The popular OCEAN320 The Oceans course was rebooted from the ground up to (1) promote SDSU's new GE capacities and goals and (2) capitalize upon the strengths of online learning. Every quanta of new course content was reversed-engineered from learning outcomes designed to help students appreciate the scientific context and societal complexity of major oceanographic issues, such as ocean warming and acidification, overfishing and aquaculture, and petroleum exploitation and risk. The course is structured into scaffolding learning modules, each comprised of an integrated sequence of live Wimba sessions and an array of student-centered activities based on readings, videos, and web-based simulations. This effort has been an extremely rewarding (and exhausting) educational endeavor, and has forced me to re-evaluate my role as an educator in a increasingly stressed world where information is no longer scarce but often overwhelming.

1. Title slide
Oceans (320) of Opportunity:
Rebooting a GE Explorations Course
Stephen Schellenberg
Associate Professor
SDSU Geological Sciences
Faculty Learning Outcomes (or desirable ruminations):
• Identify adaptable strategies and tools to improve efficiency and efficacy
• Identify an easily improvable component of your course
• Formulate a strategy to implement this improvement
• Integrate technology as part of your pedagogical operating system
“When you steal from one author, it’s plagiarism;
if you steal from many, it’s research.” – Wilson Mizner
So many thanks for research help from CTL, pICT, and ITS folks
and for support from Qualcomm and SDSU
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2. Roadmap of the Tour
I. Consider course redesign in general
II. Overview OCEAN320 structure and SLOs
III. Tour OCEAN320 in light of some “Thinks . . .”
- Think modular structure
- Think module learning guides (LGs)
- Think dynamic learning sessions via Wimba
- Think intersession activities (with deliverables/questions in LG)
- Think html templates with server links (no BB uploads/downloads!)
- Think mortar (you) and bricks (external content)
- Think efficient file management (one folder for all updated files)
- Think assessment (essays with life-or-death 1st sentence)
IV. Future of OCEAN320 and open discussion
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3. I. Consider course redesign . . .
• What is the course’s role? (discipline general education)
• What are the Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)?
• How does every quanta of content articulate into one or more SLOs?
• What is the most effective content, structure, and modality for course?
• How could you implement change and assess impact?
• Cost-benefit on short to long timescales?
• Suitability for hybridization or fully distance-education modality?
“There is no such thing as good course design,
only good course redesign.”
– Justice Louis Brandeis (modified)
“The perfect is the enemy of the good.” – Voltaire
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4. Reasons for taking this class . . . From 1st
I. Course
Wimba
Redesign Session
• Pragmatic: Checking off box to BA/BS
• Structural: Online, compressed
• Contextual: Interest in ocean, etc.
• Social: Online presence
• Economical: Save money, travel time*
• Environmental: Reduce carbon footprint
• Flexible: Anywhere, anytime learning
(*but not less work/study time!)
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5. Roadmap of the Tour
I. Consider course redesign in general
II. Overview OCEAN320 structure and SLOs
III. Tour OCEAN320 in light of some “Thinks . . .”
- Think modular structure
- Think module learning guides (LGs)
- Think dynamic learning sessions via Wimba
- Think intersession activities (with deliverables/questions in LG)
- Think html templates with server links (no BB uploads/downloads!)
- Think mortar (you) and bricks (external content)
- Think efficient file management (one folder for all updated files)
- Think assessment (essays with life-or-death 1st sentence)
IV. Future of OCEAN320 and open discussion
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6. Roadmap of the Tour
I. Consider course redesign in general
II. Overview OCEAN320 structure and SLOs
III. Tour OCEAN320 in light of some “Thinks . . .”
- Think modular structure
- Think module learning guides (LGs)
- Think dynamic learning sessions via Wimba
- Think intersession activities (with deliverables/questions in LG)
- Think html templates with server links (no BB uploads/downloads!)
- Think mortar (you) and bricks (external content)
- Think efficient file management (one folder for all updated files)
- Think assessment (essays with life-or-death 1st sentence)
IV. Future of OCEAN320 and open discussion
OneDayInMay-2010-S6

