Category: What’s New

Whether a student or faculty member, you probably already know that videos are an essential component in creating a challenging and successful online learning environment. There are various programs available to make recording fun and easy, such as Kaltura and Voki. But for those who are not yet comfortable recording themselves from their computers, George Mason University’s Gateway Library has a great solution.

During the Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference hosted at Mason’s Fairfax campus on September 19th, Jason Byrd and R. Todd Stafford of University Libraries introduced a new campus resource – One Button Studio. Located in the Johnson Center (Gateway Library 134-I), the studio hosts professional quality recording equipment that is freely accessible to faculty, staff, and students. Promoted as an effort to ‘raise the bar and lower the barriers,’ One Button Studio drastically simplifies the production process while resulting in professional quality videos.

“We do all the hard work for you. All you need to know how to do is insert a stick drive and press a button!” says Jason Byrd, Learning Technologies Librarian. “It can be used without any previous experience, allowing you to focus on your presentation rather than technological skills.”

Professional Quality with Minimal Effort

A Mac-compatible application developed by Penn State, One Button features a single-click button that can be programed for specific actions when pressed. In Gateway Library’s One Button Studio, a Mac Mini serves as a kiosk for the studio’s recording settings and functions. On an adjacent computer, users can upload presentations and review recorded materials. The studio is also equipped with a projector, two projector screens, a lectern, additional audio recording tools, and a wireless keyboard and mouse for presentations.

“With a preconfigured space dedicated to advanced recording settings, you can create high quality videos without having to know about or adjust lights, cameras, or microphones. You can cut your project timeline in half,” explains Byrd. You simply insert a USB drive and load your presentation, push the button to start recording, give your lecture, and push the button to stop recording. Your video will automatically save to your USB drive in a standard format file as well as to the hard drive for temporary recovery purposes. “The idea is that you don’t have to interact with anything,” elaborates R. Todd Stafford, Assistant to the Distance Education Librarian.

An Active Learning Environment

If lectures are recorded and provided for students to access in Blackboard, then professors are able to reclaim class time and potentially use the entire period to participate in active learning assignments and interact more fully with students. In One Button Studio, faculty can successfully capture entire lectures or even manageable chunks of lectures, which often prove more helpful in ensuring that students engage fully with the content. According to Byrd, “71% of students want more lecture capture. Students want to be able to go back and review that content.”

Professors aren’t the only users that could benefit from the ease and access of One Button Studio. Students can create a wide range of projects in the studio, from traditional presentations to video reflection pieces, recorded performances for theater or music majors, mock interviews, public speaking practice, promotional or commercial projects, or maybe even model therapy sessions or clinicals. These hands-on learning opportunities also foster academic and professional development and help improve communication and interpersonal skills.

A Personalized Course

For professors who are looking to flip their classrooms or add a little variety or personality, implementing videos can only help. Boyd suggests, “Professors can be obsessive and get rid of those mistakes [in their videos], but mistakes are useful in showing your students that you are a human being and you make mistakes too.” If your students see you trying something new, it may encourage them to do the same.

In online courses, videos are crucial in improving a professor’s visibility in the course as well as to capture student interest in the content. “This is a great way to personalize online and hybrid courses,” says Boyd. “It can be difficult for instructors to provide that personal touch in an online setting. Here, you can come in, record your face on the screen with the content, and provide a little personality.”

The Perfect Pair for Beginners

One thing to note about One Button is that you cannot edit the recorded videos while in the studio. However, you can upload them into any video editing software at your disposal. For example, Kaltura is a video recording and management tool that is free for all Mason faculty, staff, and students and is already integrated directly into Blackboard. The pair is perfect for beginners, allowing you to practice with recording and editing until you are comfortable and able to access the full features and benefits of other campus resources.

“There’s a bit of a false dichotomy [in comparing Kaltura to One Button Studio]. These videos can be easily uploaded into Kaltura,” explains Stafford. “There are advantages to both. With Kaltura, you can capture video right from your desk, while the main advantage of One Button is the quality provided in such a space.”

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One Button Studio is one of the many resources readily available to students, faculty, and staff through George Mason University Libraries. To learn more about One Button or to schedule a recording session, visit http://library.gmu.edu/onebutton!

[1] Welcome to the One Button Studio. Pennsylvania State University, n.d. Web. 9 Oct 2014. <http://onebutton.psu.edu/>.

It’s that time again – registration for Spring 2018 is right around the corner! What will your class schedule look like? For students who work, intern, commute to campus, or have other scheduling conflicts, it can be difficult to fit in all the courses you need in a given semester. This Spring, create a schedule that fits you. With a combination of online and face-to-face courses, you’ll be able to reduce your time in the classroom while completing the courses you need on your own schedule.

Plus, there are online courses available for nearly everybody. While offerings for major courses vary by program, every Mason undergraduate student can take advantage of the excellent selection of online Mason Core options. With the exception of English 101 and the Oral Communication requirement, all other Mason Cores can be completed online. Built for a broad range of Mason students, these general education courses are perfect for students who want to see if the online environment is right for them.

What better way to complete your degree requirements than on your own time? “The fact that students can get a wide range of classes through distance is a great opportunity,” says Dr. Janette Muir, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education. “It’s also a great way for them to plan their summer, perhaps completing some of the requirements they need even while they are at home.”

