Oplerno Team, 9 Jun 2014

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From YouTube: Team Meeting 14

Description

Team Meeting 14 in which Rob and the two Dans discuss:
* Oplernopolouza - discussion on conference
* How much content does a prof need for final approval?
* Further discussion on degree granting

A

Good morning, um good morning I know it's horrible, let's edit, that out. Let's start off.

B

A

B

A

B

It's done now, uh oh.

A

Lovely okay good morning this is the team meeting 14 for player now and uh we've got our agenda. um So, let's you know, we've had our uh friendly banter earlier. I am still suffering from uh the fact that my wife is still gone in peru, climbing and so I'm really looking forward to her returning so that my life can get back to.

B

Normal more or less she's she's climbing, I thought she. I thought she was a visiting family or something like that. No.

A

She um she got hired by. uh um She got hired by a local college to co-lead a expedition and class down in peru.

A

And so right now she's climbing some peak. I can't pronounce um you know tomorrow. No that's! um This is a a little bit off the inca trail and um but it's uh pretty high. I think it's 17 18 000 feet um and I haven't. uh We got a sat phone call from her a couple days ago, but she's been out of contact for, like you know, seven eight days, which is pretty pretty cool.

A

What it was funny talking with the kids, in that um when I used to travel you'd be out of contact. There was no skype, and now you can. I mean you know we're looking forward when she's back in cusco before she flies out to have a you know. A quick conversation um but uh yeah um daniel her family is from uh half is from india. Half is from boston, okay, so, but.

B

A

Got that but she's got that anywhere. She and the kids have the anywhere world. You know they can blend in anywhere where their um their father does not have that ability. You know he's rather limited um so uh yeah.

B

uh He was a plant shorts in the past uh insurance yeah.

A

Exactly and the and the izod and the izod, uh the the alligator, you know on the on the side. It just doesn't work. You know in certain places, so I have to hang out here, um but uh yeah no things are, I will be very excited for when she goes. What was it like down in um in uh the southern uh parts of uh for your trip with the hills? You guys do a lot of.

B

A

Would you get bears you know, don't you get hit by bears grizzlies or stuff like that? No.

B

No, if uh in europe uh they've basically I mean, especially in the west uh western europe they've killed off all the local dangerous phone as much as possible. So uh we don't have any wolves or bars. We there was a wolf last year and it and they thought they saw cougar a couple of years ago. But so, but it's all.

A

uh Were wiped out, I think, about a thousand years ago in in large numbers, sandwiches, yeah, yeah um dan, what you know what's what's uh what's up with you.

B

A

Yeah, what did you do this weekend.

C

Oh, we got piglets and lambs and um planted a pig garden full of squash and pumpkins so that we can buy less feed uh played soccer, won our match and uh watched the x games a little bit. Watch the us soccer game got a lot done here.

C

A

Yeah, the um so butternut squash.

C

Yeah it'll be butternut and pie, pumpkins.

A

Yeah, it's it. um If you get to chance to feed them the seeds, the seeds have the same effect on their uh body. Chemistry that um acorns do oh cool. You get that. um I can't remember what it is, whether it's prosciutto or something else, but you can, if you feed them large amounts of acorns, they get that um that really good taste in the in the ham, nutty.

B

A

Yep, but you can do that with um butternut squash. That's what uh eric does at um at uh rockville market.

C

Oh sweet: if you need any butternut squash in the fall, I'm you guys.

A

Yeah we're going to be ordering up, uh I'm almost on the freezer full of pork and uh and beef, so we'll be ordering up. Another half a pig or oh sweet.

C

Yeah we're gonna get. We found a few more too so we'll have plenty. What do you got.

A

C

A

C

We have eight pigs and 40 sheep, but we're uh we might get like 15 pigs, total there's just it just goes. People love it. Obviously.

A

Yeah yeah and those pigs get big. They get pig, yep, big, quick.

C

Yeah yeah they're really adorable right now, but they'll get unruly and uh you know ornery soon enough, so that you don't feel as bad eating them.

B

A

Yup exactly life as a hobbit: oh did you um find the secret source of the heady topper.

C

No, I'm I'm uh I'm on a 30 day challenge to not drink beer. I'm going to the fourth of july, okay,.

B

B

What's that it's a three-week challenge for me, not three.

C

B

C

I started I started a week ago: oh okay,.

B

A

Let's go through the agenda now. um First, one.

