All About Mentoring Spring 2011 - SUNY Empire State College

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As we look to expand the definition of
blended learning, taking into account the
21st century learner, we explored some
of the ways that we “blend” in the online
environment. We approached our task by
inviting colleagues to share, in their own
words, how they think about and integrate
blended learning in the studies that they
create and/or teach. These examples span
various areas of study and, as will become
evident, use different approaches to online
blended learning.
Blended Learning: Online and
Community-based (Example 1) –
Tom Mackey
This term, I am working with a student
on an independent study on social and
community informatics. The open learning
environment at Empire State College
encourages this kind of exploration with
experimental modes of learning, in this
case, a study co-designed with the student.
This is a course that I originally developed
in 2007 for the Honors College at the
University at Albany. I happened to mention
my experience teaching this course in a
blog posting and one of my students in
Digital Storytelling was intrigued by the
idea, expressing interest in doing something
similar at CDL. This student is engaged
with her community and contributes in
many ways through food drives and other
volunteer work. She was interested in
the idea of a course that required service
learning, an activity that she was already
involved in, and would allow her to blend
theory and practice in a meaningful way.
For this study, the student blogs about
theoretical readings related to social and
community informatics and she conducts
service learning in her community,
reflecting on the readings and bringing
these insights to her observations. She also
conducts a structured field study, where
she analyzes the organization from a social
and community informatics perspective
and identifies a need that then impacts her
work at the community location. The blend
occurs on several levels – blending theory
and practice, in place and online learning,
individual and collaborative practice, course
work and service, and integrating a range
of hybrid technologies to tell her story and
to contribute to the technology needs and
strategic planning of the organization.
Blended Learning: Online and
Community-based (Example 2) –
Joyce McKnight
I think my Community Organizing course at
CDL is a good example of blended learning,
as well as of service learning. It contains
the usual asynchronous discussions and
written assignments. I [also] use Elluminate
[a virtual learning environment] for weekly
online conversations. I frequently talk
with students on the telephone about their
individual projects; and, almost every
semester, one or two students do face-toface
things with and for the on-ground
community organizing projects I am
doing. For instance, in spring 2010, one
of my students built a balloon dart board
for a Kids Carnival we had for the Teen
Connection [program], and came up
from near New York City with his wife
and family to run it. This semester, a
Schenectady student has joined at least
two of the neighborhood organizations
there and has been doing very valuable
volunteer work.
Blended Learning: Online and
Hands-on (Example 3) – Ken Charuk
and Mary Mawn
The Science of Cooking is a fully online
course that takes a unique approach to
blended learning. In this course, students use
hands-on laboratory activities performed
with common household items and
ingredients in the student’s own kitchen
to explore the science of cooking. These
activities are designed to make connections
between theory and practice, and offer
students different ways to connect with the
course content beyond an exclusive printedword
learning style. Authentic, everyday
activities such as browning meat and
kneading dough help students understand
the underlying biological, chemical and
physical concepts and processes. This
blending of theory and practice, text and
hands-on is intended to promote deeper
learning, as well as the understanding that
science impacts everyone’s lives.
Blended Learning: Online and
Virtual (Example 4) – Audi Matias
Many higher education institutions,
particularly those involved in online
learning, have discovered the great potential
that virtual environments, such as Second
Life (SL), brings to their programs. In the
interdisciplinary, online course The Future of
Being Human, we use SL to create a blended
learning approach that provides students
with a supported, constructive learning
experience. A series of activities utilizing
SL are scaffolded throughout the course in
order to help students with the technology;
in addition, the instructor meets on a regular
basis, virtually, with the students. As with
any experiment, students approach the
SL activities using the scientific method.
For the final SL-based learning, they are
required to develop two hypotheses before
they start their experiment, [each including:
a description of] the world(s) they expect
to see, the technologies they chose to use,
and their experience as an avatar. Then,
they participate in the activity, making
observations based on their two hypotheses.
This addition of a virtual meeting space
component is a great gateway for students
and instructors to come together, despite
the physical constraints, to reflect on
educational materials and subject content.
Blended Learning: Online and Fieldbased
(Example 5) – Phil Ortiz
In Marine Biology, students are asked to
spend some time at the Maritime Aquarium
at Norwalk (CT). Although they don’t
interact with their course instructor while
there, they do meet with the members of
the team of folks who helped develop some
aspects of the course (who also appear on a
DVD that was produced for the course).
Blended Learning: Online, Fieldbased,
and Virtual (Example 6) –
Sheila Marie Aird and Mitchell
Wood
In Public History: A Shared Conversation
(to be offered starting in fall 2011), an
advanced course, students will explore the
concepts and practices of public history.
Students will explore and critique diverse
media, including film and websites, oral
history collections and photographs.
suny empire state college • all about mentoring • issue 39 • spring 2011