Session Title: Delivering Best Practices in Distance and Blended Courses

 

---

Logo: 

 

 

---

 

Abstract:  According to best practices and quality standards,participants will learn how to design and deliver a distance or blended course site with optimal content and tools. Examples and options will be given and participants will showcase their work.

 

---

 

Target audience: Teachers of English to speakers of other languages in higher education or elementary/secondary grades with intermediate expertise in using technology for teaching, particularly regarding Learning Management Systems (LMSs) 

---

 

Session objectives/learning outcomes: By the end of this session, participants will have

• identified and implemented various tools for interaction following best practices in distance and blended learning environments;

• identified and implemented various tools for collaboration following best practices in distance and blended learning environments; 

• created their own Canvas course site and developed one module (content unit) for a course they teach, following best practices in technology and pedagogy in lesson design;

• implemented quality standards in their own Canvas course site and module;

• implemented copyright guidelines in their Canvas course site to avoid plagiarism;

• implemented revisions to their Canvas course module based on feedback received from course participants and moderators

---

 

Syllabus: 

IMPORTANT NOTES: 

1. The content and assignments in this session are cumulative. One week builds on another. Late registrants will not be able to complete the work. Only current weeks will be open.

2. Participants can earn a Certificate of Completion at the end of the session. Criteria for the Certificate of Completion:

1. Completion of weekly tasks and assignments

2. Active participation in the weekly discussions with at least one response to each prompt

3. Satisfactory completion of 3 assignments (Weeks 2, 3, 4).

4. Satisfactory completion of a  10-minute showcase presentation (Week 5) with a LIVE Q&A session. 

5. Attendance at more than 50 percent of the LIVE sessions or evidence that the recording was viewed by posting a comment in the Sharing Discussion Forum. 

---

Registration Week: January 1 - 7

FOCUS: Registration of participants and orientation to the Canvas course site  

 

Moderators: Jack Watson / Larisa Olesova / ALL

 

Objectives/Learning Outcomes: By the end of the week, participants will have …

1. completed their Canvas Account Profile;
2. viewed the Orientation to the Canvas course site document or video;
3. completed the Questionnaire/Needs Assessment (Google Form) about their background and teaching environment;
4. completed a "walk through" and explored the structural elements of the Canvas course site;
5. registered for a Canvas Free for Teachers site and shared the enrollment information to their Canvas course site with all in a Discussion Forum. 

Please note: The tasks are due in the week given; participants are expected to work within the deadlines and will not be able to work on prior weeks’ tasks.

 

---

Week 1: January 8 - 14

FOCUS: Sharing of previous experience with distance and/or blended teaching and creation of their own Canvas course site

 

Moderators: Christine Bauer-Ramazani / Sue Annan /ALL

 

Objectives/Learning Outcomes: By the end of the week, participants will have …

1. learned about the content of this session and the expected outcomes;

2. read about best practices in distance and/or blended courses;

3. shared their previous experience with distance and/or blended teaching;

4. explored all elements of the Canvas site and posted a summary response;

5. registered for their own Canvas site and started setting it up;

6. set up their account profile and adjusted settings;

7. Participants will preview their session project: a Canvas Course Module with Tasks & Assignments. 

Please note: The tasks are due in the week given; participants are expected to work within the deadlines and will not be able to work on prior weeks’ tasks.

---

 

Week 2: January 15 - 21

FOCUS: Daily/weekly content pages with goals/objectives/learning outcomes

 

Moderators: Christine Bauer-Ramazani / Christine Sabieh / ALL

 

Objectives/Learning Outcomes: By the end of the week, participants will have …

1. created a module in their Canvas course and added several course elements in it;

2. begun a Tasks & Assignments page in the module with a weekly goal and 2-3 learning outcomes as well as several activities and ways to assess the achievement of objectives;

3. used the discussion forum to share their course module as well as the Tasks & Assignments page with learning outcomes and assessments tied to them;

4. shown their understanding of best practices in modalities of content delivery in distance and blended courses;

5. (Optional) created an assessment tool to measure achievement of learning outcomes. 

Please note: The tasks are due in the week given; participants are expected to work within the deadlines and will not be able to work on prior weeks’ tasks.

