Exemplary uses of D2L
There are good uses of the University’s course management system, Desire2Learn (D2L). And then there are great uses.
Several UA instructors have found their courses greatly enhanced by D2L tools. In their own words:
NATS101 - Global Change, Fall ’06 — Dr. Katie Hirschboeck
“The number one, most effective and important tool has been the Self Tests (D2L calls this Self Assessment but it can be renamed – Ed.) combined with the online quizzes. I do not require that the students take the self tests — nor do they get any points for them — but students ARE required to take short (~weekly) online quizzes (called Readiness Quizzes [RQ]) on the textbook reading material. There is a posted Self Test for each RQ to help the students understand the textbook reading and prepare for the RQ.
“With my Textbook Reading / Self-Test / RQ system I can be assured that students have all the resources they need to really understand their textbook reading and get pointed to the most important content that I want to emphasize in the class. The Self Tests especially are the best thing I've ever implemented to ‘get into student's heads’ as they are first being introduced to the material and immediately correcting common misconceptions that students tend to either bring into the class or draw from their incorrect comprehension of the reading material. Since the students must complete the RQ (and associated Self-Test) before I start lecturing on the material, for the most part I can be assured that they already have been introduced to the basic content, which saves valuable class time for a deeper exploration of the concepts in either lectures or hands-on activities.
“The Self Tests tend to be the tool that is rated as most helpful by the students.
“I also like the checklist, although I don't think it's been widely used by the students. It helps ME stay organized with everything they have to do each week!”
INDV101, Fall ’06 — Dr. Jennifer Roth-Gordon
“The online discussion, course readings and grades (are most effective.). It's much easier to deliver content to students outside of class — especially with classes of over 300 students.
“It's nice to be able to offer students the ability to access readings whenever and wherever they want (with access to a computer) — saves time and money. But most importantly, I can extend discussion sections by the online discussion boards. Especially given the material I teach (race relations in the U.S.), it's nice to offer students the ability to make comments, ask questions (of me and fellow students), without having to do it face-to-face or in large lecture settings. I find that it especially benefits shy students, who like time and space to present their thoughts to the class. This online forum allows them to participate in ways that are less threatening than classroom settings. The entire class benefits from hearing what they have to say and from the ways that this extends our discussion.”
ENGL_SLAT615, Fall ’06 — Prof. Mary E. Wildner-Bassett
“This is the best courseware tool I've become acquainted with. At first I was resistant to change from WebCT but now I find D2L much better. I use the discussion tool as a mainstay of my classes. It provides a flexible and easily-followed threaded forum for assigned and spontaneous discussions. The asynchronous aspect is something I find important to offer to students.
“The grading functions are excellent and I depend on the gradebook. It is flexible, easy to use, easy to modify and a perfect tool for keeping up with grades. The announcements and news sections are easy to modify.
“I have used a blended classroom approach for a long time, always interweaving face-to-face instruction with online opportunities for discussion. D2L makes this approach even easier to manage.
“Most students are very happy with using D2L. Many of them are resistant to the blended approach at first but by midterm most have found that they can really contribute to creating a learning community among their peers by using the D2L forum. This possibility changes instruction and makes it a clearly learner-centered approach that becomes obvious even to the most resistant of students.
“Learners are co-constructors of the class content and even of the approach of the class. They can add content, discussion topics and, of course, comments, and I encourage and require them to do so. It makes it clear that they are responsible for their own learning and that I as the instructor am responsible for content and approach as well. It seems to be more work for the instructor, but I would never go back to face-to-face lecture/discussion as the sole form of facilitating learning. It is well worth the extra time and effort.”
