91制片厂

Reading time: 7 minutes

Over the past three years, 91制片厂鈥檚 online programs have grown exponentially, expanding under the leadership of Dan Viele, dean of the School of Adult and Online Education, and a talented team of instructional designers and technical developers who are experts in transforming on-ground courses into digital learning experiences.

The design studio, which features a green screen and lightboard technology, is where some of the most visible innovation happens. Professors walk around in equations, create webinars and podcasts, film an interview in front of the Eiffel Tower, and pull in graphics with a live key, much like a TV weather reporter illustrates storms.

鈥淲e鈥檝e built an active online learning environment and introduced content with exciting new tools,鈥� says Viele. 鈥淭his new infrastructure puts Maryville out front in the region. We鈥檙e one of few schools that has an in-house team dedicated to developing the University鈥檚 courses.鈥�

鈥淭his new infrastructure puts Maryville out front in the region. We鈥檙e one of few schools that has an in-house team dedicated to developing the University鈥檚 courses.鈥�

Typically, Maryville鈥檚 course designers develop three- to eight-minute learning objects鈥攐r demonstrations, or conversations鈥攆or each online course to help students build insight along the way. 鈥淲e modularize the content, and students can replay those segments over and over if necessary,鈥� Viele says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 technology like this that sets us apart.鈥�

Online Course聽Design

Pamela Bryan Williams, director of learning design and development, manages the instructional design staff. As a first step, the team walks professors through the process of re-envisioning their individual courses for the online environment.

鈥淲e talk with faculty so we can understand their teaching style, sketch out their vision, and assess how best they engage students,鈥� Williams says. 鈥淲e work together to ensure every course is effective and exciting online, and that students and faculty keep connected throughout the learning process.鈥�

Somer Anderson, assistant professor of accounting, taught and developed both online and on-ground courses for five years before joining Maryville鈥檚 faculty last fall.聽鈥淭he biggest challenge in moving a course from face-to-face to online is not being able to see the students鈥� faces to determine how they鈥檙e processing the information,鈥� Anderson says. 鈥淎re they getting it? Are we going to fast or too slow? In online accounting courses, we use LearnSmart technology to help us gauge this aspect of the transition.鈥�

Another challenge in transitioning an on-ground course to the online environment is finding ways to demonstrate complex material without the ability to draw on a whiteboard鈥攂ut using the lightboard and screen capture has proved effective in replicating that experience, she says.

鈥淢aryville has really transformed the online development process,鈥� Anderson says. 鈥淎t other universities, I鈥檝e been handed a textbook, an old syllabus, and a due date, and that was the extent of development assistance provided. At Maryville, I sat down with Pam at the beginning of the process to envision my course, and she then offered the tools I needed to make that vision come to life.鈥�

Williams also makes it possible for a faculty member to focus on bringing in content knowledge, while other members of the team work in the background on the administrative tasks needed to bring the course to life, Anderson says.

Sharmila Sendilkumar, a math instructor, taught her first online class in intermediate algebra during the spring semester.

鈥淚 had a complete orientation from the team, but it didn鈥檛 stop there,鈥� Sendilkumar says.聽 鈥淚 was in constant touch with them regarding the course, from setting up the syllabus, to how to teach online, to grading. They made sure everything ran smoothly.鈥�

Williams says professors often tell her they had no idea online teaching could be so robust and effective鈥攐r that they would come to know their students so well.

 

Partnerships Benefit Students

Maryville鈥檚 online courses are successful because the development happens through partnerships between academic program directors, faculty members, and the School of Adult and Online Education鈥檚 design team, Williams says.

鈥淲e truly believe that through these collaborations the opportunity to engage students in the learning process is limitless,鈥� she says.

Producing courses in formats that bring content to life, and that allow students to choose how and when they access that content, is critical to twenty-first century higher education, says Viele.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to note that innovation comes in many forms for us,鈥� Williams says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the wizardry that happens in the green room; it also includes types of assignments where students are engaging in different ways, custom imagery, and student interaction and engagement with the content.

鈥淭he green room gives us the ooh-ah-factor, but there鈥檚 so much more,鈥� she says. 鈥淥verall, we want it to be seamless for the student.鈥�

Desmond Eddins is one of thousands of Maryville students who take advantage of online education.

A department manager for Dierbergs Market for nearly 30 years, Eddins, 49, plans to change careers in another year, when he completes his BS in business administration. Most of his classes have been online, a flexibility that has allowed him to take a big career leap at a time when many of his colleagues are thinking about retirement.

鈥淚鈥檝e enjoyed my work at Dierbergs, but at this point in my life I want to give back to my community, and help kids and families in need,鈥� Eddins says.

As a teenager, a severe case of scoliosis could have meant a life spent in a wheel chair for Eddins. When his family could not afford the treatment he needed, a children鈥檚 medical organization made surgery and rehabilitation possible.

鈥淭aking classes, going to school can be challenging,鈥� says Eddins, 鈥渂ut Maryville makes it doable. I just keep thinking about that degree. I hope to work for a health care organization that helps improve children鈥檚 lives.鈥�

By devoting behind the scenes talent and resources to ensure high quality and effective online courses, Viele says, Maryville addresses educational needs for undergraduate and graduate students across academic programs, wherever they may be located.

鈥淣ursing, business, cyber security, education鈥攕tudents in all disciplines and at all academic levels seek convenience and flexibility,鈥� Viele says. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 expect busy adults who have worked all day to drive across town and sit for four hours in a classroom. We鈥檙e also connecting with students who live too far from a university to attend classes, and those who seek our high quality programs from all points beyond our St. Louis campus.鈥�

 

This story was originally published in the Spring 2016 edition of Maryville Magazine.