---

 

Week 3: January 22 - 28

FOCUS: Spaces and tools for interaction (synchronous & asynchronous) and following copyright guidelines to avoid plagiarism

 

Moderators: Sue Annan / Naglaa Salem / ALL

 

Objectives/Learning Outcomes: By the end of the week, participants will have …

1. experienced different types of interaction dynamics (T>Ss, S>S, S>T) and Canvas tools that promote interaction;   

2. expanded their Canvas site and Tasks & Assignments page with interaction activities and tools;

3. shared their Tasks & Assignments page with interaction activities and tools.

Please note: The tasks are due in the week given; participants are expected to work within the deadlines and will not be able to work on prior weeks’ tasks.

---

 

Week 4: January 29 - February 4

FOCUS:  Spaces and tools for collaboration (synchronous & asynchronous) and quality standards

 

Moderators: Larisa Olesova / Jack Watson / ALL

 

Objectives/Learning Outcomes: By the end of the week, participants will have 

1. experienced collaboration and collaboration tools in Canvas;

2. expanded their Canvas site and Tasks & Assignments page with collaboration activities and tools;

3. shared their Tasks & Assignments page with collaboration activities and tools.

Please note: The tasks are due in the week given; participants are expected to work within the deadlines and will not be able to work on prior weeks’ tasks.

---

 

Week 5: February 5 - 12

FOCUS: Showcase: Project presentations / Session Wrap-up / Session evaluations

 

Moderators: Larisa Olesova / Naglaa Salem / ALL

 

Objectives/Learning Outcome: By the end of the week, participants will have …

1. Participants celebrate the journey and accomplishments. 

2. Participants will indicate the two most important take-aways from this session (give examples).

3. Participants will receive peer and instructor feedback/guidance on points to focus on with respect to best practices. 

Please note: The tasks are due in the week given; participants are expected to work within the deadlines and will not be able to work on prior weeks’ tasks.

---

 

Media: 

• Interactive space (group/community/forum): Canvas Free for Teachers - Content pages, Discussion Forums, Assignments, Rubrics
• Content space (where your syllabus, readings, and videos will be): Canvas Free for Teachers 
• Live meeting space (for synchronous events/webinars): Zoom for Education or BigBlueButton (web conference in Canvas)

---

Other technology tools (all FREE): 

• Tools for collaboration: Google Workspace Collaboration and Productivity Tools: Google Products: Google Drive, Google Docs,Google Sheets,Google Sllides,Google Meet, Google Forms

• Tools for creating and posting videorecordings, e.g. Flip (Educator Dashboard) or Loom for Education

• Tools for posting feedback, e.g. Padlet for Teachers, Wakelet for Educators

• Tools for screenrecording: Screencastify for Education, Screencast-o-matic for Education, Loom for Education, or other screencapture tool

• other tools as needed

---

 

Join this session: Registration Jan. 1 - 7, 2023 To join this EVO session, January 1 - 7: Register for Canvas at https://canvas.instructure.com/register;  Go to https://canvas.instructure.com/enroll/ERHETA or use the join code ERHETA and enroll.

 

---

Suggested sponsor(s): Sponsors are professional associations who would be willing to advertise your session in their elist or newsletters, and who would help create an audience for your session and an interest in EVO participation. (No money or other physical support is requested!) TESOL Interest Section(s) or affiliate(s), IATEFL Special Interest Group(s), or other group(s) who could sponsor your session, such as JALT, KOTESOL, or AVEALMEC. NOTE: The EVO Coordination Team will arrange for TESOL-IS sponsorship, but please tell us which Interest Section (now called CoPs) you feel would be most likely to sponsor your session. For non-TESOL organizations, we ask that you list all likely sponsors, but please confirm sponsorship with them yourself after your proposal is accepted. 

NOTE: State the name of the person who approved sponsorship and the date next to the organization. 

 

Sponsoring organizations	Name / date of approval
CALL Interest Section of TESOL (CALL-IS)	Jane Chien, Chair / December 1, 2022
TESL NB (New Brunswick, Canada)
TESL Canada

 

---

 

Moderators: Fill in the table for all session moderators and co-moderators. Please review the requirements for all moderators at EVO Moderator Professional Development (MOD PD--purpose and content as well as the EVO policy for the requirements carefully. First-time moderators are required to take part in the training session; returning moderators are encouraged to participate as well. NOTES: Your list of moderators should be complete when you submit the proposal. Should you identify additional moderators for your session, you are required to notify the EVO Coordination team about their status (new or returning).