A Plethora of Options for Mason Core

Given the rising popularity of online Mason Core options, the Offices of Distance Education, Undergraduate Education, and various academic departments across campus have been working to increase the number of available online sections and incorporate new and dynamic choices each semester. This coming Spring, students can expect to see several returning and new online options. So what Mason Core requirements could you knock out online this Spring? Pretty much all of them…

• Written Communication – ENGH 302
• Quantitative Reasoning – MATH 106, MATH 108, or STAT 250
• Information Technology – GOVT 300 or IT 103
• Arts – ARTH 201, DANC 101, FAVS 225, or MUSI 101
• Global Understanding – COMM 305, GCH 205, GGS 101, MSOM 305, or RELI 100
• Natural Science (Lab) – BIOL 103
• Natural Science (Non-Lab) – GGS 102 or NUTR 295
• Social & Behavioral Sciences – HEAL 230 or PSYC 231
• Western Civilization – HIST 125

“It’s great that just about all of our Mason Core categories have the ability to be taken online, which has been one of our goals. We still have a couple of little gaps, but we’re getting there,” shares Dr. Muir. “Also, there is quite a variety of courses for everybody, like DANC 101.”

New Offerings Supported by DE

In fact, a few of the newly online Mason Core courses were supported by the Office of Distance Education (DE) and built in partnership wit the Division of Instructional Technology (DoIT), including PHIL 309: Bioethics with Dr. Derek Boyd and RELI 100: Human Religious Experience with Prof. Susan Bond. With Dr. Patrick Soleymani’s online section of MSOM 301: Managing People and Organizations piloting this Spring, the entire program can now be completed online.

For graduate students, course availability varies by program. A couple of the new course offerings this Spring include MBA 797: Sustainable Business in a Global Environment and EDAT 524: Universal Design for Learning. Additionally, some of Mason’s fully online programs will be bringing new courses on board. Dr. Anne-Marie Balzano of the Education Leadership MEd will be piloting EDLE 690, and the Biodefense MS faculty will be introducing BIOD 706, BIOD 725, BIOD 760, and BIOD 790. Also, students enrolled in the Systems Engineering MS can now choose from synchronous or asynchronous online course options!

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See http://provost.gmu.edu/gened/general-education-requirements/ for a complete list of Mason Core requirements and course options.

For a preview of online courses coming in Spring 2018, check out the Course Listing.

For many online programs, an asynchronous mode of delivery is ideal, allowing students to complete course work on their own schedule while easily accessing quality course content and engaging with instructors and peers. However, fully online programs do not have to be asynchronous in order to be successful. This is the case for Mason’s online Graduate Certificate and Master’s in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology programs.

Intensive collaboration among peers is vital for students in these programs to connect with and manipulate the challenging content of the field. Rather than rely upon discussion feeds or blogging alone to encourage productive interaction, the bioinformatics faculty have implemented synchronous online instruction. “Students don’t have to drive to campus but get the same lecture and interactions,” explains Dr. Iosef Vaisman, Associate Director of the School of Systems Biology. “Now that the master’s is fully online, it is even possible for students outside of the local area to complete these programs.”

A Flexible, Interactive Environment

As most students in these programs are working professionals, the ability to complete course work and attend lectures from anywhere is essential. With synchronous delivery, students have the advantage of completing assignments and reviewing lectures in their own time while participating in scheduled online meetings, which typically occur once a week in the late afternoon or evening. Dr. Vaisman suggests, “About 25% of the programs’ students regularly enroll in the distance learning sections, though this number is often larger in some courses.”

Utilizing online platforms such as Blackboard Collaborate, Adobe Connect, and GoToMeeting, the Bioinformatics faculty achieve live interaction with their students and foster a collaborative learning environment that is crucial for students to master complex concepts. “Direct interactivity can be captured through online sections with real faculty presence, though it may be on a screen,” says Dr. Dmitri Klimov, who is currently piloting BINF 641 as a fully online course. “Students tend to be more enclosed when online, so we encourage them to discuss and interact to prevent passive learning.”

An Innovative Curriculum

Mason’s Bioinformatics and Computational Biology programs have a history of innovation. “We were the first PhD program in the world with no competition for several years, and our master’s was the first in the region,” expresses Dr. Vaisman. “At one time, Bioinformatics was the only [College of Science] program offering distance learning courses.” Given this rich background, the programs have continued to grow and transform to fit the needs and discoveries of the field.

Through a combination of biological analysis and high-performance computation, students receive the most up-to-date advanced bioinformatics education available in the region. With a flexible degree structure, they are also able to connect with faculty and custom design a curriculum that best suits their professional interests and goals. Furthermore, the integrated research component encourages students to make significant impacts in the field with critical contributions in diverse areas such as disease detection, drug design, forensics, agriculture, and environmental sciences.

A Dynamic Faculty

So why choose Mason? Competing universities have similar online bioinformatics programs, which are often delivered asynchronously and compressed into short programs with no research component. But such programs omit the most valuable aspect that is offered by Mason – true and consistent interaction with an unparalleled full-time faculty. The individuals supporting, building, and delivering these courses have made extraordinary contributions to their respective fields and continue to shape the academic and professional realms of bioinformatics and computational biology. In 2012, Dr. Donald Seto uncovered the secrets of a highly contagious microbe called the “uncommon cold virus,” changing the way human adenoviruses are studied. Earlier this year, Dr. Klimov began a partnership with Parabon Computation Inc., developing a new computational tool to study the mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease through molecular simulations.

Mason’s online bioinformatics programs are ideal for working professionals as they are flexible, interactive, and innovative. But regular contact with some of the field’s leading contributors is an incredible opportunity often only found in large, full-time programs. As Graduate Student Services Coordinator, Diane St. Germain interacts regularly with current and prospective students and tries to promote the exclusive experience available at Mason. “Our program is geared toward working professionals,” she notes, “and I’ve heard from so many students that they’ve been able to complete their degrees part-time thanks to these distance education sections!”

