Developing a Course
in the Open

A case study, presented for
ETUG Spring Workshop 2014

Paul D Hibbitts 
      @hibbittsdesign  #etug 


Has the “open educational resources”
movement changed your teaching?

The Various Aspects of “Open”


  • Result
  • Price
  • Culture
  • Network 
  • Process

Benefits/Risks of
Developing a Course in the Open


  • Honesty
  • Accountability
  • Collaboration
  • Criticism
  • Interest (e.g. enrollment)
  • and others?


Making Your Progress Visible


  • Channels
  • Structure
  • Content

Channels


  • Blog
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Google+
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

What is your favorite method to map out your course structure?

Structure


  • Outlines
  • Post-it notes
  • Tree diagrams
  • Mind maps

Content


  • Readings 
  • Discussion Topics
  • Activities/Exercises
  • Slides
  • Course Website

Time for Questions and Discussion


  • What we’ve covered so far 
    • The various aspects of “open”
    • Benefits/risks of developing a course in the open
    • Making your progress visible
      • Channels
      • Structure
      • Content
  • Coming up
    • Case studies

Example of open (re)development for a 13 week university course...


Simon Fraser University (SFU) Computer Science Department

CMPT 363 User Interface Design, Fall 2013













Top Lessons Learned


  • Developing a course in the open was a game changer (for me)
    • Forced me to better articulate learning objectives
    • Made me re-think course development less from content (shame on me...) and more from student activities
    • Twitter better for in-progress items, LinkedIn for final versions
    • Reaching intended student audience can be a challenge
    • Proved to myself that one naturally raises the bar when anyone can see your work!

Time for More
Questions and Discussion


  • What we’ve covered in this section
    • CMPT 363,  a case study
      • Channels
      • Structure
      • Content
  • Coming up
    • IY 103 case study (Continuing Studies course)

Example of open development for a
3 week continuing studies course...


University of British Columbia (UBC) Continuing Studies

IY103 Designing Multi-device Learning Experiences, Spring 2014












Top Lessons Learned


  • Developing a course in the open is applicable to continuing studies courses (i.e. traditionally closed courses)
  • Solidified my change to activities first (i.e. “true” outcomes)
  • Public outlines are now my preferred documentation tool
  • From now on, open course development will be my (one and only?) default approach

Next Steps




Thank you! Any Questions?