K-12 Virtual Schools and their Research Needs (Part 3 of 4)
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This webinar discussed research needs and priorities for three K-12 virtual schools: Michigan Virtual School, The Virtual High School, and North Carolina Virtual Public School. Key research topics included effective instructional strategies for online learning, student engagement, collaboration tools, blended learning models, and teacher evaluation processes for online instructors. Representatives from each virtual school provided details on their programs and outlined potential research partnerships and opportunities.
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Similar to K-12 Virtual Schools and their Research Needs (Part 3 of 4)
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K-12 Virtual Schools and their Research Needs (Part 3 of 4)
- 3. Disclaimer: This webinar will be recorded and shared publically. Consequently, anything shared during this webinar, including chat comments, could be shared publically. This webinar may represent a presenter’s or an attendee’s personal views, opinions, conclusions and other information which do not necessarily reflect those of MVU and/or the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute and are not given nor endorsed by MVU/MVLRI unless otherwise specified.
- 4. K-12 Virtual Schools and Their Research Needs (Part 3 of 4) www.virtualschoolalliance.org
- 6. Michigan Virtual School’s Research Needs Presented by: Kathryn Kennedy, Senior Researcher
- 7. • Created in 2000 • Accredited by AdvanceED • Large state virtual school • Supplemental online learning • 21,253 course enrollments (2013-14) • Work with close to 500 Michigan schools About Michigan Virtual School
- 8. • Highly effective instructional strategies for online learning • Effective instructional intervention practices for online learners • Effective formative assessment strategies for online learning • How to provide effective remedial and credit recovery courses Potential Research Topics
- 9. • Highly effective student engagement strategies • Best practice strategies for instructor-student communication • Parental involvement in online learning • Effectiveness of open-entry/open-exit delivery models Potential Research Topics
- 10. • Dissertation • Kristen DeBruler (Kereluik) – self-regulated online learning principles in math courses • University faculty • Chin-Hsi Lin – motivation, self-efficacy, perceived progress in online learning • Susan Lowes – learning trajectory paths, how students progress in their coursework and what are the early warning signs for students who are not successful Examples of past MVS research
- 11. • University faculty (cont.) • Jered Borup – Mentoring models, what student supports are needed, what are the characteristics of effective mentors • Organizations • SRI International – Algebra I study • Virtual School Leadership Alliance Examples of past MVS research
- 12. • Scope of project statement (R) • MVU Confidentiality & Non-disclosure Agreement (R) • MVU Research Support Letter to Parent (M) • MVU Research Support Letter to Course Instructor (M) • Teacher and Parent Consent Forms (R) • IRB training and approval processes (R & M) • Data gathering tools that will be used (R) MVS research project protocol Researcher (R)/MVU (M)
- 13. • Test, evaluate, and recommend new technology- based instructional tools and resources; • Research, design, and recommend digital education delivery models; • Research, develop, and recommend quality assurance for online learning; • Publish state-level effectiveness report for K-12 online learning; etc MVLRI’s legislative directives
- 14. • Apply for the MVLRI Fellows Program • Co-apply for grants and foundation funding with MVS and/or MVLRI • Propose to do research with the Virtual School Leadership Alliance Help MVS
- 15. Kathryn Kennedy, Senior Researcher – kkennedy@mivu.org Tamara Bashore-Berg, Executive Director of Educational Programs – tbashoreberg@mivu.org Kristin Flynn, Director of Curriculum & Instruction – kflynn@mivu.org Contact us
- 16. OVERVIEW OF THE VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOL The Virtual High School ©2014
- 17. THE VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOL OVERVIEW
- 18. General Overview o 18 Years as non-profit leader o 1996 U.S. Department of Education grant – $7.8 Million o Partner with 700+ schools, including 200+ Massachusetts schools and districts o 20,000 enrollments annually o Over the past 5 years have served diverse students in 47 states/territories and 34 countries o Accredited by MSA-CESS and AdvancED o Strong research focus throughout our existence © 2000-2014 by The Virtual High School. All rights reserved.
- 19. Courses, Teachers, Platform o 200 unique courses, including 22 AP® courses o Infrastructure: Genius and D2L o 500+ online teachers o Each teacher completes graduate-level training program o Explicit faculty standards and strong mentoring program for new and veteran teachers o Working with schools on a variety of blended initiatives © 2000-2014 by The Virtual High School. All rights reserved.
- 20. Philosophy / Instructional model o Scheduled, asynchronous courses o Cohort based, 25 students max o Teacher led courses o Content-based discussion activities o Collaborative projects o College and career preparedness o Performance based, rubric-graded assessments o Student gains in time management, critical thinking, communication © 2000-2014 by The Virtual High School. All rights reserved.
