Journal of Online Learning Research and Practice Volume 7, Number 2, 2019 | 页面 19

Journal of Online Learning Research and Practice
APUS Faculty and Staff
Involvement
The APUS OER strategy included a train
the trainer approach in which deans and
program directors first learned to use
the Intellus database and then trained
their faculty members in one-on-one
or small group clusters. This allowed
for quick training dissemination for the
skills needed to begin the process. Prior
to this, the dean and director training
included a daylong seminar aimed at
learning how to use Intellus to choose
from a variety of recommended OER
options.
Careful expert analyses of the
subject matter are required to ensure
that OER replacement options align
well with the learning objectives they
address, are at the appropriate reading
level, and engage students in the
learning process. An OER replaces an
existing learning resource only after
the faculty member responsible for it
verifies those features. In addition, a
course’s forum discussion prompts, lesson
content, syllabus, announcements,
and assignments may require revisions
following a change in course materials.
Directors and faculty members collaborate
on those aspects and then typically
work with the AIT team to create
eLearning Format (eLF) versions of the
new enhanced lessons that ultimately
replace existing e-texts in a particular
course. However, the eLF process is primarily
for higher enrollment courses.
Once the training for the deans
and directors was complete, taking the
program to the full university-wide faculty
required coordination; this is an ongoing
process. Each School’s dean and
program directors lead the effort. With
director support and review, faculty
members are responsible for reviewing
and vetting OER recommendations and
identifying alternatives on their own or
with aid from librarians. Together they
ensure alignment to learning objectives
and appropriate reading levels for the
target courses. After identifying and
vetting suitable OERs, faculty members
revise forum prompts, assignments, lessons,
announcements, and assignments
as needed to ensure cohesive, integrated,
flowing courses that foster positive
student experiences and outcomes.
Faculty members regularly collaborate
with the Assessment Department
to create iRubrics for any assessments
that lack them and revise existing
rubrics for assessments altered as a result
of the OER conversion process. The
Classroom Support Department loads
new course materials into model course
shells within the Sakai to prepare for
cloning into monthly course-start sections
as needed.
Additional institutional support
includes teaching-load reductions for
faculty members who prove to be adept
at this type of curricular curation and
creation and who are willing to take
on additional OER course conversions.
APUS is committed to converting both
undergraduate and graduate courses to
OERs to the greatest extent possible.
It requires FTF to handle many of the
OER conversions as part of their annual
work plan agreements. Part-time
faculty (PTF) complete additional conversions
for a modest stipend, which
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