our online learners with the best educational experience possible and to remain competitive in an already saturated distance education marketplace, a transformation of our online course design is required. Based on research and industry best practices, there are three must‐have components of any successful online course: o Engaging Content o Technology‐enhanced Items (TEIs) o Corrective, Targeted Feedback
Planning Recommendations: The successful transformation of Tiffin University’s online courses lies not necessarily in technology, but in four specific target areas: (1) a learner focus, (2) an emphasis on interactivity, (3) scalability, and (4) a goal to reduce costs while maintaining high‐quality courses. We recommend: The assembly of an internal team to determine the new design of the “Next Generation” of online courses at Tiffin University. The team will consist of select staff, faculty, and academic administrators.
Rationale: Allowing faculty members, staff, and academic administrators to see themselves as designers, coaches, and members of a learning development team with these particular goals in mind will be a major catalyst in the transformation process of our online courses. This will be a highly collaborative team that will meet on a regular basis to share ideas and discuss best practices for online course design. The objective is to identify pathways to the achievement of these next generation goals and to deliver a tactical plan to the Provost within 60 days of the first team meeting. Obstacles: Selecting the appropriate mix of faculty, staff, and administrators to foster a variety of experiences and suggestions for the “NextGen” online course shells. Resistance by committee members to challenge the status quo. Other high‐priority projects taking precedence over committee meetings. Cost and resources required to implement the technology suggested by the committee. Resources: 1) NextGen Executive Summary Document 2) Project Charter 3) Keeping Pace with Online Learning Trends 4) Distance Education Enrollment Report 2017
Communication Recommendations: Delivering clear and timely communication to the stakeholders who will be directly impacted by the recommended changes by the committee is
critical to a smooth implementation. We recommend: A series of email and video communication leading up to the implementation including: 1) Weekly email notification of upcoming changes to all faculty, staff, and students 2) Several town hall meetings with the Provost to announce the changes coming for the fall semester and to generate excitement. 3) Publish video with both an explanation and demonstration of the enhancements to the online course shells: o Two versions of video Student Focused Faculty Focused 4) First week live chat during business hours for online students and faculty Rationale: The rationale behind the development of this communication plan is to inform the stakeholders in a clear and honest about what is changing in the online course shells and why the changes are necessary. We believe that successful implementation hinges on our ability to create two‐way communication channels where students and faculty can ask questions, express their concerns and get answers. A dedicated email account is one option, but a series of town hall meetings makes it more personal and helps to provide the sense that “we are all in this together.” Obstacles: Providing focused communication and avoiding information overload: o An excessive amount of information will confuse the intended audience and can make them feel overwhelmed with too many details
Creating sufficient pathways for stakeholders to provide open and honest feedback. Administration providing timely responses to questions and concerns. Resources: 1) Adobe Connect 2) Adobe Captivate 3) G‐Suite, Gmail/Drive 4) Communication Planning: A Template for Organizational Change
Onboarding Recommendations: We are very confident that the implementation of the recommended technologies in our online course shells will have a positive impact on student outcomes. However, it is essential to have a plan in place to train and support the faculty and staff as they learn and adapt to new technology. We recommend: All admins, faculty, and staff: o Mandatory, 1‐hour Moodle boot camp session o Successful completion required to teach online o Offered both seated and online Supplemental training sessions for teaching faculty will be offered as part of the CITL instructional program throughout the year. New students o Mandatory component within new student virtual orientation course Returning students o Asynchronous tutorial options o Link on course landing page
o Email blasts with tutorial link Rationale: An effective training plan is critical to the successful implementation of the proposed changes to our online course shells. To augment these efforts, the development of new and relevant training materials will be a continuous process. It is also important to offer both synchronous and asynchronous webinar training and informational sessions throughout the year along with live on‐campus training sessions throughout the year (group or individual). Departments will be consulted on their training needs, and sessions will be built to meet those specific needs. Obstacles: Determining who does the training. Internal or External? Training material development. Accounting for and adjusting to cultural differences. Schedule management. Resources: 1) Training Management System (ADOPT) 2) Employee Training Rooms in the Hertzer Technology Center 3) Tiffin University’s Moodle Site