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Meet the Online Bioinformatics Team

Dr. Donald Seto, coordinator for the Master’s program, has extensive experience in bioinformatics, genome analysis, genomics, and biochemistry. His research focuses on unraveling the molecular evolution and emergence of new pathogens by using genomics and bioinformatics analysis of the human adenovirus. This semster, Dr. Seto is teaching a distance learning section of BINF 631: Molecular Cell Biology.

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Associate Director of the School of Systems Biology Dr. Iosif Vaisman specializes in protein structure analysis, protein function analysis, and computational mutagenesis. Dr. Vaisman’s main research areas include computational geometry of protein structure and structure-function relationships. This semster, Dr. Vaisman is teaching a distance learning section of BINF 731: Protein Structure Analysis.

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Dr. Dmitri Klimov is an expert in computer simulations of biomolecular systems and the assembly and growth of amyloid fibrils. He is currently developing a new computational tool to study the mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease through molecular simulations. This semster, Dr. Klimov is teaching distance learning sections of BINF 641: Biomolecular Modeling and BINF 690: Numerical Method for Bioinformatics.

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Dr. Saleet Jafri specializes in the use of computational models to understand the molecular and cellular basis of cell function and disease. His research interests include cellular signalling, cardiac physiology, protein structure, and high-performance computing. This semster, Dr. Jafri is teaching a distance learning section of BINF 701: Systems Biology.

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A George Mason University alumni, Dr. Jeffrey Solka focuses on statistical data mining as applied to bioinformatics data with particular interest in dimensionality reduction and text data mining. This semster, Dr. Solka is teaching distance learning sections of BINF 634: Bioinformatics Programming and BINF 704: Colloquium in Bioinformatics.

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Graduate Student Services Coordinator Diane St. Germain helps coordinate these online programs, interacting directly with prospective and current students, maintaining degree requirements, processing applications, and managing class schedules. Her dedication and genuine interest in the success of the programs, students, and faculty members have led to her selection as a Mason Employee of the Month.

Designed and delivered by a talented and accomplished faculty with years of distance education experience, Mason’s online Spanish courses would be well worth your elective credits for a semester or two. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Drs. Esperanza Román-Mendoza, Monica Mulholland, Alexía Vikis, and Prof. Cristina Hernández Gil de Lamadrid, two intermediate level courses have been fully online since Spring 2012. SPAN 210: Intermediate Spanish is offered every semester, including summer, and SPAN 115: Review of Elementary Spanish is available every spring and fall. This year, Professor Almudena Soto Villalba joined the dynamic team and teaches online sections of 210.

“There are many benefits to developing an online course as a team as it is a very time-consuming and detailed task. Two or three instructors reading the syllabus and the online materials definitely ensures the quality such an endeavor requires,” shares the group. “We enjoy working together and are able to produce better work, especially with regard to improving the courses. Overall these courses benefit significantly from our team-planning.”

With the popularity of the courses rising each semester, the team is also in the process of adding a few new courses to the online repertoire. Both piloting for the first time this past summer, SPAN 101: Elementary Spanish I and SPAN 102: Elementary Spanish II offer online opportunities for beginners. For advanced students, another online course to keep an eye out for is SPAN 370: Spanish Writing and Stylistics.

A Favorable Teaching and Learning Environment

Perhaps the most noted benefit of an online course is the flexibility that it affords. For Sharon Parillon, who enrolled in Dr. Román-Mendoza’s pilot of SPAN 101 and immediately followed with Dr. Vikis’ pilot of SPAN 102, the ability to learn Spanish outside of a constrained classroom allows her to pursue academic endeavors despite a demanding schedule. She indicates, “I actually prefer taking online classes rather than face-to-face. I am a full-time worker and sometimes work more than 40 hours, so online classes are more convenient.” In addition, courses centered in Blackboard Learn^TM are accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. Announcements, assignments, discussion forums – even Kaltura – are all available directly within the course. With Respondus Test Creator, LockDown Browser, and Monitor, instructors can also create and proctor assessments completely online. “If you have good time management skills, Distance Education classes are a great way to make your schedule more flexible. I appreciated the ability to do my classwork whenever and wherever I wanted,” says Heather Gonyeau, who completed SPAN 370 online with Dr. Román-Mendoza this past spring.

As the faculty suggests, teaching online also assures that all students have an opportunity to improve their language skills at their own pace. Whereas face-to-face discussions often pivot around the strong voices in a class, the online environment engages all students. “I had interaction equivalent to that of a face-to-face course through online blogs and responses but did not have to endure any of the stage fright experienced when put on the spot in a traditional class setting,” shares Patricia Crawford, who has taken both SPAN 115 and 210 online with Dr. Mulholland. “The interactive practices and video blogs were always interesting, helpful, and challenging enough to keep me on my toes.”

Tools to Overcome the Virtual Language Barrier

As the ability to communicate in another language hinges upon reading, writing, and speaking skills, the most challenging aspect of learning a foreign language online is often the oral component. While reading and writing are easily facilitated, and perhaps more accommodating, in an online classroom, honing verbal skills requires active communication. ”In a face-to-face situation, students use their oral skills constantly as classes are mostly geared towards communication. In the online environment, however, this is more difficult,” explains the team. “Learning online is a very difficult endeavor that requires a lot of discipline and motivation from students and teachers.”