- 21. Select Quality Indicators o 93% school retention rate o AP® exam pass rate – 10 points above national average o 2013-14 student survey: 69% response rate o 85% of student respondents indicated that they were satisfied with their VHS course o Post-secondary programs o 92% of respondents indicated that they will be attending a four-year college after graduation o An additional 2% indicated that they will be attending a two-year college © 2000-2014 by The Virtual High School. All rights reserved.
- 23. Online learning implementation strategies o Best practices for providing support in the school environment o Site Coordinator program efficacy o Validation of specific support elements to ensure consistent student outcomes o Quantify how site support impacts student achievement – investigate various implementation strategies and track student performance © 2000-2014 by The Virtual High School. All rights reserved.
- 24. Collaboration and synchronous communication o Study collaboration in online courses compared to projects in similar brick and mortar courses o Impact of required synchronous elements in VHS classes on: o Student learning outcomes o Student and teacher satisfaction o Quality and perception of group work o Development of 21st century competencies in cohort-based, online courses o Communication o Collaboration o Self-regulation and independence © 2000-2014 by The Virtual High School. All rights reserved.
- 25. Blended learning o Efficacy of various implementation strategies o Professional development needs for teachers o Study of a specific course currently being offered in partnership with MI district using VHS courses for blended program © 2000-2014 by The Virtual High School. All rights reserved.
- 26. NCVPS RESEARCH NEEDS PRESENTED BY: ELIZABETH COLBERT, Ed.D EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
- 27. NCVPS Enrollment History 17,326 16,943 37,105 44,731 49,198 47,715 52,839 - 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
- 28. Course Enrollment by Type 2013-2014 12,600 3,337 3,386 7,381 26,135 Occupational Course of Study Advanced Placement Credit Recovery Honors
- 29. Who does NCVPS serve? Public Schools Charter Schools Special Schools Department of Defense Schools Bureau of Indian Affairs Schools Home Schools Private Schools
- 30. 2014-2016 RESEARCH NEEDS Student Achievement: A Comparative Analysis • Analysis of overall student achievement data among all NCVPS courses as compared to similar data in traditional school settings. This study will focus on standard state assessments and Advanced Placement exams. How does NCVPS compare? Inputs, Outputs and Outcomes • Measure the quality of NCVPS courses through inputs, outputs and outcomes as outlined in the iNACOL report, Measuring Quality from Inputs to Outcomes: Creating Student Learning Performance Metrics and Quality Assurance for Online Schools. How does NCVPS compare?
- 31. 2014-2016 RESEARCH NEEDS Occupational Course of Study: Which Strategies Work Best? • OCS is our fastest growing program. What are the key strategies that are being deployed by the teacher partnerships that are most impactful on student achievement? NCVPS Instructional Pillars • NCVPS teachers use four instructional practices that contribute to student success. Are the teachers using these strategies with fidelity? What is the value-add from these strategies?
- 32. 2014-2016 RESEARCH NEEDS Online Teacher Evaluation • NC has a required statewide teacher evaluation rubric designed for the traditional classroom teacher with six standards and numerous indicators. NCVPS has a formative feedback process for online teachers. After analyzing these two tools, interviewing stakeholders for feedback, and analyzing existing research on teacher evaluation processes, what type of evaluation process is ideal for the online teachers? Are the standards designed for the required NC tool applicable to the online classroom?
- 34. Upcoming Webinar: Date & Time: Friday, 12/19, 1pm Eastern Time Topic: K-12 Virtual Schools and Their Research Needs (Part 4 of 4) Presenters: Amy Jaramillo, IDEAL-NM Bob Currie, Montana Digital Academy Dawn Nordine, Wisconsin Virtual School
- 35. Ongoing Programs: MVLRI Guest Blogger Program http://mvlri.org/Blog/MVLRI-Guest-Blogger-Program MVLRI Research Fellows Program http://mvlri.org/About-Us/Fellows/MVLRI-Fellows- Program
- 36. Email: MVLRI@mivu.org Facebook: /mvlrinstitute Twitter: @MVLRI_MVU LinkedIn: michigan-virtual-learning-research-institute YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mvlri1 Contact us!
Editor's Notes
- Welcome, and thanks so much for joining us today for another installment of the Research Webinar Series hosted by our team here at the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute (or MVLRI). The goal of MVLRI™ is to expand Michigan’s capacity to support new learning models, engage in active research to inform new policies in online and blended learning, and strengthen the state’s infrastructures for sharing best practices.