B

A

How much content does a profit need for final approval um that came up with you dan any any more thoughts.

C

I I kind of I mean yeah, I emailed somebody um and I wrote basically let me find it.

C

You know I essentially said look. We want the course to feel both to clarno and to the instructor and to the student that it's ready and it's worth taking. uh I was like we don't want, agree just spelling errors stuff, like that. We want the syllabus to be thorough and up front.

C

But my main point was remember: you don't want students signing up logging in on day one and not seeing something that they feel is worth taking. You want to knock it out of the park with your content approach. Syllabus creativity.

C

I said you know, I know it's not a hard and fast checklist that you can go through, but everyone's creating their courses so differently that we don't wanna. There's no point and we don't want to have a top-down rigid set of check boxes um just because we feel it's necessary. You know, everybody's content is so different. You can't you don't teach bio like you might teach history like you might teach a astrology um or astronomy, but.

B

Yeah, let's not teach astrology.

A

You should have been watching cosmos on fox and uh um mr tyson would have uh disabused you of that.

C

Astronomy astronaut.

C

So- and I mean that's, you know when and right, like we've said, like there's been times where I've taught and you're you're preparing a few weeks ahead of time, just because you don't have the time to do it all at once as much as you'd like to so I, but that that led me back to all right. So is it if someone feels like six weeks, content is sufficient and they're like I want to offer it.

C

uh Do we let them because ultimately it's their product? I know it also reflects product course. It also reflects on our you know, across the school across a plano level of quality.

C

um But I don't know if it's six weeks plus a another six weeks of outline six weeks of content. Four weeks of content, yeah.

A

At a school that I worked at, which will not be named okay, um and when I was that I was doing some online work for um the variation in terms of the amount of stuff that people would have ready.

A

Okay was all over the map and what it did is it created. Unfortunately, it created management problems for the um the people who were in charge, because what you have eventually, unfortunately evolved into is well in such and such as class. There were only um you know. I only had to prepare six weeks worth of material, so I think we really have to um you know uh we. We really need 12 weeks of content. Does that mean that you know every single discussion question is?

A

Is set no, um but because um I think the comments from some faculty members about how they like to modify their content as they're going through the class is, is a good one, but um I think we need to stick. I think we need to stick with our guns to this. Otherwise um uh we're gonna things are gonna devolve.

C

I think that's a good plan. I mean I'd rather uh it's easier for us to be good at what we do. If that's it sounds. If that's the case like the three of us will have less um smaller discussions. If everyone sticks to a 12-week rule.

A

Yeah, I also don't want to get into the situation of um students taking classes and the faculty members scrambling to produce stuff just ahead, and the students are like wait. This class this assignment was late being posted. I don't want to get into that management nightmare because it'll destroy us in terms of the quality. If we're having to check up and follow, um you know what faculty are doing. So, let's stick with the you know.

B

Not everything.

B

If they're too close to the deadline, the production values are registered, the video just would be smooth or not edited.

B

uh A little bit too yeah what do you? What would you call it uh just it just had to be edited properly. Okay, sorry about it. It just hadn't been edited properly.

A

Yeah, I I think from what I was able to get through um in terms of the um what you said in terms of the audio quality. I agree. um The production values will be a lot lower. So let's stick with the.

C

We don't have deadlines, there's no, like the semester doesn't start august right, it's not it. The impetus is solely on the instructor for all the reasons that they want their course listed. However, there's no, you don't have to do it by any time other than the time at which you want to offer it. So, ultimately, it's your call, whatever whatever as an instructor, that one wants to do that will work.

A

Yeah, so let's so, let's stick with it with what we've got right now, but just you know explain to them. Hey. You know.

C

A

I'd also be really concerned with changing the policy because of dealing with accreditation. I mean we're going to be under the microscope and to have half offer courses is going to make um the accreditation issues more complex, and I don't really want to. I don't.

C

C

It would be complete. You know, I still agree with our policy, but um just to throw that devil's advocate in there. It's after one 12-week course cycle it. All the content would be there.

A

Sure, and, and the fact is that people can modify it afterwards without a problem so, um and that's just good, that's just good pedagogy, is to constantly change your your course based on feedback.

C

Should we do, I know we talked about starting a blog, you know kind of just like one-way or two-way conversation, but you know thoughts on stuff. Would this be something good to post uh post on a blog saying like this is why we do what we do or is it or do we email, or do we just post it on this video or what.