To meet this challenge, the faculty integrates an oral project allowing students to demonstrate their proficiency with the material and encouraging them to interact with peers. “Kaltura and VoiceThread have proven very useful, and the students appreciate the fact that they can interact with their peers,” notes the team. “The classroom-like atmosphere that we strive to create in terms of collaboration is enhanced.” Parillon, who admits that the audio exercises were her biggest challenge, enjoyed that the online setting allowed her to replay messages to improve her listening skills. “I have taken several online classes and will continue to take them whenever there is an option,” she says. “I love taking my courses online.”

A Personal Touch to Education

Because working 100% online requires a dedicated effort from all, the student-instructor relationship can either suffer or flourish. Luckily, the online Spanish faculty members at Mason know exactly how to inspire academic interaction. With evaluations based on weekly discussions, homework exercises, written compositions, and oral presentations, students are encouraged to reach out to the instructor as well as peers. “One of the factors in making Spanish work well online is the fact that online students get more time individually from the instructor than traditional classroom students,” suggests the team. “We really enjoy the relationship that we develop with the students. You do feel that you know your online students better.”

To strengthen the online learning community, Drs. Román-Mendoza, Mulholland, Vikis, and Profs. Hernández Gil de Lamadrid and Soto Villalba remain an active team dedicated to maintaining an impressive set of quality online courses. They even utilize Twitter to engage with students and help build personal learning environments. Brooke Jones, who completed SPAN 115 online with Dr. Román-Mendoza, notes that online classes, while challenging, can be very rewarding. She says, “It is easy to forget that the class exists, and the workload tends to be more abundant. But online classes, like other classes, are what you put into it. If you put in a lot of inspiring energy, then the experience will be fulfilling.”

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Interested in taking an online Spanish course? Check out the course listing to see what’s available.

For some students, stepping into the spotlight to participate in interactive discussions or collaborate for group projects may not come easily, and the idea of using video recording software to give an introduction or presentation in an online course can be especially intimidating. Even faculty who are new to teaching online may hesitate at the idea of video lectures. Sure, standing in front of a classroom full of students for a planned lesson or even an ad hoc discussion is a natural element of teaching, but recording lectures for an online setting – not to mention watching yourself give the lecture – is often uncharted territory.

Thankfully, there are several tools available to take some of the pressure off of online students and faculty alike. One example includes the Screen Capture function in Kaltura software, which allows participants to produce high quality, audio-based lectures without having to face the camera. Another creative tool that Mason faculty are starting to utilize is Voki, a free service that lets users create animated, customized avatars that ‘speak’ recorded messages.

Customizable Communication

Simple to use yet extremely customizable, Vokis can substitute for recorded videos and add personality to a number of interactive online environments, including course webpages, student blogs or wikis, and discussion feeds. Users can adjust anything from hair color and outfit to accent and language, presenting themselves in life-like, anime, or even cartoon form. Users determine what their Vokis ‘say’ either by typing text into the text-to-speech function or by recording audio messages with the computer microphone.

For students and faculty who are adjusting to the idea of being on camera, Vokis serve as an excellent alternative. But Voki can do more than simply help create a comfortable interactive setting. While the software encourages students to participate through opportunities to design their own characters, it also allows faculty to engage students through fun, innovative lectures. What better way to capture student interest, provide course content, and prompt meaningful interaction?

Quick Comprehension

Having learned about the tool during a professional development training, Dr. Anna (Anya) Evmenova recognized Voki as a useful tool for her online section of EDSE 590: Special Education Research. One of the last steps in the progression toward licensure for a Master’s in Special Education, this required course focuses on the basics of various research methods and their application in special education. Dr. Evmenova creates Voki avatars to guide students through course learning modules, allowing her to capture student interest as well as encourage quick and thorough understanding of the material.

After building a comprehensive 7-10 minute course orientation video in Camtasia to walk students through course requirements and Blackboard navigation, Dr. Evmenova creates brief 1-minute overviews or reminders with Voki. She says, “I could videotape myself, but the idea of using the avatar is more appealing. I really like that you can create a Voki looking very much like yourself with eyes that move following the cursor – it makes for a much more interactive reminder.”

Dr. Evmenova also uses Vokis to introduce course modules and point out important details, such as additional reading or specific assignment instructions. “In my experience developing online courses, I noticed that students need quick or brief reminders throughout the course,” she shares. “I didn’t want something complicated that students may or may not even open, so Voki was perfect for my brief reviews of important components in each module.” In fact, her Vokis worked so well that her students no longer needed their help after the first few modules.

Meaningful Interaction

In her online section of NCLC 491: The Senior Capstone Experience, Dr. Lesley Smith took a different approach with Vokis. An upper level synthesis course that prepares students to build and create an evidence-based portfolio, NCLC 491 requires active communication with the professor and continuous collaboration among students. Also, given the oral communication requirement for the course, Dr. Smith recognized Voki as an ideal tool for her online students.

“I knew that many students would be nervous about their fluency in the information and communication technologies required for the delivery online for such presentations, and thus I wanted to find a low-key, low-risk medium for initial speeches,” says Dr. Smith. “For short, precise, targeted communications among geographically dispersed individuals who do not initially know each other, Vokis seem to work exceptionally well.” Also, the time limit for Vokis encourages students to be precise, vivid, dynamic, and articulate in their speeches and helps Dr. Smith to keep her own feedback succinct and focused on key points.

