A Faculty Members Perspective

Interview topic timestamps

00:28 – PROCESS OF SETTING UP THE CBE COURSES

  • First mapped out what the student was going look at on Blackboard
  • Wanted each of the competency modules to flow in the same fashion
  • Then developed the labs and the tests
  • Finally, enlisted the support of the instructional designer who helped design the course

01:24 – TYPE OF CONTENT IN THE CBE COURSES

  • A variety of materials – text to read, online textbook, PowerPoint presentations, small quizzes at the end of each section, and videos (some developed on-sight, others were taken from places like Kahn Academy)
  • The purpose of all these materials was to make the course well rounded and representative of classroom courses

02:05 – THE STRUCTURE OF EACH OF THE MODULES

  • For each module, divided the course by sections in the textbook – Modules based on chapters
  • “Read It, Watch It, Do It” format
  • Read It contained all the information the student needed to look at to learn the material
    • Powerpoints
    • Textbooks
    • Code examples
  • Watch It contained videos – made at ACC, and from Kahn Academy, YouTube, etc.
  • Do It contained the labs
    • Prelab covered the vocabulary/terminology of the chapter
    • Labs had a programming practice – e.g. Python programming code that a student had to write

03:27 – IMPORTANCE OF HAVING AN INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER

  • Instructional designer is able to see the course more objectively than the faculty who created the content
  • She simplified and clarified content
  • Made the course flow better
  • Asked faculty “Why did you do this?” At first really frustrating for faculty, but then they began to see that asking “why?” made the content better for the students

04:48 – BIGGEST CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING THE COURSE

  • Biggest challenge was planning phase – figuring out how to set up a course that was competency-based, that would allow student to move through at a faster pace
  • After first round of students went through course, their feedback helped to make additional changes

05:51 – SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR FACULTY WHO ARE DEVELOPING CBE COURSES

  • Use Instructional Designers – Ideally multiple designers if multiple faculty members are simultaneously developing courses
  • Have instructional designers who understand CBE trials and pitfalls to help faculty avoid
  • Stipend or release time for faculty so that they don’t get overwhelmed with teaching regular courses plus developing CBE course
  • Make sure CBE leader lays out very clear instructions as to what is expected to make sure all the CBE courses on the campus follow the same structure – less confusing to student

07:53 – SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR CBE STUDENTS

  • Tutors to help with coursework
  • Coaches to inspire and help them stay on track

08:48 – TRADITIONAL VS. CBE STUDENTS

  • CBE students much more motivated that on-campus students
  • CBE students know what they want whereas on-campus students often still trying to figure out what they want

09:35 – IS CBE FOR EVERYONE?

  • No – CBE is for student who already has some of the competencies and wants to go at a faster pace
  • CBE is for motivated students who know what they want, have some experience in the workforce and are ready to move forward

10:30 – ARE ALL FACULTY MEMBERS SUITED TO TEACH CBE?

  • Yes, if they get training or help beforehand jumping in
  • Need to understand the purpose of the class, and the motivation of the students

12:00 – IN SUMMARY

  • CBE is a great program for the right students
  • Allows students to move through quickly, on their own time, to get the degree or certificate they need to move forward in their job
  • It’s fun to teach – opens doors to all kinds of students with all kinds of experiences
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