SESSION 10: PROJECTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.

Click HERE to access my project.
Describe the context of your work:
     I have developed a training manual entitled “essential components for effective eLearning delivery.” The entire process enabled me to reflect on information presented in various articles I read about eLearning delivery along with what I have learned in this class. I now have a broader understanding about eLearning delivery and assessment because I have presented information in the best way I understood. All these will be implemented when I will be conducting my online classes so that learners can benefit.

Developing this project helped me to interact with Google sites and evaluate how the final product will look like.

Give details about the content area and other considerations that both make the project you take on useful to you, and also that influence design choices that you make in doing the project:

     This manual will be a self-paced training manual about eLearning delivery. It is a leaner- centered product. I have presented four major topics which I felt are critical. These include:

- Representing information to online learners. 

- Facilitating interactions in eLearning setting.

- Tools to use in eLearning delivery.

- Best practices in eLearning delivery.

     I believe constructivism approach was used in coming up with this assignment. The theory provides that creation of authentic tasks promotes knowledge and meaningful learning (Keengwe, Onchwari & Agamba, 2014). In addition the authors have mentioned, interacting with learning materials helps learners to develop a deeper understanding to solve problems. This projected helped me to learn more tools that can be used to deliver content in an online learning environment. I have embedded a You-Tube video which has presented top 100 tools to use in learning. Due to drastic advances in technology and the desired need to incorporate technology into teaching and learning, online instructors have to undergo training/refresher courses to keep at per with these developments. This is what prompted me to develop this product.

Describe your development process:

     While developing the product, I interacted with a variety of learning resources which helped me to gather information I have presented in the manual as well as understand better how eLearning delivery should be facilitated. The process was hectic because I had assignments from other classes I was taking and I was running short of time, even though am glad I covered all I had aspired to cover. I used Google sites, the first time am developing a product using Google sites. I found it to be easy and convenient to use because I could upload files, video, embed a PowerPoint presentation and links to make page navigation easy. I also collected feedback to help me improve it further. This is not the final product, I will keep on improving it by providing more information. I will use it in future as a resource material to remind me about issues to do with eLearning delivery.

Discuss your results:

     The final product looks great and I believe it will be useful to readers. I chose it to be an online product to make it easily accessible, convenient to the readers so that they can learn at their own pace, and also as Keengwe, Onchwari & Agamba (2014) says, eLearning enables people to acquire competitive edge to keep up with the rapidly changing global environment.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

Chickering, A. and Gamson, Z. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. Washington Center News. Retrieved from http://www.lonestar.edu/multimedia/SevenPrinciples.pdf

Clark, R. , & Mayer, R. (2011). E-learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning. San Francisco, Calif.: Pfeiffer.

Huang, X. , & Hsiao, E. (2012). Synchronous and asynchronous communication in an online environment: Faculty experiences and perceptions. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 13(1), 15-30.

Keengwe, J. , Onchwari, G. , & Agamba, J. (2014). Promoting effective e-learning practices through the constructivist pedagogy. Education and Information Technologies, 19(4), 887-898.

Taylor, R. (2002). Pros and cons of online learning – a faculty perspective. Journal of European Industrial Training, 26(1), 24-37.

Volery, T. , & Lord, D. (2000). Critical success factors in online education. International Journal of Educational Management, 14(5), 216-223.

York, C. , & Richardson, J. (2012). Interpersonal interaction in online learning: Experienced online instructors' perceptions of influencing factors. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 16(4), 83-98.

SESSION 9: Plagiarism and Cheating

1. Thinking about an online class you teach or might teach, what is the most likely issue related to plagiarism and/or cheating with which you would anticipate dealing?

Am now beginning to realize how I have also been a victim of accidental plagiarism. Many times I have found myself not knowing when and how to cite, not knowing how to paraphrase or summarize. I got shocked when I submitted my assignment paper to "SafeAssign" and was rated at 50% that is when I started paying attention to critical issues about paraphrasing as discussed in Purdue owl. In an  online class, this is something I can anticipate dealing with "Accidental Plagiarism." When students learn how to cite and paraphrase, this will be a stepping stone to minimizing plagiarism and cheating.

2. Identify and explain the steps and measures you would take to reduce the occurrence of plagiarism/cheating identified in item 1.

• Inform students about plagiarism by allowing them to learn how to credit the sources of their information. A tool I would use is Purdue owl (Online writing lab) to help them when writing https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/
•  Train students to manage their time very well so that they don't rush to meet the deadlines by taking shortcuts, which has been identified as one of the reasons why student end up cheating.
• Design assignments in a way that will help to minimize cheating. For example I can use Dr. Newberry tactic of letting students attempt the assignments through reflecting on what they have learned or providing their own understanding about the topic. This site provides more information http://wpacouncil.org/positions/WPAplagiarism.pdf
• Explain to them what plagiarism is by sharing any policy on academic dishonesty, let them understand the implications of plagiarism/cheating.
• Report any cases of plagiarism/cheating.

3. What does research tell us about the reasons students give for plagiarism/cheating. Remember to cite your sources!

The following are reasons why students cheat as provided by Point Loma Nazarene University: http://www.pointloma.edu/experience/academics/centers-institutes/center-teaching-learning/faculty-resources/academic-honesty/reasons-students-cheat

-Performance concerns: students want to get good grades at whatever cost.
-External academic and non-academic pressures i.e. semester workload too heavy, others’ cheating puts me at disadvantage, professor/text did not adequately explain material, too many tests on one day. Non-academic pressures include; pressure from parents, job leaves no time for study, illness prevents adequate preparation, GPA for athletic qualification, financial aid depends on GPA or good grades needed for job or graduate school.
-Unfair professors who offer unfair tests to fail students or unreasonable workload in the course.
-Lack of effort on the students’ part .e.g failure to attend classes or study.
-An opportunity which prompted the student to cheat e.g. an examiner not being watchful.

4. Evaluate your participation in the discussion this week. Provide at least one quote from the discussion that supports your evaluation.
I found the discussion forum to be very interesting and I shared about ways of preventing online cheating as follows:
Moten, Fitterer, Brazier, Leonard, & Brown (2013) have identified the following methods to prevent e-Cheating: Students to sign and return an academic dishonesty statement. Use of multiple testing centers. Use of a non-related proctor. Use testing software that prepares randomized questions so no two exams are exactly alike. Protecting test bank access and creating multiple versions of each assessment.

5. Identify the student you think was the most important participant in the Blackboard discussion. Explain why and provide at least one quote from that student's contributions to the Blackboard discussion.
Laura did a good job by identifying a list of online sites which provide “services” to their clients about the easiest way to get a paper. This has been an eye opener about how wide and deep cyber cheating is practiced.

6. Reflect on what you have learned this week. What have you learned that has the potential to inform or influence you or your practice of online learning going forward? Explain why.
It's amazing to learn how the issue of plagiarism/cheating is widely spread to an extent that we have companies specialized in writing academic papers for sale. It is good for students to be informed about it so that the reason for accidental plagiarism is dealt with and what remains is the intentional reason which should be handled as discussed before.
I have learned about a plagiarism checker turnitout in addition to what I knew before “SafeAssign.” The following site provides 10 free plagiarism detection tools which can be sued to minimize plagiarism: http://elearningindustry.com/top-10-free-plagiarism-detection-tools-for-teachers.
The readings gave me an opportunity to read more about CSUSB policy on academic dishonesty.

REFERENCES.
Moten, J. J., Fitterer, A., Brazier, E., Leonard, J., & Brown, A. (2013). Examining online college cyber cheating methods and prevention measures. Electronic Journal Of E-Learning, 11(2), 139-146.