Dr. Smith was pleasantly surprised to find that her students opted to use Vokis for work and began to send her notifications with them. She explains, “Voki seemed a perfect space for play – students could customize avatars to reflect their own identities, play with context and voice, and generally create an individualized representation of themselves to complement their messages. I really like to encourage a process of guided, risk-free trial and error and change based on reflection on that process.” Due to her students’ overwhelming appreciation for the tool, Dr. Smith has even integrated Vokis into several of her face-to-face seminars and plans to use the platform again in a public speaking and critical thinking learning community that she will be teaching this fall.

A Sense of Community

Whether engaging students in intimidating group work, adding a personal touch to an online setting, or simply looking for an innovative and fun way to capture student interest during lectures, Vokis offer an unexpected yet rewarding experience. Since students in both courses often work in groups – completing research studies or preparing comprehensive portfolios – Dr. Evmenova and Dr. Smith both strive to build a sense of community, which can be challenging in an online setting.

For EDSE 590, the orientation video and reminder Vokis provide instructor presence and add personality to the online course. So students can see how she looks and gain a sense of familiarity, Dr. Evmenova pairs a photo of herself with a Voki on the Meet the Instructor course page. “I also have a Voki welcoming them into the course. It is a very brief introduction talking about how excited I am having students in my online class,” she says. Dr. Smith also used Voki software to encourage interaction between teacher and student and between peers, helping to build and reinforce presence and a sense of community.

“I think fun is also important, especially in what is, for many of the students, the unfamiliar environment of an online learning community. So maybe one might think of it as a stealth process to boost a readiness for engagement in an online space, and perhaps help students see some of the potential of the online learning space for future learning,” notes Dr. Smith. “After we had met one student, for example, personified in the shape of a basset hound, wearing a French-style beret, we learned something of his sense of humor, his aspirations, and a certain joie de vivre we hadn’t before encountered. The standard digital photographs which we all exchanged at the beginning of the semester simply could not achieve this.”

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Dr. Anna (Anya) Evmenova is an Assistant Professor in George Mason University’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) Graduate School of Education (GSE). With a background and expertise in special education, she teaches a wide range of face-to-face and online courses in special education, assistive technology, education instructional technology, and education research.

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Dr. Lesley Smith is an Associate Professor in George Mason University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) New Century College (NCC). Her interests lie in the critical, cultural, and creative exploration of digital environments, for which she has received several grants from Mason’s Technology Across the Curriculum program, and in 2004, she won a Teaching Excellence Award.

As education becomes increasingly innovative and accessible, more and more courses are being offered partially or fully online. For students as well as faculty, this transition from the traditional to the virtual classroom can be a challenge.

How do faculty members create engaging lectures without face-to-face interaction? How do students interact and participate effectively? Appearing in several of Mason’s online courses, Kaltura is one video management tool that offers a solution.

Whether by uploading preexisting presentations or creating new media within the program, Kaltura allows multiple ways for users to incorporate video and audio directly into a Blackboard course and creates endless opportunities for interaction, collaboration, and communication.

In order to gain faculty feedback and perspective on the tool, Jim McLean of the Division of Instructional Technology (DoIT) spent the spring semester working with some of Mason’s online professors for a monitored pilot of Kaltura. During this process, several benefits were revealed.

According to McLean, the majority of the feedback has been very positive. “Faculty are starting to implement visual, virtual discussions to encourage collaborative efforts between students, and I think the use of Kaltura has been pretty effective. When considering analytics alone, the number of videos, users, and contributors have all, at a minimum, doubled each month.”

So, what other benefits come with Kaltura?

It’s Free

Perhaps the most obvious benefit, it’s free. Since Mason maintains the use of Kaltura, all faculty, staff, and students are able to access it free of charge within a Blackboard course or organization. Other video management options, like Camtasia or Adobe Presenter, are typically paid for by the faculty member or associated department.

It’s Accessible

Not only is Kaltura available to all Mason faculty, staff, and students, but it’s easy to use. Content can be uploaded or created within Kaltura’s two basic content building tools, Screen Capture and Web Cam Capture.

What’s more, when users upload or create media content, Kaltura transcodes the files into multiple formats to ensure accessibility on various devices.

“Because Kaltura turns uploaded media into multiple versions, creating a version that can play on any device, the problem of flash-based technology is solved,” says McLean. “For example, students using mobile devices can play Kaltura videos with no problem.”

It’s Integrated

Rather than opening a third-party plug-in or similar video management software, Kaltura is integrated into the Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS). Therefore, Mason faculty and students can create and upload videos and presentations without having to exit Blackboard, and focus can remain entirely on the course.

McLean explains, “The great thing about Kaltura is that anywhere there is a text-editor in the course, students have access to the program’s tools. Whether in a wiki, blog, learning module, assignment, or discussion board, students can utilize Kaltura to participate and communicate.”

In addition, Kaltura streamlines and optimizes the use of media in Blackboard. While files may be uploaded within a specific course, uploaded content will also be stored in the user’s My Media Library, which exists outside of the course. Faculty members can even share content with each other through the Faculty Repository.

It’s a Start

These key benefits also make Kaltura the ideal tool for faculty and students who are new to online education or may not be ‘tech savvy.’

While other online learning tools are available, faculty can utilize Kaltura’s simpler format to adjust to the online environment before purchasing a more complex program. As the tool is already integrated into Blackboard, accessibility is streamlined and content use is optimized.

“If a faculty member is interested in a more robust program with interactivity, application sharing, or web touring, then Blackboard Collaborate or Camtasia may be better suited to those needs,” shares McLean. “However, if a faculty member is just recording a presentation or lecture, Kaltura is the simplest and quickest way to do so.”

