Summer is almost here and if dreams of canoeing and relaxing by the lake have taken you back to those long-ago days of summer camp you are in luck. There’s still a chance to enjoy that summer camp feel with a special program from Professional Development and Distance Education with Camp eCampus, May 14-16.
OK, maybe they won’t have canoes. Instead this is a unique opportunity for three days of training in best-practices for using eCampus to create and enhance online courses. The camp was built to bring together the training opportunities that the college and the district offer into a concentrated, fast-track approach to learning about designing and improving online instruction.
There are two tracks available to fit the knowledge and skill levels of the participants. For beginners, Track 1 offers basic tools for building an online class starting with a practical guide to online teaching, running through how to develop an online course including some of the unique tools available through eCampus. For those who have been using eCampus for a while, but are looking for additional tools and ways to engage students in their courses, there is a Track 2 for moderate to advanced work. Podcasting, plagiarism tools and other tools for increasing student engagement will be the focus of Track 2 programs.
From “Quality Course Design,” led by Ed Bowen, dean of the Dallas Telecollege, to “Second Life,” with two members of the Second Life Committee at the district, presenters will include trainers and experts in all levels. There also will be a chance to work hands-on on the computers to translate training into action at an open lab. The lab time will feature the Digital Resource Repository, a library of audio and video clips the LeCroy Center has available to support instruction either directly in the classroom from online sources or to add content directly to an online course.
With the potential for online and distance education expanding, the drive to add online courses is increasing throughout the district. Sam Govea, visiting administrator for distance education, said that online learning has grown at a rate five times faster than its classroom counter-part. Once faculty members have completed the camp, Sam plans to be available to meet one-to-one over the summer with professors who are hoping to add online courses to their fall or spring offerings.