- MVLRI is a division of MVU, the Michigan Virtual University, a nonprofit organization whose mission is advancing K-12 education through digital learning, research, innovation, policy and partnerships. MVU is also the parent company of Michigan Virtual School, a supplemental state-sponsored virtual school; Michigan LearnPort, an online professional development portal for K-12 educators and personnel, and MyBlend, a blended learning initiative providing K-12 schools with resources, products and services to personalize learning options for their students and improve student achievement.
- Before we introduce today’s presenters and the topic of their presentation, an important disclaimer for our Research Webinar Series. This webinar will be recorded and shared publically. Consequently, anything shared during this webinar, including chat comments, could be shared publically. This webinar may represent a presenter’s or an attendee’s personal views, opinions, conclusions and other information which do not necessarily reflect those of MVU and or the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute and are not given nor endorsed by MVU/MVLRI unless otherwise specified.
- Today will be the first in our 4-part series on virtual school research needs. These webinars provide a way for k-12 online learning programs to introduce themselves to the research community and share their research needs for cultivating collaboration for moving the field forward and improving practice. The series started from discussion among members of the Virtual School Leadership Alliance, which is an association of the chiefs of multiple virtual schools that provides collegial support and collaborative opportunities for its members and member organizations. For that reason, we wanted to acknowledge the alliance and direct you toward their website, which is www.virtualschoolalliance.org, for more information on their work. I’ll now take a moment to introduce today’s presenters.
- First, from Michigan Virtual University, we have Kathryn Kennedy, Senior Research with Michigan Virtual University. Kathryn,joined MVU in 2014. She received a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in Educational Technology from the University of Florida. Dr. Kennedy formerly served as the Director of Research for the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL). Her practical experiences include pre-service and in-service teacher, technology specialist and school librarian professional development for technology integration and instructional design in traditional, blended, and online learning environments. Her research interests deal directly with her practical experience and concentrate mostly on education professionals and their preparation for next generation learning models, including but not limited to online and blended learning environments. We also have John Englander, who is Director of Curriculum and Instruction for The Virtual High School, a non-profit educational organization serving over 8,000 students from 700 schools and districts around the country and abroad. VHS' catalog of over 180 courses includes 22 AP courses, core courses and a plethora of electives across all disciplines. John is responsible for overall coordination of all Curriculum and Instruction initiatives for VHS, including development and management of strategic learning initiatives, coordination of professional development, and oversight of student courses. He has over 15 years of experience in online learning, having worked as the Associate Director for Online Learning at Facing History and Ourselves, an international educational and professional development non-profit organization in Brookline, MA. Previously, he was a Designer for VIS Corporation and Big Mind Media. Englander received a B.A. in English from Yale University and lives in Acton, MA. Lastly we have Dr. Eliz Colbert, who joined the team at North Carolina Virtual Public School in 2013 and currently serves as the Executive Director. She has over twenty years in service to North Carolina public schools including twelve years as a school administrator and six years leading professional learning initiatives at the state and local level. These roles have allowed Eliz the opportunity to study and deploy best practices in learning for students of all ages through the online classroom. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and received a doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is the proud mother of two children who attend North Carolina public schools.
- Hi everyone, and thank you so much for joining us. I’ll be talking about Michigan Virtual School and our research needs. This PPT was put together with help from Tamara Bashore Berg, the Executive Director of Educational Programs, Kristin Flynn, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Joe Freidhoff, Executive Director of the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute, and Jamey Fitzpatrick, President and CEO of Michigan Virtual University.
- First a little bit about MVS. MVS is one of the larger state virtual schools in the country with 21,253 course enrollments in SY 2013-14. MVS is a nonprofit organization that works in partnership with K-12 schools to supplement and expand online learning opportunities. Working with close to 500 Michigan schools, MVS offers nearly 200 online courses to students through online web-based services using Michigan certified teachers. MVS was created in 2000 to serve both traditional and nontraditional students and since its inception has recorded over 159,000 course registrations. In 2011, MVS was awarded a five-year accreditation renewal by AdvancED. MVS is a core division of the Michigan Virtual University® (MVU)®, a 501(c)(3) non profit corporation. Our staffing model includes both part-time, contracted teachers as well as full-time teachers. We have an instructional design team who helps to create about 40% of our content. The remaining 60% is typically purchased from vendors. For the purchased content, our instructional design team usually can and will make modifications there as well.
- So here are some topics that Tamara and Kristin wanted to share with the research community today. You could call this there wishlist for research being done for MVS. They’d like to have research done to find out what instructional strategies, intervention practices, and assessment approaches are highly effective in online learning. Additionally, they want to find out what is the most effective means of providing remedial and credit recovery courses.