Implementation Strategy Recommendations: One of the first steps that must be taken to ensure a successful rollout is to develop a clear strategy in a way that the faculty, staff, and administration at the university can rally to support its implementation. This strategy will tie together our goals and objectives and clearly explain what our intentions are. We recommend:
A four–step phased approach to implementation: Phase 1: The Innovation in Teaching and Learning Team will make the necessary course and LMS changes Phase 2: The switch to Snap on April 30 will serve as the foundational change Phase 3: Begin phasing in the additional components of the NextGen project over the summer (work in conjunction with the training plan) Phase 4: Initiate Training Plan Rationale: Due to the amount of time and effort required to make all of these changes combined with limited resources, we feel that a phased approach to implementation will be the most effective. The following is the list of enhancements recommended for implementation by the NextGen committee: LMS Enhancements Moodle Mobile Online Content Accessibility/ADA Compliance LMS Reporting and Analytics Real‐time Communication (within the course) Easy to Use Web Conference System Video Lectures and Interactive Lessons Obstacles: Limited amount of manpower Accounting for and unforeseen expenses and technical difficulties Time Maintaining a balanced workload Resources: 1) Strategic Plan Document 2) RACI Matrix (Responsibility Assignment Model) 3) Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) 4) Risk/Issues Log
5) Lessons Learned Log
Processes and Forms Recommendations: Several processes based on industry best practices will need to be utilized in order to effectively and efficiently manage problems, incidents, and change during the pre and posts phases of the technology rollout plan. We recommend: The implementation of change, problem, and incident management processes. There are going to be a lot of moving parts during the implementation of the technology rollout plan and having rock solid procedures to manage unforeseen issues is critical to a smooth transition. Rationale: The goal of change management is to ensure that standardized procedures are used to efficiently handle all changes, and minimize the impact of any related incidents upon a service. The goal of incident management is to restore normal service as quickly as possible, with minimal disruption to the university. This ensures that the highest achievable levels of availability and service are maintained. Problem management extends the process of incident management by identifying the underlying cause of one or more incidents that are being investigated. Obstacles: Proper training for the technical staff on the new procedures Commitment to the use of the new procedures Concern about how much work employees will have to do beyond their existing responsibilities to change over to new processes
Resources: 1) Freshservice Cloud‐based Change Management Software Key features include: Problem management: isolates issues, enables linking to current or past incidents, and identifies the root cause of any problems Incident management: handles support tickets and automates repetitive workflows Release management: improves future planning by helping to document any builds and test plans Reporting: flags any bottlenecks, monitors software performance, and improves delivery through canned and custom reporting capabilities Additional features include workflow approvals, audit trails, change calendaring, change planning, compliance management, prioritization, and task management
Administration Role Recommendations: During this time of transition, administration can be either a great contributor or a formidable obstacle to successful change. The reality is that the leadership team’s ability to lead their employees through change is often the deciding factor in how quickly and fully a change is adopted. We recommend: That the leadership team take the following actions in the change process: Communicate with direct reports about the change Demonstrate support for the change Coach employees through the change
Engage with and provide support to the project team Identify and manage resistance Rationale: Every member of the university plays an important role in times of change. As an employee‐facing member of the organization, the leadership team should be viewed as critical players. It is important for the NextGen Committee to remember that leaders are employees, too. Therefore, they need to be led through the individual change process before they can become true leaders of change. Obstacles: Inability or resistance of leaders to square themselves with the changes before they can effectively guide their direct reports. Other priorities taking precedence over the change process. Inadequate change management resourcing. Resources: 1) ADKAR Model 2) Project Charter 3) Project Management Plan 4) Project RAID Log RAID stands for: o Risks o Actions o Issues o Dependencies