In fact, McLean has seen faculty utilize the tool for a range of engaging projects and useful purposes. Ultimately using the course gallery as a research tool, Dr. Brenda Bannan implemented Kaltura to create lectures, provide visual feedback to students, and incorporate student presentations. Another professor used the software to co-create a film studies montage with his students.

Perhaps the best quality is that Kaltura benefits students and faculty alike, for online education is a new arena for all. As Mason continues to offer additional online programs and courses—encouraging further faculty development and reaching a more diverse range of students—Kaltura would serve as an ideal starting place for anyone looking to excel within the virtual classroom.

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Want to learn more about Kaltura? The Division of Instructional Technology, IT Services, and Courses Support offer specialized resources for Mason faculty, staff, and students.

For assistance with Kaltura, e-mail [email protected].

An unparalleled tool for reaching new student populations, online education supports Mason’s continued efforts as an innovative and diverse university. Our fully online courses and programs invite domestic and international students outside of the local area to become members of a growing Mason community, inspiring Patriot Pride all around the world.

To ensure a rewarding online experience for himself and his students, Dr. Theodore Hoch, professor of the fully online Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Graduate Certificate program, utilizes innovative tools to deliver quality, accessible online courses.

Mirroring Layout and Content

Building all of his courses within an easy-to-navigate Blackboard layout, Hoch organizes content in approachable, modularized sections and delivers relevant information that will engage student interest.

As ABA content often consists of several segments, Hoch’s modularized layout and instruction match seamlessly, promoting accessibility and engagement not only in his courses but throughout the entire program.

Incorporating Course Objectives

When developing an online course, Hoch starts with the objectives. These are based on the Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s (BACB) Task List, which specifies the content one must master to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and are developed to span the requirements found within Bloom’s taxonomy, a classification of educational learning objectives.

“I generally have approximately 50 objectives per course, though I compress these into 7-10 more complex and overarching objectives,” Hoch explains. “Then I determine how to measure these objectives.”

Through an orientation video for each course, Hoch strives to accomplish several tasks at once: introducing course content, communicating course objectives, and demonstrating faculty presence. In addition, he creates a “How to Take This Course” video to ensure that his students understand course expectations and how to access content and resources.

Define Knowledge, Reiterate Comprehension. Through interactive tools and intriguing content, Hoch motivates his students to recognize and interpret learned content. What’s more, he supplies an endless flow of additional resources and optional assignments to expand student knowledge even further.

One tool Hoch uses for this objective is the interactive quiz, which he embeds into presentations, lectures, even videos, that students can re-access as often as desired. Hoch suggests, “This is foundational material, and I want my students to master it through unlimited chances to access it.” Whether created on smartphones, tablets, or paper, flash-cards are another tool Hoch uses to promote student fluency in basic knowledge and techniques.

Hoch also uses guided, or fill-in-the-blank, notes to focus student attention throughout readings and lectures, and his students have responded with an overwhelming appreciation for the tool. As an engagement incentive, he now accepts completed notes for minimal extra credit points.

Demonstrate Application, Distinguish Analysis. Hoch implements weekly discussion boards and assigns group projects that address technical and philosophical aspects of the industry. While students apply and analyze learned knowledge within their own discussion posts, they must take this a step further and respond to each other in meaningful ways. Blackboard Collaborate allows students to ‘break-out’ into small groups while Hoch moves from room to room, providing guidance and encouragement. As all group work can be collected into a single word document, these sessions serve as a valuable course resource.

Integrate Synthesis. Throughout the semester, students are taught to develop instructional programs, design experiments, and measure systems and therapeutic programs in groups. These group work assignments culminate in a final project, in which students are asked to complete these tasks individually, demonstrating their ability to create new models using learned information.

Support Evaluation. Inspiring students to assess the value of learned information, Hoch structures his courses within BACB standards while constantly highlighting opportunities for professional development.

Students must determine whether the course delivers valuable knowledge, so Hoch does not limit them to sources within the course. Rather, he offers optional credit for participation in professional workshops and trainings.

Access to outside resources applies business and industry to the courses while bringing additional knowledge and perspective to class lectures and discussions.

Utilizing Available Resources

A number of online tools and resources are available for innovative delivery and professional growth. Hoch uses a variety of online tools to build his courses.

Hoch uses Blackboard Collaborate for group work projects and guest speakers. The software allows him to host professionals from outside of the area who may offer specialized knowledge and perspectives. He also uses the platform for five synchronous discussions in each course, which he can record and make available to any students who are unable to attend.

When recording videos with Camtasia, Hoch uses sound-proofing equipment to ensure high quality audio. Peer reviewers of the courses have often commenting on this, stating that Hoch’s videos are ideal for students new to online education as the quality is high and content engaging. To embed quiz questions into videos, Hoch utilizes the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) component, which can immediately record quiz grades in Blackboard’s Grade Center.

In addition to supplying numerous optional projects and readings, Hoch encourages his students to utilize available resources to absorb additional knowledge and expand comprehension. Distance education library services, for example, are specifically designed to meet the needs of online students and faculty.

Committing to Continuous Improvement

With clear, encompassing objectives that align perfectly with course modules and assignments, students simply use the tools provided to achieve a rewarding online experience. But as Hoch learns new methods and approaches the more he teaches online, he is committed to making continuous efforts to improve his courses.

To achieve this, Hoch simply engages with his students and responds to their flow and feedback. After having to rearrange one course curriculum to alleviate content density, Hoch seems to have an even clearer idea of his students’ abilities and expectations. “In my current 619 course, I’ve even been able to add three additional lessons to the curriculum,” says Hoch. “The students are digesting the materials quickly and coherently.”