- Additionally, they’d like to know of effective strategies for engagement, instructor-student communication, as well as parental involvement in online learning environments. And finally, one last research wish from MVS specifically is to look at the effectiveness of open-entry/open-exit delivery models. So what works and what doesn’t work within models that exist currently.
- We also wanted to share with you some examples of research that has been done within MVS: First is a dissertation example. And that was done by a researcher on our team – Dr. Kristen DeBruler. For her dissertation, she examined self-regulated online learning principles in math courses. You can learn more about her study at the following link that I’m pasting in the chat box. http://msulibraries.summon.serialssolutions.com/?l=en&ho=t&q=Kereluik&summonVersion=2.0#!/search?l=en&ho=t&q=Kereluik Another example of research done at MVS is work done by university professors. I’m offering a few examples of that here, including Dr. Chin-Hsi Lin out of Michigan State University who looked at motivation, self-efficacy, perceived progress, and what matters in achievement in online courses. Another example is Dr. Susan Lowes of Columbia University Teachers’ College who is looking at online students learning trajectory paths, how students progress in their coursework and what are the early warning signs for students who are not successful.
- Another university faculty example is Dr. Jered Borup out of George Mason University who is looking at mentoring models, what student supports are needed, what are the characteristics of effective mentors. And we also work directly with organizations. Two projects that were have worked on or that we are currently working on include our work with SRI International on their Algebra 1 study. Here’s a link to that work. http://www.mivu.org/Portals/0/supporting-k-12-students-online-learning-2.pdf And finally, we are also doing work with the Virtual School Leadership Alliance on larger studies across their multiple members. Currently, we’re finishing up a teacher career ladder study where we look at Recruiting, training, supporting, and evaluating online teachers: It’s a cross-case analysis of teaching infrastructure across K-12 virtual schools. That should be published starting in February.
- We also put together a slide to show you what MVS and the researcher are responsible for when working together on a research project. The researcher is responsible for providing the scope of project statement and for signing an MVU confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement since you may be working with student data. Additionally, the researcher is responsible for the teacher and parent consent forms and the IRB training and approval processes as well as deciding on what data gathering tools will be used for the study. MVS would help with the research support letter that would go to parents whose students may be involved in the study as well as the research support letter to the instructor or instructors whose courses and students are involved in the study.
- In additional to MVS-specific research requests, each year, MVU’s research arm – the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute or MVLRI – is charged by the state of Michigan to conduct research about key legislative directives to inform practice of K-12 online and blended learning. Some of these directives are listed here as an example of what we’re asked to do every year. MVU publishes an annual report demonstrating what research has been done by the Institute to answer the directives. I’m including a link to last year’s report in the chat box so you can see what types of research has come from that. We’ll be publishing our next iteration of that report in early spring. http://media.mivu.org/institute/pdf/Annual_Report_2013.pdf
- So how can you as a research community help MVS with research initiatives? Apply for the MVLRI Fellows Program to do work within MVS and other programs. Here’s a link for that: http://www.mvlri.org/About-Us/Fellows/MVLRI-Fellows-Program Co-apply for grants and foundation funding with MVS and MVLRI Propose to do research with the Virtual School Leadership Alliance where you can leverage data of the many members of that organization.
- Thank you so much, and I’m happy to field any questions anyone has in the chat box while the next school jumps into their presentation.
- To serve our students we employ over 700 contract and part-time teachers annually.
- These three slides provide a brief picture of the context in which NCVPS thrives.
- Occupational Course of Study Blended Learning Program is an alternative learning track for students with special needs. This program was developed to meet the highly qualified teacher requirements from the No Child Left Behind Act. Overall enrollment in this program has surpassed all other enrollments in NCVPS courses. Because this is a program that is in partnership with face to face teachers, NCVPS does not own comprehensive data sets but what are the strategies these teachers pairs will identify as to be most effective in the online co-teaching model? Instructional Pillars are - teaching through the learning block; providing targeted feedback; building strong student-teacher relationships; and differentiating the course to meet student needs.
- How do we best evaluate teachers in the online classroom?
- Thank you to our presenters for sharing their work with us today. And of course thanks to those of you in attendance for joining us. Just a reminder that our next webinar will be tomorrow December 19th at 1pm eastern time. This will be the last installment of this series, hearing from virtual school representatives about their unique research needs within their own settings. Friday we’ll be joined by Amy Jaramillo of IDEAL-NM, Bob Currie of Montana Digital Academy and Dawn Nordine of Wisconsin Virtual School. Looking forward to their presentation and hoping to see you all there.
- Lastly, as a reminder, if you’re interested in keeping up with the latest webinars, please email MVLRI@mivu.org or join us on Facebook, Twitter, and/or LinkedIn. Enjoy your day!