If you are a faculty member, have you ever wondered how to manage a classroom or research project that involves more than one section of students? Extends beyond more than one semester? Involves external “guests” that do not have access to your iLearn course site? If so, this presentation may help answer your questions. “Constructing Learning Constellations: Extensions of Teaching and Learning Through Creative Course & Project Site Design” This teaching and learning workshop, was offered by the Marist College Center for Teaching Excellence on Wednesday, April 21, 2010, Dr. Mark A. Van Dyke, Associate Professor, School of Communication and the Arts, and tow of his students, Lindsey Devlin and Robert Capua, presented the workshop, which explained how to creatively combine Sakai's course and project sites (iLearn is Marist's brand of Sakai) into a "collaborative learning constellation" (CLC) that connects large numbers of students in separate sections even over separate semesters in traditional, hybrid, or fully-online courses. This unique design, created at Marist College, was recognized by Sakai with a 2009 Teaching With Sakai Innovation Award (click here and click here for background). Through the CLC approach, faculty members and students can engage in large-scale projects that extend over time and require extensive collaboration, storage of materials, communication tools, and interaction with external guests.

1. Presentation to Center for Teaching Excellence
Constructing Learning Constellations:
Extensions of Teaching and Learning Through
Creative Course & Project Site Design
Dr. Mark A. Van Dyke
Lindsey Devlin (Marist ’10)
Robert Capua (Marist ’10)
School of Communication and the Arts
April 21, 2010

2. Background
• Fall 2007: AT Support request, iLearn/Sakai launch
• Spring 2008: COM471-PR Case Studies
o 32 students, 7 teams, in 2 sections
o Developed communication plans
• Fall 2008: COM401-Capstone
o 38 students, 8 teams, in 2 sections
o Refined plans & executed tactics

3. iLearn & Collaborative Education
• Supports student-centered education
o Strengthens Teacher-Student Partnership
o Classroom = Collective Learning Community
o Places tools and learning in hands of students
o 24/7 service

4. iLearn & Barriers to Collaboration
• But what about time & space barriers?
o Connections between iLearn sites: different sections, semesters?
o Support for major projects, “cluster model,” team teaching?
Course Section 111 Course Section 112

5. Solution: Collective Learning Constellation
1. Problem: Barriers to 2. Solution: Central
collaboration created by project site connects
separate course sections, orbiting course sites
meeting times, and CLE
sites
4. Outcomes: Increased 3. Result: 70 students,
contact, cooperation and 15 teams, 4 sections of 2
communication, authentic courses, spanning 2
learning, time on task, use of semesters
student talents

6. iLearn Course & Project Site
Creative Architecture
Project Site (1)
Spring 08 PR Case Studies Fall 08 Capstone
2 Course Sites 2 Course Sites

7. Students = Collaborators

8. The Net Generation
“They prize freedom and freedom of choice. They want to customize things,
make them their own. They’re natural collaborators, who enjoy a conversation,
not a lecture. They’ll scrutinize you and your organization. They insist on
integrity. They want to have fun, even at work or school. Speed is normal.
Innovation is life.”
Don Tapscott, Grown Up Digital (2008, pp. 6-7)
“I would have never known how to blog, use a wiki … a course management
system. These new skills … are going to help get my first job.”
“I have come to understand and appreciate the importance of … collaboration
for this course, other parts of life and for a job.”
“Helped me see that turbulence … is to be expected and that it is our job … to
turn those problems into opportunities.”
Marist Student Testimonials

9. Samples of Student Outcomes
Sample Displays
Consolidated Screenshots
Student-Produced Materials
Post Card For Adult Students
Mock-Up of USB Drive With Pre-Loaded Materials For Adult Students
Campus TV Spot Storyboard
Campus TV Spot
Sakai Tutorial For Adjunct Faculty
Sakai Adjunct Faculty Project Collaboration Site

10. Questions?
Thank you!
Mark Van Dyke, mark.vandyke@marist.edu
Robert Capua, robert.capua1@marist.edu
Lindsey Devlin, lindsey.devlin1@marist.edu