A

Yeah, I think, that's a that's a topic for a longer discussion of um how we're doing our outreach, which we can get to. Let's I'm going to add that as an agenda item right now- and we can let's talk about that at the end, because maybe the the conference, how I'm viewing this conference that may fill, fill some gaps in okay.

B

B

A

So um next one is discussion on the conference on a planopalooza. um Why don't we go to the.

A

Basically, my we can go to the um the conference agenda that I threw out. um Basically, I kind of look at the conference as a way to do three things. um Well, do multiple things. One is one uh generate buzz like we did in terms of the indiegogo campaign. Just it generates more traffic. It generates more um interest in terms of what people are.

A

You know people talking about us, but, more importantly, um you know, I think, we're now at five or six people who are you know, groups and individuals who are creating the certificate and degree program programs, and then there are various stages.

A

um I think before I feel like 100 percent comfortable in in applying for that degree granting authority. I want to make sure that you know those programs are really up to snuff and so why not just get gather create the opportunity to gather um whether it's online or whether people come up to vermont.

A

um I know three of the different certificate programs are from people in vermont um and just spend a uh a week, or maybe three four days and getting people together and just literally working on this stuff with different kinds of presentations that we can then record and uh have offer offered in terms of our content.

A

um I don't think the numbers. I don't think we need to worry about this becoming woodstock.

B

A

um But I think that you know if we that we're going to get at least 50 to 100 visitors coming in and checking out different things that were um you know that we're up to, and it might also generate the ability for faculty to start again. Faculty are already doing a lot of self-organization.

A

Okay, um there are a lot of faculty are doing outreach um and this might be a way to focus in on on doing the outreach, but within the context of that program, development and also the context of a plairno.

A

I also think that it's a way for us to engage students, for example, one of the agenda items um I haven't figured out exactly what day this is going to be, but we want to talk about what about sort of what general studies would be.

A

Okay, general studies, being you know, sort of the bulk of your of what you would get in terms of the degree prerequisites that everybody takes, and I think that's a discussion that students should be involved in if we, if we even have you know um specific sort of requirements in in disciplines that we that that that this is a way to get the word out of um of hey students come and participate and build that that university, like you know, kind of like you want in those programs. So in some ways it's a lot.

A

It's taking a page from traditional higher ed in terms of this is a faculty you know retreat, but it's also taking a page from um open university. Okay and some of these really great online initiatives that get students involved at the very beginning in terms of the development of the program. um I also think it provides focus for us.

A

um It gives us something to to get the word out about okay, to create some focus for the marketing versus um uh this summer, low that that happens in higher ed, okay, so we're pushing towards a towards a particular goal.

C

Crunch time for most folks, though, that first week august like summer, lull would be like in a week or two.

A

Yeah um yeah, however yeah I agree with you, I mean you know.

C

Because if they're not getting their full, you know income from mclaren, oh they're in theory, going to be teaching in person at others places while they still can or still need to or whatever.

A

And that will generally be for the adjunct group. That's generally going to be happening in september. Most of that stuff doesn't start up in august. So this you know again I'm thinking of two.

A

Yes, it would have been nice to do it in july. You know we're hitting up an issue of you know sort of the traditional vacation time, but the neat thing is instead of people having to.

A

Come and visit us physically, they can subscribe and we can broadcast all of this virtually so people can come in and out um picking what they want to see and what they don't. I agree with you dan, I just don't. I don't have a.

C

I just wanted to raise that that if our expectations change that that can be a factor, that's all I wish you I. If it's something you truly believe in, I I'm becoming more and more convinced.

C

Then, of course I say yes, I just you know, I'm gonna raise just raise it.

A

Yeah, let's, um let's try it, I think we'll get um you know this is probably um you know. This is our first attempt at this. You know we're going to have to we're going to be running more of these kinds of um of uh of events, and so you know we'll we'll try this in terms of a um an additional run-through.

A

And I think it can you know I can think it. I think it'll work um and we'll just you know, we'll we'll see um a lot of people not a lot meaning. You know for us um I've gotten um feedback when I talk with people that uh this would be a great thing to do getting everybody together, the the only issue that I've got is figuring out how to do this.

A

um Technologically I mean we have canvas so that people can, you know, assemble in terms of discussions and even have particular meetings with canvas. We've got google hangouts so that um uh you know people can create their own small groups, but we can also broadcast we've got ways in which the only thing we don't have is in discussions like in some of these forums um is a way to create true um feedback back and forth, and we can do that a little bit with google hangouts, but um you know how do we?