In fact, due to the increasing number of tangible resources and the ability to reiterate foundational points, he observed that it began to appear as though his online students were doing better than his face-to-face students. Now, his face-to-face students have access to all online course recordings, with both course formats shaping one another in ways he never anticipated.

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In order to ensure that Mason’s online programs and courses maintain the same academic rigor and integrity as their campus-based counterparts, the Office of Distance Education (DE) has developed a comprehensive readiness and review process for newly developed online courses. As Assistant Director for Quality Assurance, Dr. Kat Hitchcock continuously strives to invigorate and improve this process.

With an extensive background in distance education instruction and administration, Kat is uniquely qualified to coordinate DE’s efforts to support faculty and departments in achieving the shared goal of building and maintaining excellent, high quality online courses and programs.

Supporting Collaboration during Development

The process for preparing a course for online delivery typically lasts three semesters, so DE is always in an open phase of Proposal, Production, Pilot, and Portfolio. Once a course is selected for online implementation, DE hosts Orientations and Kick-off meetings that provide an introduction to available services.

One of the key resources provided, each faculty member is paired with a designated Division of Instructional Technology (DoIT) instructional designer (ID) who provides one-on-one help throughout the entire Production phase.

Measuring Comparability and Effectiveness

Six weeks prior to the Pilot phase—the course’s first semester online—faculty members participate in a Readiness Assessment, providing a finished syllabus and exhibiting 60% course completion within Blackboard. Once this step is achieved, the Pilot phase gives faculty the opportunity to gain an initial feel of how the course will function and how teaching styles may differ in an online setting.

Following the Pilot semester, courses undergo a Portfolio Review to determine what worked, what didn’t, and how to move forward in a beneficial and successful way. Kat explains, “The portfolio process measures effectiveness and comparability.”

Mirroring that of the Office of Institutional Assessment, this process is used not only for accreditation purposes but also to ensure comparability between Mason’s online and face-to-face courses. The Portfolio Review also serves as a useful and informative opportunity for DE to engage with faculty and ensure an adequate and rewarding approach to online education.

Incorporating Faculty Feedback in Improvement Efforts

Though a recent addition to the DE team, Kat has already implemented updates to the review process to streamline functionality and support continuous improvement. A useful tool for gaining faculty perspective on and suggestions for the entire development and delivery process, Kat now includes a faculty survey as part of the Portfolio Review phase.

Survey questions range from opinions on the overall process to particular aspects of individual phases. One Production question asks faculty to share thoughts about the experience of collaborating closely with an ID. Another question, targeting the Pilot phase, asks what training may prove helpful for future semesters that was not available or obtained at the time of the pilot.

While it is an ongoing effort to modify and maintain an ideal process, Kat finds that many of the faculty members she works with consider the experience of teaching online to be rewarding.

“So much effort goes into ensuring engaging discussions, creating intriguing assignments, and providing relevant resources that the online course is often exceptional in comparison to its face-to-face counterpart,” she shares. “Some professors are even flipping their classrooms to be more similar to the online format—providing videos and assignments online while utilizing classroom time to hold in depth discussions.”

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Meet the Assistant Director for Quality Assurance

With over 14 years of experience in distance education instruction and administration, Dr. Kat Hitchcock has an extensive background spanning public, for-profit, 2-year, and 4-year institutions.

Her administrative responsibilities have encompassed ensuring quality in online course design and delivery, developing policy and practice for online programs, facilitating online student services and support, and creating and managing faculty support services and development opportunities. She is also certified by Quality MattersTM as an Online Facilitator and Peer Reviewer.

Before joining Mason, she served as Director for Excellence in Online Instruction for the Extended Learning Institute, Northern Virginia Community College’s distance education department.

Dr. Hitchcock has also served as undergraduate faculty in Psychology for University of Maryland University College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Northern Virginia Community College, and Kaplan University. She teaches a range of topics including biological clusters, cognition and perception, and cognitive psychology.

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Learn More About Online Education

The Office of Distance Education (DE) is committed to offering innovative and high quality distance education programs that meet the needs of Mason’s diverse student body. Through a variety of instructional technologies, online courses provide active and collaborative learning environments that enhance learning while allowing students greater flexibility with academic schedules.

Interested in online education at Mason? Visit masononline.gmu.edu or contact [email protected] for more information!

In the online section of Professor Patricia Boudinot’s GGS 315 Geography of the United States, students are not just active members of an online learning community. They are also encouraged to get involved in their own local communities all around the country.

The course is currently being offered online for the first time, but Professor Boudinot feels there is no reason to exclude key face-to-face components from the virtual classroom. She elaborates, “Sustainability is one of the critical concepts discussed in the course, and students should be prepared to learn it in theory as well as put it into practice.”

Seeking Volunteer Opportunities

On the morning of Saturday, April 5, 2014, participants from Professor Boudinot’s course joined thousands of Reston families and area-wide volunteers in removing over 300 tons of trash during the 26th Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup. The event was coordinated by the Alice Ferguson Foundation and Reston Association, inviting volunteers to “come learn about our watersheds and see what ‘interesting’ artifacts end up in our streams” (1).

Professor Boudinot considered the event to be an appropriate outlet for students to apply course concepts, build professional portfolios, and simply to get involved in active efforts to sustain the environment.

As many GGS 315 students are not located in the Fairfax area, participation in the event was not required. Instead, Professor Boudinot and her Teaching Assistant, Peter, made a post on the course Blackboard page encouraging students to participate in volunteer opportunities within their own communities. “We all live in a community, no matter where we are,” she explains. “We all will establish a connection with the outside world, so I promote an active approach.”