7. Roadmap of the Tour
I. Consider course redesign in general
II. Overview OCEAN320 structure and SLOs
III. Tour OCEAN320 in light of some “Thinks . . .”
- Think modular structure
- Think module learning guides (LGs)
- Think dynamic learning sessions via Wimba
- Think intersession activities (with deliverables/questions in LG)
- Think html templates with server links (no BB uploads/downloads!)
- Think mortar (you) and bricks (external content)
- Think efficient file management (one folder for all updated files)
- Think assessment (essays with life-or-death 1st sentence)
IV. Future of OCEAN320 and open discussion
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8. Overview of Wimba Classroom From 1st
III. Tour
Wimba
(Wimba) Session
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9. Overview of Wimba Classroom From 1st
III. Tour
Wimba
(Wimba) Session
14422849
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10. Welcome to OCEAN320 – We will start momentarily . . .
Every
III. Tour
Wimba
(Wimba) Session
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11. Welcome to OCEAN320 – We will start in one minute . . .
Every
III. Tour
Wimba
(Wimba) Session
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12. Welcome to OCEAN320 – We are starting . . .
Every
III. Tour
Wimba
(Wimba) . . . and doing a sound check. Session
Can you hear me? If yes, click the ””box. If no, click the “x” box.
If you can’t hear me . . .
• Did you run the Wimba Wizard? Surely so, but if not do so now and then re-enter!
• Assuming that audio checked out fine in Wimba Wizard . . .
- Check your speaker volume
- Try exiting and re-entering the room
- Listen by phone (201.549.7592; toll-call) using PIN # 14422849
- Exit, call Wimba for help (866.350.4978), and watch archive later
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13. Welcome to OCEAN320 – We are starting . . .
Every
III. Tour
Wimba
(Wimba) . . . and doing a sound check. Session
Can you hear me? If yes, click the ””box. If no, click the “x” box.
If you can’t hear me . . .
• Did you run the Wimba Wizard? Surely so, but if not do so now and then re-enter!
• Assuming that audio checked out fine in Wimba Wizard . . .
- Check your speaker volume
- Try exiting and re-entering the room
- Listen by phone (201.549.7592; toll-call) using PIN # 14422849
- Exit, call Wimba for help (866.350.4978), and watch archive later
OK, non-audio people, we are going to move on . . . good luck!
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14. Action Items Every
III. Tour
Wimba
(Wimba) Session
• Resolve any Wimba Issues via the Wizard and Wimba Help
• Get comfortable with the BB environment and course layout
• Attend Tuesday Wimba “Help Session” for Wimba, Blackboard, etc.
Before . . . Do . . .
End of the day Download and printout all Module 1 materials (i.e., Learning
Guide, four readings)
Tuesday 9 PM Four activities in cryptically named “Do These By Tuesday 9
PM” folder
Wednesday Wimba Read/Watch/Listen: Nature of Science
Read: Tragedy of the Commons
Thursday Wimba
Read/Watch/Listen: Shifting Baselines
Complete Blackboard Quiz on Module 1
Sunday 11 AM
(Opens Thursday 11 AM)
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15. Goals for Today Every
III. Tour
Wimba
(Wimba) Session
• Perfect cold fusion
• Initiate global CO2 drawdown
• Sort kid’s socks drawer
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16. Action Items . . . Wrap-Up . . . Post-Wimba Office Hours Every
III. Tour
Wimba
(Wimba) Session
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17. Roadmap of the Tour
I. Consider course redesign in general
II. Overview OCEAN320 structure and SLOs
III. Tour OCEAN320 in light of some “Thinks . . .”
- Think modular structure
- Think module learning guides (LGs)
- Think dynamic learning sessions via Wimba
- Think intersession activities (with deliverables/questions in LG)
- Think html templates with server links (no BB uploads/downloads!)
- Think mortar (you) and bricks (external content)
- Think efficient file management (one folder for all updated files)
- Think assessment (essays with life-or-death 1st sentence)
IV. Future of OCEAN320 and open discussion
OneDayInMay-2010-S17

18. Roadmap of the Tour
I. Consider course redesign in general
II. Overview OCEAN320 structure and SLOs
III. Tour OCEAN320 in light of some “Thinks . . .”
- Think modular structure
- Think module learning guides (LGs)
- Think dynamic learning sessions via Wimba
- Think intersession activities (with deliverables/questions in LG)
- Think html templates with server links (no BB uploads/downloads!)
- Think mortar (you) and bricks (external content)
- Think efficient file management (one folder for all updated files)
- Think assessment (essays with life-or-death 1st sentence)
IV. Future of OCEAN320 and open discussion
OneDayInMay-2010-S18

19. Roadmap of the Tour
I. Consider course redesign in general
II. Overview OCEAN320 structure and SLOs
III. Tour OCEAN320 in light of some “Thinks . . .”
- Think modular structure
- Think module learning guides (LGs)
- Think dynamic learning sessions via Wimba
- Think intersession activities (with deliverables/questions in LG)
- Think html templates with server links (no BB uploads/downloads!)
- Think mortar (you) and bricks (external content)
- Think efficient file management (one folder for all updated files)
- Think assessment (essays with life-or-death 1st sentence)
IV. Future of OCEAN320 and open discussion
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20. Information is
no longer
scarse
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21. Information is
no longer
scarse
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22. Information is
no longer
scarse
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23. Roadmap of the Tour
I. Consider course redesign in general
II. Overview OCEAN320 structure and SLOs
III. Tour OCEAN320 in light of some “Thinks . . .”
- Think modular structure
- Think module learning guides (LGs)
- Think dynamic learning sessions via Wimba
- Think intersession activities (with deliverables/questions in LG)
- Think html templates with server links (no BB uploads/downloads!)
- Think mortar (you) and bricks (external content)
- Think efficient file management (one folder for all updated files)
- Think assessment (essays with life-or-death 1st sentence)
IV. Future of OCEAN320 and open discussion
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24. IV. Future of OCEAN320
• Develop context and content for module on Deepwater Horizon disaster
• Pilot small group projects with self-selected population for extra credit
• Implement projects across large sections during short sessions? Uh . . .
• Offer during both summer sessions or intersession? Offer every Fall and
Spring? Who will teach? What is saturation point for market?
• Stop scaling up . . . and start scaling out to global student population
• Integrate research into course, and course into NSF Broader Impacts
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