A

um You know, I suspect you know we'll be able to figure out a way to splice things. Together I mean we can always also host it on canvas you know or that, and I just think it adds. You know again it's going to add a bit of buzz and gives us a focus. Hey. You know check, you know why? Don't you check out a planopalooza?

A

um I don't know. I mean that was just what I that's just an idea for a name. You know, uh but I think it did. Actually. The name of planopalooza did go out on our update.

A

um So you know maybe we can call it something else, um but uh you know I didn't yes faculty aperno's first faculty retreat. You know, you know.

A

Yeah no palooza and we can get t-shirts designed.

C

We need to spell palooza is p-a-l-o-o-z-a. If we're going off of the lollapalooza.

A

Okay, well then, let's.

B

Let's, uh like a weird like seafood, really.

A

Well, that can work too dude. You know, you know me, I'm not the spelling master, okay, obviously not um okay! So uh well, you know yeah. So let we'll uh we'll switch the we'll we'll switch the spelling and watch me butcher it over the next. You know two months.

C

We're gonna leave it. I guess, and that way you're always right.

A

Oh god, no, let's, let's, let's uh jesus.

B

A

um Well, no, uh actually, if we play off of the uh the other one, then we might get sued for copyright infringement. So who knows? But uh you know, let's um you know, let's uh we'll figure out the spelling later, but uh the concept. Basically, yes, no, I say we give it a shot daniel. What's your thoughts.

B

um I'm completely forwarded, I think the name is great, but I was surprised I think the idea is, it's uh really really good. It has a lot of potential and all the technical issues with that.

C

You just said like: oh, we can do it on google hangout or on canvas. I think it'd be cool.

C

You know we can just set up for, like you know, for closed or in person or sharing actual files, it'd be cool to set up everyone. Can we can load everyone into a canvas course like? We could make the degree program building a collaborative course space on canvas. We could also broadcast some of the general sessions on google hangout. That's a great idea too, but for anything where folks will be either sharing files or editing files or whatever having a discussion board or comment line.

C

We can just set them up with okay, you want to make a biology degree. You guys are on general education requirements. You guys are on you know, astrophysics.

C

Those can all be individual courses and maybe there's a big group one too, but um I'm kind of just envisioning it in canvas, and I think it's a great secondary use for something we already have and it would work.

A

Yeah, um that's fine with me! Here's my only concern is that um we are going to have a lot of. I want to be able to broadcast all the sessions and have people from outside be able to come in and view the material so view the sessions. So I think you're right, let's keep the, um let's put it all on canvas, because it actually will also be a great incentive for faculty to um get completely up to speed with it and yeah.

C

You can make certain canvas courses viewable to the public.

C

You don't want to ever. You know you want some degree of like this is not ready for public eyes and that's totally fine, but um there could also be maybe I don't we'll think about it, but that's just a good good place to start thinking to host it.

B

A

So, let's host, but let's yeah, let's host it on canvas, is there any there and there's no issue in terms of being able to do google hangouts for some of the um for some of the events? It's in. It's in terms of your your. What you're talking about is people getting together, forming their teams and and creating this um yeah.

C

That don't people just don't need to wade through, even if they are going to give input, there's just stuff that they don't.

A

Need agreed so we'll do it all on canvas, with the exception of the of the broadcast, now the agenda, so how I'm envisioning it? If you, if you click on that file, I uploaded, um which is the agenda, it basically is a nine.

A

I can't get around this eastern standard time, except for um except to maybe have a few sessions, I'm creating it so that people who are in in.

A

Europe can participate in the morning session, okay and that in the afternoons there's more of a um there's more of these um team working sessions that people can do asynchronously.

C

We could also record a lot of this.

A

Exactly yup and so people can you know the the thing that I you know so that people can access it later on, and it also creates more of a library for us yep.

C

All right I mean if you went to a if you went to a conference in india. It would be local time and we're here you're here really and that's that's what it is.

A

Yeah and but we'll you know, we'll do everything in terms of gmt time. It's just again. If, if we're going to be this global, you know this global organization, then we should. We need to to have some sessions that are, you know, live in terms of being live in in um in asia. So uh you know this. This um schedule or agenda isn't fixed in terms of time period.