Building an Online Community

To build an online community within the course, Professor Boudinot facilitates student-to-student interaction through discussion boards that promote conversation and allow students to practice critical thinking approaches. The course also features extensive group projects that examine issues of human-environment interaction, with topics ranging from gentrification and fiscal freezes to the installation and utilization of the trans-Alaska pipeline.

Ensuring that her students have adequate accessibility to course content, she uses Screencast-O-Matic software to capture course lectures and offers extended office hours through Skype as an additional opportunity for interaction. Through an active and accessible online community, Professor Boudinot prepares her students to branch out and positively impact the environment, affecting not one but multiple communities at a time. Like many of Mason’s online courses, Professor Boudinot’s GGS 315 provides a valuable practicum experience while catering to the needs of diverse students.

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(1) Reston Association. (2014). 26th Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup. Retrieved from http://reston.org

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Image: Participants from Professor Patricia Boudinot’s GGS 315 course joined thousands of Reston families and area-wide volunteers for the 26^th Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup, coordinated by the Alice Ferguson Foundation and Reston Association. Photo used with permission of Ha Brock and the Reston Association.

Majoros, Mark W (2014). [Reston Families join Volunteers for Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup] [Digital Image]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/VolunteerReston

A dynamic program suited for enterprising students, Mason’s online EMBA is supported by an ambitious faculty and an established network of business connections. But the program’s influence often extends beyond the realm of today’s business executive. At Mason, an online EMBA reaches overseas.

With rigorous and relevant coursework and opportunities for valuable real-world experience, the program offers a convenient online platform for military students to earn a superior education and gain invaluable business perspective, even while deployed.

From program managers to pilots, these students have a broad range of amazing backgrounds in leadership and service around the world. Their careers take have taken them beyond borders, so their EMBA program must be able to do the same.

Applying Good Business Practices While Adapting to an Online Format

As a program manager at Marine Corps Systems Command, Colonel Peter Reddy leads an office of government civilians, active duty Marines, and various outside contractor and agency workers.

With a demanding job and frequent travel, Reddy sought flexibility. “While the online format took some getting used to, I adapted to it quickly and it worked well,” he says. Despite the online structure, Reddy was even able to form valuable connections with local cohort members.

In planning and managing the acquisition and sustainment of command and control, communications, and force protection system resources, Reddy now feels better equipped to understand business practices and motivations of defense contractor businesses as well as apply many of the principles of good business practice within his own office.

Gaining Global Perspective through a Supportive and Flexible Program

Shane O’Donnell has been in the military since 1988 and the National Guard since 2001. Currently a financial manager, his background includes managing pay and travel for the National Guard in Indianapolis, serving as Controller for the Washington State Guard, and training as an Army engineer.

O’Donnell sought a distance learning program in anticipation of future travel. Some aspects and tools, such as the collaborative nature of Blackboard and the exposure to group dynamics, surpassed his expectations. “It was a much more team-based approach to learning than I would have imagined,” states O’Donnell. “Probably the best testament to the school and the program is the support of the faculty and the flexibility that everyone allowed.”

While in the program, O’Donnell was able to visit companies in China, take classes from Oxford Said Business School professors, and engage with European Union representatives.

Accessing a Quality Education from Around the World

Following her graduation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and commission as 2nd Lieutenant, Felicia Blair has been an air battle manager and pilot for the Air Force. With experience flying C-130 cargo planes and C-21 passenger planes, she is currently a C-21 Instructor Pilot.

Blair pursued a quality program that would augment both her military and post-military careers. She shares, “I knew that with a good MBA, not just a check-the-box degree, I would have more opportunities when I get out of the military.”

Because of her deployment schedule, Blair was restricted to online courses. But even while flying missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, she participated in the program and credits Mason with providing continuous support. “Mason is very military friendly and willing to work with everyone’s schedule,” says Blair. “I felt that Mason really cared about me as a student.”

Engaging in a Collaborative Structure While Abroad

Following his position as Deputy Director of Intelligence, Operations, and Logistics for the Navy’s US Sixth Fleet, David Mayo is currently an associate professor at National Defense University’s National War College. Intrigued by the opportunity to gain additional knowledge and skills that would benefit him upon retirement, Mayo pursued a flexible online MBA program.

Mayo found his professors to be very accessible, and video conferencing allowed for easy group coordination. But the online structure and group dynamics were more challenging than anticipated. “You can’t just grab someone to clarify a question,” explains Mayo. “You miss verbal cues, and there is discipline required for understanding how to work in a virtual team.”

Through the challenge of online collaboration, Mayo found that he connected with his classmates in a way he never expected, even while abroad. He admits, “I could not have done this if I had to go to the classroom. I have done coursework from Europe, the Middle East, and throughout the United States.”

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More About the Program

George Mason University’s online Executive MBA program is noted as highly flexible and ideal for business leaders wanting to excel in their careers. Students engage in a challenging yet rewarding curriculum rich with cultural perspectives, innovative technology, and hands-on experience.

U.S. News & World Report ranks George Mason University #75 on the 2014 list of “Best Online Graduate Business Programs.” SuperScholar’s Smart Choice Award for the Best Online MBA Programs recognized Mason’s EMBA again in 2014, having listed it in the award’s inaugural year of 2012.

For more information, visit https://live-web-gmu.edu.help/programs/mba-online/.

Mason’s Office of Military Services provides various resources for military students, including Armed Forces Tuition Assistance (TA) and the Battle Buddies mentorship program.