Schehl, Matthew

Calhoun, Institutional Archive of the Naval Postgraduate School

Calhoun: The NPS Institutional ArchiveDSpace RepositoryNews Center News Articles Collection2022-02-02NPS Office of Teaching and Learning PilotsDistance Learning Quality InitiativeSchehl, MatthewNaval Postgraduate School, Monterey Californiahttp://hdl.handle.net/10945/68670This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, UnitedStates Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in theUnited States.Downloaded from NPS Archive: Calhoun1/4NPS Office of Teaching and Learning Pilots DistanceLearning Quality Initiativenps.edu/-/nps-office-of-teaching-and-learning-pilots-distance-learning-quality-initiativeMatthew Schehl  |  February 2, 2022Participants in phase one of the Distance Learning Quality Initiative (DLQI) discuss bestpractices and continuous improvements during weekly Zoom sessions. Led by the NPSOffice of Teaching and Learning, DLQI introduced modular standards of best practices forcourse development, instruction and application of technology to enhance DL programsacross campus.This Fall, the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) successfully completed a two-yearcollaborative effort to take Distance Learning (DL) to the next level of quality in meetingstudents’ emerging needs.The Teaching and Learning Commons’ (TLC) Distance Learning Quality Initiative(DLQI), led by the Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL), introduced modular standards ofbest practices for course development, instruction and the application of technologies toenhance DL programs throughout the NPS campus.2/4“What I like about these quality standards is that they enable those engaged in onlineinstruction to better communicate, interact and engage with students,” said Ali Rodgers,Director of Faculty Development and the Office of Teaching and Learning. “How do youmonitor learning and instruction in terms of collaboration, communication and feedback in aweb-based environment? Do you have the correct technological resources and funding? Doyou have sufficient support staff?”“DLQI provides that,” Rodgers added.NPS has a solid history of providing DL education stretching back more than two decades.Yet even the most experienced of educators often find it challenging and time-consuming tocreate effective and engaging learning experiences for their students.“We’re looking to expand our DL presence to offer more online, and that entails how wedevelop and design cohesive learning experiences across a set of courses,” Rodgersobserved. “Quality standards provide a really good framework to support quality learningexperiences.”Supported by the Graduate Education Advancement Center, the OTL set out inSeptember 2019 to begin formulating DLQI.The project was conceived in two phases. The first phase would introduce best practices forcourse development, instruction and the application of presentation, communication andcollaborative technologies to enhance DL programs. Phase two, designed for programmanagers and academic associates, would introduce a systematic needs assessment andprogram review process.“The impetus for DLQI was really our desire for continuous improvement of the faculty here,”noted Dennis Lester, Director of Graduate Education Advancement and Associate Provostfor Graduate Education at NPS. “We recognized that this was an area the TLC couldenhance and improve upon to meet the growing emphasis on DL and the anticipated futureof NPS in a more flexible way.”Then COVID hit. Overnight, the project became an absolute exigency and the TLC swunginto action.“In response to the rapid switch from resident to DL, the TLC is supporting learning-focusedcommunities of practice and is providing leadership and resources as NPS goes fully all-inand online,” Ralucca Gera, then TLC director and Associate Provost for Graduate Education,commented at the time.In consultation with NPS faculty and staff, the GEAC researched exemplary, research-basedDL practices used at leading educational institutions throughout the world to meet standardsfor evaluation and accreditation as well as legal requirements for accessibility. It grouped the3/4most important elements into a quality standards checklist of eight categories faculty couldreference.This included course preparation, content organization, learning outcomes and assessment,student engagement, course website design and navigation, teaching and learningtechnology, use of media and accessibility. The group also compiled these in a DLQIhandbook for reference.“Our goal was to create a set of guidelines that would be comprehensive enough to includethe features that most contribute to student success, but flexible enough to accommodate awide variety of learner needs, program goals, technology tools and teaching styles,” Lesterrecalled. “We had to do an immediate transition, and I was particularly impressed that peoplejust rolled up their sleeves to figure out how to make this happen.” The group enlisted a nominated cadre of faculty to formally test the guidelines out for thefirst phase of the project.From March through September of 2020, seven faculty members from a broad swath ofacademic disciplines utilized the checklist as they swung into mandatory DL instruction,designed, and taught their courses. They then provided frank feedback on what worked, andwhat didn’t.“The pilot allowed faculty to assess their courses using quality standards and to identify nextsteps to enhance learning and instruction,” Rodgers said. “Everybody had a commonexperience using the standards, which was the intention of the program.”“As I look back on the experience, I think we got some really good data from our faculty,” shecontinued. “I think the faculty recognized the value and felt good knowing that these qualitystandards exist and that they’re doable.”Armed with this input, the OTL then implemented the second phase of the project.From May through September 2021, phase two piloted a standards-based and systematicneeds assessment and review of degree and certificate programs by select academic teams.In doing so, it looked at integrating and embedding educational technologies to achievelearner outcomes and leveraged some of the aggregate principles of adult learners to allowfor choice and self-pacing as a student moves throughout a curriculum.“This provided opportunities for people to talk about learner needs and to share ideas aboutwhat we could and should be doing with our students … Specifically, what our students arecapable of doing on their own versus things that need a lot of guidance and informalcoaching,” Rodgers said.4/4“When I think back, the standards introduced in DLQI represented different tiles in a coursemosaic that we were able to apply to create a nice template and advance discussions aboutthe effectiveness of our course design and the best use of instructional time,” she continued.“That’s definitely a silver lining of the storm cloud [of COVID] that we were operating under.”As in-person classes resume, Rodgers and Lester hope to continue to roll out the DLQIprogram and expose more faculty to it, enabling them to consider how offering some or all oftheir coursework as a DL component might most benefit their students.“I’ve got a feeling that with these standards and best practices we’ve come up with, realoutcomes will show the merit in implementing them,” Lester said. “I think that’s where we’llsee the TLC moving soon.” For more information about NPS’ Teaching and Learning Commons, and to review the 2021TLC Annual Year in Review, visit the TLC website. 

NPS Office of Teaching and Learning Pilots Distance Learning Quality Initiative

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NPS Office of Teaching and Learning Pilots Distance Learning Quality Initiative

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Calhoun, Institutional Archive of the Naval Postgraduate School