Tom Carey

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Tom Carey University of Waterloo MERLOT
The opportunity and the vision Questions we have
to answer mine yours Where does MERLOT
fit? First steps next steps for you
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The context
Growing faculty use of shared resources through
Learning Management Systems and Learning Resource
Repositories
Growing faculty use of shared resources through
Learning Management Systems and Learning Resource
Repositories creates a gateway for mobilizing
teaching expertise exemplary instruction
The vision
Link plans for development of a next generation
Learning Resource Repository SCORE to plans
for a repository of teaching expertise with links
to exemplary learning resources MERLOT.
The opportunity
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Questions we have to answer

• What kinds of teaching expertise could engage
  Users?
• How could this information be deployed at the
  point of need?
• How could this knowledge be created/collected/repr
  esented/maintained?
• What social infrastructure could engage engage
  Contributors?
• From could to would what conditions are
  necessary for this to work?
• What sustainability models and strong
  collaboration facilities are needed?
• what other questions should be added?

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Where does MERLOT Fit?

• MERLOT is a leadership cooperative for faculty
  communities,
• sharing teaching knowledge and managing digital
  resources
• to enhance learning and student success in
  higher education.
• Through its public website, MERLOT provides an
  open repository of
• faculty teaching expertise with links to
  exemplary online learning resources.
• Our institutional members systematically enhance
  teaching and learning through
• the exchange, re-use and adaptation of learning
  resources and teaching expertise.
• MERLOT programs and resources engage and enable
  their faculty in this process,
• in collaboration with institutional and
  disciplinary colleagues.
• The MERLOT Leadership Team includes discipline
• Editorial Boards to manage content and
  collaborations,
• a Project Directors Council of institutional
  catalysts, and
• an administrative team based at the California
  State University.

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Current MERLOT Teaching Folio for Exemplary
Learning Objects
Repository scenario instructor seeks learning
resource to address content need
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Small innovation step 1 Align MERLOT
Contributions
Peer Ratings scores rubric
Exemplary Learning Object
Exemplary Learning Object
Content, target outcomes
Content, target outcomes
Instructional Challenges context
Instructional Challenges context
Learning Design
Learning Activity
Learning Design
Learning Activity
Results Outcomes Reflections
Causal analysis
Causal analysis
Causal analysis
Causal analysis
New learning activity
New learning activity
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Initial experimental steps (1)

• Target MERLOT users
• Build on pedagogical content knowledge currently
  in MERLOT
• Focus on learning activity as well as topic
  content
• Use existing MERLOT processes as basis
• adapt Peer Review to provide template
• extend Assignments and Comments to Experience
  Reports
• 6 pilot studies underway in California
  State University
• Using Carnegie Foundation KEEP toolkit as
  seed
• Invitation to discipline Editorial Boards
  in September 06

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Lessons Learned to date re Open Teaching Folios

• Include testimonial from instructors tell a
  story
• Demonstrate outcomes through evidence
• Reduce workload to implement through re-usable
  resources

• Emphasize a Learner-centered approach
• Focus on student, not teacher!
• Demonstrate student engagement reflection

• Connect to other knowledge
• discipline, institutional, method-oriented,
  scholarly

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Initial experimental steps (2)

• Target teachers in faculty development workshops
• Especially early career faculty
• Teaching tasks set as part of workshop activity
• Use content of prototype MERLOT Open Teaching
  Folios
• Introduces faculty to re-usable resources
  expertise
• FIPSE proposal for Faculty Engaging Learners of X
  with R ELIXR
• MERLOT CSU MnSCU Univ. Sys. of Georgia
  OkRHE
• Coastline CC Indiana St BYU the Ohio
  State University
• PODNetwork presentation, October 2006
• proposed case studies in inquiry-based learning
  from
• 10 Canadian research universities

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Open Teaching Folios as part of a Teaching
Commons
the Teaching Commons is a conceptual space in
which communities of educators committed to
inquiry and innovation come together to exchange
ideas about teaching and learning, and use them
to meet the challenges of educating
students. The Advancement of Learning
Building the Teaching Commons Mary Taylor Huber
and Pat Hutching (2005)
Initial experimental steps (3)

• MERLOT CASTL Institutional Leadership Cluster
• MERLOT CSU SUNY UNC Seton Hall
  University
• presentations on Scholarship in extended MERLOT
  Peer Reviews
• and working session on Integrating Scholarly
  Resources on the Web,
• ISSOTL November 2006

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MERLOT Open Teaching Folio as a scholarly
repository of resources and expertise Q5
MERLOT Guide to Teaching X with LO alt
MERLOT Guide to Teaching with LO or MERLOT Guide
to Teaching X
Authors rationale
Peer review user ratings
Authors rationale
Peer review
Exemplar learning object
Causal analysis
Reusable resources
Experience Reports
Current activity and symptoms of challenge
Results outcomes, reflections
Content, target outcomes
Instructional Challenges context
Learning Activity
Causal analysis
Learning Design
Causal analysis
New learning activity
New outcomes
Research evidence
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Benefits to SREB systems from MERLOT/SCORE
Collaboration
Infrastructure to rapidly disseminate exemplary
results on strategic projects
New partnership between faculty development and
academic technology to engage faculty with next
generation learners
Increased value from LMS just in time support
for teaching integrated with course management
Resources and expertise for adjunct/part-time
instructors to foresee keys to student
success Integrating teaching and research
through teacher scholars