A

Okay and- and you know maybe we'll move some to you know early early morning or um late night, so uh late night, my time so that asia can't participate, which is completely fine, but basically you know whether it's three or five days, um if you take a look, you can see that you know there's areas where there's discussion.

A

um The only thing I'm missing is a couple of um interesting sessions that peep that in discussions about um online education, I'm going to be working on those um the the rest of the week, but it's basically to get people. Here's a basic course.

A

um I've got an idea for a degree program.

A

Here's what the degree here's, how, in five days we can move to having at least a very, very good foundation for having a degree program that will then whose materials will be able to use um to apply to uh the state of vermont for degree granting authority, because I would the the whole goal of this is that we've got um again five programs that I can use in the application for degree granting authority to the state of vermont, um because that takes us again to it to another level.

A

And again I I'm I'm pushing a little bit in terms of the timeline. um But I think that that also, I think we need to make that next leap, um and sooner rather than later,.

C

All right, let's start a dropbox folder too.

A

Yeah I'll throw this in the dropbox um after I get done here and then we can just um set that all up what do? um What are people's thoughts about uh so you like it and- and uh I let me see, did I let me see whether I created, I think I created a partner palooza.

B

A

Deliverables, yes, so there's an apparent palooza deliverable piece um under the deliverables and it's under a whole lot of different projects.

C

I just would like to be able to add maybe comments to this document or, whatever you know, just a collaborative space.

A

Yeah um hold up, let me just uh do that right now,.

A

Yeah, we'll um I'll throw that up right after dan, that's cool um and then uh yeah. Then we can, you know completely change and modify it.

B

A

That's one problem with podio is that when I switch screens it takes away the earlier one. I can't do.

B

I'll use the command and left click to get to a different screen. Now.

A

Yeah and that's what I I was just thinking like.

B

A

Noob that I just said that when I could, you know, pull up, uh you know, do a log on again.

A

We'll have a little this we'll have a discussion um offline next week, when I will um talk about the uh the two other barriers that the two other things that we're going to have to deal with in terms of advising academic advising for the students in their degree programs and also the um how we're going to manage that.

A

I don't want to let that secret sauce out in a in an open meaning to be perfectly honest, um but I've got a good handle on the management and the advising piece and how that will um add some flexibility, but you know some also, some quality and some you know lower cost for students and some money for faculty, which will be great um okay. Any anything you guys want to add is this out of the realm of possibility in terms of what we can do.

B

A

B

I've have one thing that I want to ask is I saw that it was uh there was, I think, it's wednesday or tuesday, you have. You have speakers, uh um I think, with the absolute sections and speakers, and I think our wednesdays, for they have some speakers. Have you already.

A

I've got a couple of ideas, but I want to go over those with you guys um not in public session, um and it's also the question of uh you know number one who we can get um and also making it. You know an interesting issue related to um what we're trying to do here in terms of the the degree piece I mean we, I don't want to I kind of want to focus us in on the degree development piece here, um but then again, there's some interesting opportunities to deal with.

A

You know adjunct issues etc, but student debt pieces.

A

So it's a question of you know: what track do we want to take? Do we want to make this more of a faculty retreat type of situation, or do we want to make it more of a um um you know? Maybe thursday and friday are our more general ed um issues that we that we bring up and we have can have some. You know really interesting discussions and speakers there. um So so yes- and no is the answer to that, one.

A

A

Anything else, dan.

C

uh No, I my thought is that general ed would be, would kind of get the conversation going and might be better at the beginning, with a big group sort of intro time and then you break out into after you can kind of get your wheels turning on like.

C

Why are we requiring this, or why would we put this next to this, then you'd break out into your more um precise or focused groups and say: okay, so you know we just we just did all this work together and that person brought up that point of including this requirement. So I think for our discipline.

C

Maybe we want to consider you know going off of that, um but that's just we I'll type that into this document, once it's on dropbox and just have it have the thoughts in there on writing.

A

A

Yeah, I think that's that you know that would be good. um I'm not uh wedded to any uh right.

A

You know to anything. A planopalooza's um agenda item is now on the dropbox on a separate file at the top listing of a player.

A

A

I don't think, there's anything. Okay, let's talk about the the blog, the discussion, the community outreach piece.

A

You know what let's take that I'd like to keep that in in private session. um So let's go the last two items that we've got in here in private session and.

A

Calling into the public peace.

B

A

I've got to get my power cord.

B

Okay, I'm telling you stuff now.