 

Name (last, first)	Email address	Location  (country of residence)	Institutional Affiliation	Status of moderator (new or returning?)	If continuing, date of Moderator Professional Development session taken	Biodata  (max. 50 words)	Photo
Bauer-Ramazani, Christine	cbauerramazani at gmail dot com	Vermont, USA	CBR Consulting for Online Course Design	returning	2022	Christine Bauer-Ramazani, co-founder of the Electronic Village Online (EVO), former CALL-IS Chair, and TESOL Interest Section service award recipient, designed and taught distance and blended courses for Saint Michael’s College and TESOL for over 20 years. She has presented and written about integrating technology into the currciulum nationally and internationally.
Annan, Sue	sue.annan75@gmail.com	Jersey,  C.I.	St Brelade’s College	returning	2022+	Sue is a business and general English teacher who lives and works in the largest of the Channel islands. She has years of experience of volunteering, most recently for EVO. She teaches both on and offline and has taken part in a variety of webinars.
Olesova, Larisa	lolesova@gmail.com	Gainesville, Fl	University of Florida	returning	2022	Larisa is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Florida. She is a former instructional designer and an adjunct faculty at George Mason University. Larisa was an EFL instructor in Russia. Her research interests are online teaching and learning, asynchronous instructional strategies, engagement and interaction, non-native speakers of English and Community of Inquiry.
Salem, Naglaa	salemnaglaaut@gmail.com	Toronto, Canada	TMU (Formerly Ryerson University)	returning	2022	Naglaa is a TESL-Ontario certified instructor and trainer and holds an e-Learning Developer Certificate from Seneca College, Canada. She has extensive experience teaching EAP in several colleges and universities in Canada and Egypt.  Naglaa is interested in studies in university pedagogy, specifically, inclusive practices for ELLs in Higher Education.
Sabieh, Christine	sabieh@hotmail.com	Lebanon	Notre Dame University	returning	2022	Christine, Full Professor at Notre Dame University, administers, teaches, and teacher-trains on teaching-learning, assessment and/or technology-partnership. She is a Certified On-Line Instructor/Trainer. Research interests include Flipped-, Problem-Based-, and e-Learning, OER, Learning Theories, Multiple Intelligences, Emotional Intelligence, and Assessment. Active in TESOL and its affiliates, TESOL CALL-IS Chair 2019-20.
Watson, Jack	jack.watson@unb.ca	Canada	University of New Brunswick (retired)	returning	2022	Jack is a retired Senior Administrator/Facilitator and E-Learning Coordinator with the University of New Brunswick English Language Programme in Fredericton. Over the run of a 39-year career in ESL, Jack has delivered courses for all language proficiencies in f2f formats, along with developing and delivering online real time and asynchronous courses. Jack was the 2016-17 TESOL CALL-IS Chair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

Primary Contact (Lead moderator only, please): The primary contact is the lead moderator of the session. The lead moderator is responsible for making sure that all first-time moderators are registered for the Moderator Professional Development session, and for communicating deadlines, special events like our live webcasts, and other information to moderators.

Name of Lead Moderator: ___Christine Bauer-Ramazani______

Email address: ____cbauerramazani at Gmail dot com_________________________ 

---

 

Terms of Agreement (to be completed by Lead Moderators; please confirm by writing “I agree” in each item.)

Terms of Agreement for EVO Session Lead Moderators	Confirmation
As Lead Moderator of my EVO session, I am responsible for making sure that first-time moderators in the session register for MOD PD on or before the due date (Oct. 16, 2022).	I agree.
As Lead Moderator of my EVO session, I am responsible for making sure that first-time moderators participate actively in MOD PD Oct. 16 - Nov. 13, 2022.	I agree.
As Lead Moderator of my EVO session, I affirm that moderators found lacking in completing the expectations and tasks in MOD PD will be removed from the session.	I agree.
I am available to engage actively in the EVO session I have agreed to co-moderate between January 9 and February 12, 2023.	I agree.
I further understand that  EVO sessions are free of advertising and commercial sponsorship; EVO sessions are free and open to all; No academic credit will be given for participation in EVO session.	I agree.