JOUR 205, Fall ‘06 and JOUR 208, Law of the Press — Dr. Kevin R. Kemper
“The most important benefit of D2L for me is that the course management system keeps me organized: I find that students appreciate being able to find files, upload assignments and get grades quickly and efficiently. For instance, I use D2L in JOUR 205, Reporting the News, to function like a newsroom system. Students get and submit assignments online, just like they might in a newsroom. D2L promotes technological skills and thinking, which are crucial in today's job market, regardless of career. As a department, we use D2L to deliver outcomes assessment in JOUR 205. The statistics and other information produced when students take examinations online help our department as we develop the most effective curriculum for future journalists.
“Also, I use D2L in JOUR 208, Law of the Press, to deliver many readings to undergraduates. The materials and links I use help these undergraduates organize and understand complicated information. Since I do not have any teaching assistants, I have recruited preceptors and student technology preceptors to help me keep the large-lecture class on track. D2L serves as the spine of the course, facilitating learning and communication. Last semester, the student technology preceptor (Molly Barry) and the D2L support at the Learning Technologies Center (especially Gretchen Gibbs) were key in helping me understand more the nuances and potential of D2L. I couldn't do what I do without them.
“I have used D2L since arriving at the University of Arizona in fall of 2005, though I used other course management software at other institutions. Though I am still on the learning curve, I see D2L's benefit every day of my job. I appreciate the opportunity to use course management software. I hope in the future to incorporate other technology like video and audio into D2L, so journalism students may get even more essential experience.”
ANTH 364, Fall ’06 — Dr. Jeannette Hanby
“I was completely new to D2L and as they warned us in the orientation session, it was indeed a steep learning curve! As a tool, it is like learning to play an instrument; one needs to practice and to use it often. For teaching, learning to use D2L was not only necessary, but enjoyable to master.
“Having a home page where notices, assignments, photos and cartoons can be posted and changed easily (is most beneficial.) Primates are marvelously photogenic and engaging and are great to post on a D2L Web site for added attraction and to gain familiarity with the subjects. However, it's the ease of communication that makes D2L so useful, for me as instructor and the students, but especially the students with one another. The latter was so important because I was using Team Based Learning and the students simply had to be able to ‘talk’ with their teammates via D2L in order to do the projects. Flexibility of time and place for accessing D2L is one of its strongest attractions to both instructor and students.
“(The) home page as described above and also the discussion boards, both general and for each team (were most effective.) Then the paging and D2L e-mail were very useful; ever more so as the course progressed. The hardest tools to use — but effective — were the quizzes and surveys. These tools were great because of the statistics, reports, summaries and the automatic posting of grades so the students could find out how they did, plus the performance or answers summed over the rest of the class. The class list, which lets you find out what students are on line and how often they check (D2L) is also a useful way to track their involvement.
“Course material could be presented on the home page, as well as attachments and URL references to other Web pages with relevant articles or material. Having the HTML feature was a useful learning experience for me, as well as a clear way of putting up text, sounds and finally film clips for the students. Although these were helpful for giving assignments and information on D2L, it was really the discussion and postings of the students about course content presented in the classroom that was important for getting across what I wanted to teach.
“I did a survey via D2L at the midterm and final course assessment and asked the students to rate their value of this learning tool on a five point scale, with one “disliked” to five “great.” At midterm, out of my 30 students about 68% gave D2L a rating of 4-5, by the end of the term 90% gave a 4 or 5; a very positive response reflecting their increasing use and appreciation of D2L! One thing the students especially liked about D2L was that they could access it when they liked — most of them using it at night to get assignments and correspond with me and other students.
“Instruction via D2L was less important than its communication value for all of us. However, I do think that the ease of access to material, the interchange and even the tests on line contributed to the overall enhancement of learning by this strategy. The Web site helps both the instructor and the students to present material (even book reviews and PowerPoints) and evaluate it as well as to assess the learning talking place. Without D2L, I could not have managed a team-based learning course within the restrictive 50-minute hour. Communication and learning had to take place on out-of-class hours and we all needed D2L for that.”
Want some D2L?
For more information on moving your courses toward D2L, go to help.d2l.arizona.edu. To request a course site in D2L, go to fp.arizona.edu/d2l/courserequest_copy.htm.
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