1. MarylandOnline’s COAT Online
Adjunct Faculty Training Project
Outcomes:
Expect the Unexpected
Bobbi Dubins, Julie Shattuck, Diana Zilberman

2. http://www.marylandonline.org/coat
Copyright 2011 MarylandOnline
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3. Who Are We?
MarylandOnline is a COAT Project Team
consortium of community Bobbi Dubins
colleges and senior COAT Project Director
institutions in the state of
Maryland. The Julie Shattuck
organization was COAT Research Coordinator
founded to promote and Diana Zilberman
support the distance COAT Instructor
learning communities of Carole Redline
its member colleges. COAT Course Instructor
www.marylandonline.org
Deborah Turner
COAT Course Technical
Support
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4. Presentation Outline
2008-2009:
Research
& Adjunct 2009-2010:
Faculty Course
Design, Pilot, 2010-2011:
Focus
& Expected
Evaluation and
Unexpected
Outcomes
4 Copyright 2011 MarylandOnline

5. Phase 1: Research
(2008-2009)
• Training needs of MD higher
education institutions
• Level of interest in possible shared training
for online instructors
• Online teaching competencies (literature
review)
• Existing online teaching courses
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6. COAT: Phase 1
Course Recommendations
• Delivered fully online
• 9-week, cohort, paced training with
assessments
• Modularized – reusable across LMS
• Focus on teaching online, not course
design
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7. Who is the Course Designed For?
Why?
Adjunct faculty with:
•Experience teaching f2f in higher education
• Basic technical navigational LMS skills &
basic computer skills
Why adjuncts?
•Portable training to multiple institutions
•Asynchronous training for access
•Pool of trained adjuncts for administrators
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8. Want More Details?
• Go to the COAT website, Project History section:
http://www.marylandonline.org/coat/history.htm
• Chat with us later
• See research results from phase 1:
– Dubins, B. H., & Graham, M. B. (2009). Training instructors
to teach online: Research on competencies/best practices.
Paper presented at the 25th Annual Conference on
Distance Teaching and Learning, Madison, WI.
http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/Resource_librar
y/proceedings/09_20433.pdf
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9. Phase 2:
Design, Pilot, & Evaluate
Inter-Institutional
Diverse
Collaborative,
members, ski
team
ll sets, and
approach
experiences
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10. Institution-specific LMS Skills*
and Legal
Managing Other Technical
Assessment Skills
Eight Core (Computer Skills)*
Competency
Social Areas
Processes Orienting
and Presence Students
Pedagogy
(Teaching and Instructional
Learning Theory) Design Basics
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11. COAT Design Highlights
1. Meets Quality Matters standards.
2. Considers different learning styles/preferences
3. Makes use of resources from various sources/types
(textbook, interactive software, self check games, external
web sites, etc.)
4. Includes formal assessments
5. Models good teaching practices
6. Provides resources for additional study if desired
7. Upon completion of course, participants have a
‘personalized reference manual’ (portfolio)
8. Evaluates participants’ experiences in the course using
embedded mixed methods research tools
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12. Want More Details?
• Go to the Syllabus on the COAT website:
http://www.marylandonline.org/coat/documents/COAT_sylla
bus_webpage.pdf
• Chat with us later
• Read about how the project was developed and piloted:
Shattuck, J., Dubins, B., & Zilberman, D. (2011).
MarylandOnline’s inter-institutional project to train higher
education adjunct faculty to teach online. International
Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 12(2), 40-
61.
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/933/1786
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13. Phase 3: Implementation
(2010-2011)
Course offerings:
Fall 2010 – 1 section
Spring 2011– 2 sections
Summer 2011 – 2 sections
Cost:
$300 Maryland resident/instructor
$600 Non-Maryland resident
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14. Course Showcase
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15. The course models
a college credit
course

16. Discussion Board

17. Interactive games
for self-checking
knowledge

18. SoftChalk
interactive lessons

19. YouTube videos

20. Small group activity
using a wiki

21. Outcomes: Expected
The majority of participants
strongly agreed or agreed:
• Course met their needs to
prepare them to teach online
• They would recommend the
course to a colleague
• Course helped them see what a
quality online course looks like
• Instructor provided positive model
for online teaching best practices
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22. A few participant quotes…

23. Outcomes: Unexpected
Enrollment was higher/broader than predicted.
• Interest in the course encompassed 64 Maryland and
24 out-of-state faculty from 9 different states.
• 3 sections were planned, 5 were needed/taught.
• Enrollment included both adjunct and full-time
faculty, as well as administrators…
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24. Unexpected Outcomes: F/T Faculty
“As a full-time faculty member, I found COAT invaluable…I feel
that this course should be offered/required for everyone who
teaches online! The course provided excellent resources for
the first time online faculty member. The COAT instructor was
the perfect role model on promoting social presence along
with giving feedback and encouragement. In addition, the
communication between the students provided me with some
great innovative teaching ideas. I have already recommended
the COAT course to another full time nursing faculty
member!”
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25. Unexpected Outcomes: In-House
• 8 MOL member institutions using COAT modules for in-house
training for a variety of purposes
– using parts to supplement/improve current training
– providing the entire course to faculty or using the content
to create new training for their faculty.
– adapting it to a self-paced training.
– using it to demonstrate the design of a
Quality Matters® certified course.
* Responses indicated the content would be used for both
full-time and adjunct faculty training.
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26. Next Steps…
• Use existing research data to inform course
redesign decisions for spring 2012.
• Conduct further research: COAT alumni,
distance learning administrators, students.
• Advisory board input
• Be ready and open for more
unexpected outcomes…
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27. Project Web site: www.marylandonline.org/coat
Bobbi Dubins, Director
bdubins@allegany.edu
Julie Shattuck, Research Coordinator
jshattuck@frederick.edu
Diana Zilberman, Instructor
dzilberman@bccc.edu
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