Virtual Working Session planning page

Overview

The Teaching and Learning Group has been engaged in an "instructional visioning" exercise focused on Sakai 3 for the past several months.  Much of our recent work has involved the generation of a Learning Capabilities document.  We have reach a point in this process where we feel we need have a sustained and focused effort in order to organize and refine this document and "take it to the next level".

This work will involve determining "themes" under which we can group Learning Capabilities as well as "activity workflows" that will describe how users might progress through the learning capabilities.  We will also be looking to identify gaps in the already documented learning capabilities and will work to fill in those gaps.

If you have not been actively involved in the efforts over the past few months some of these ideas may not make a great deal of sense.  We are planning some pre-events that will help those who are in this situation get "caught up" so that you are comfortable working on the process. If you are looking for more background information now, you may want to review Clay Fenlson's blog entries titled The Input of Pedagogists and Leading Design

Initial Plans

We are still in the early planning stages for this event but are considering the following:

• A series of pre-event activities to help plan out the work we will engage in and to also provide those who have not been actively involved in our recent work with assistance in "ramping up" on what we want to accomplish.
• The Virtual Working Session would likely span two days but not necessarily require 8-hours of dedicate time each day.
• We will use a combination of web-conferencing and phone conferencing technology to share documents and discuss issues.
• We envision a few "large group" discussions at specific points in the two days but most of the work would be done in smaller breakout groups who would focus on specific issues or tasks.
• If practical, we are interested in engaging with institutions around the world in this effort and would like to try and organize ourselves to take advantage of different time zones so as to allow some groups to "pass off" work as they end the day to another group that would pick it up.  This may be too complicated to engage in but we want to investigate it.

Update (1-27-10):  Draft Agenda and Objectives:

1. Virtual Working Session Objectives:
   1. Categorization of Learning Capabilities (which requires defining Theme and Activity Workflows)
   2. Identification and closing of "gaps" in current capabilities
   3. Development of a "self sustaining" or "living" document that can continue to grow on its own
2. Day One DRAFT Agenda (2/4)
   1. 12 - 1 PM: Welcome, introductions and session plan review (including review of Learning Capabilities Spreadsheet) - Buffer time to allow for technical issues, etc. to be addressed
   2. 1 PM - 2 PM:  Whole Group Discussion on Themes and Workflows and Team Assignments
   3. 2 PM - 4 PM:  Team Work
   4. 4 PM - 4:30 PM: Whole Group Check-in (are we all on the same page still?)
   5. 4:30 PM - 5 PM BREAK
   6. 5 PM - 6 PM Team Work
   7. 6 PM - 7 PM Team reports and End of Day Check In
3. Day Two DRAFT Agenda (2/5)
   1. 12 - 12:30 PM Whole Group Check in and Review of Team Assignments
   2. 12:30 - 2:30 PM: Team Work
   3. 2:30 - 3 PM: Whole group check-in
   4. 3:30 PM - 4 PM BREAK
   5. 4-5 PM: Team Work
   6. 5-6 PM: Teams report out
   7. 6 - 7 PM Whole Group Debrief and discussion of next steps

Pre-Event Planning

To make sure that the time we set aside for our meeting is used productively, we will be engaging in a number of "pre-event" activities.

• Defining "Themes" and "Activity Workflows" - Based on our 1/6/10 call, the group will be working to define/refine the Themes and Activity Workflows that we have been using to date in the Learning Capabilities Google spreadsheet. In addition to defining these, we will also be identifying what we consider to be "fundamental" themes which cut across workflows and capabilities as well as connecting themes to instructional best practices and research-based teaching methodologies (e.g. Seven Principles of Good Undergraduate Education).

How to Get Involved

UPDATE (01-25-10):  The times for the Virtual Working Session have been set.  12 Noon EST to 7 PM EST both days.  A rough agenda has been developed and will be posted here towards the end of this week once it is finalized.  We will be using a web conferencing system and phone conference to collaborate, both as a whole group but also, for the majority of time, in smaller teams.

UPDATE (01-06-10):  Based on the date preferences of those you have registered at this point, the group decided on our call today that the Virtual Working Session would take place on February 4th and 5th.  Specific times for the meeting on each day will be determined over the next few weeks.

If you are interested in getting involved (or even think you might), please add our name and other information below.  With regards to "DATE PREFERENCE", we are trying to get an initial idea of dates that might work for folks, please indicate which dates you would prefer from these options:

1.  January 18/19th (NOTE:  The 18th is a holiday in the USA but some of expressed using that holiday to engage in the effort).
2. January 22/23rd
3. January 25/26
4. January 28/29
5. February 4/5

Shortly after January 6th we will select a specific set of dates and ask folks to use Doodle to provide more details on times, etc. that will work.