2. Presentation overview
• Introduction to Athabasca University
• Course Production Process
• Innovations at Athabasca
• Your questions and comments
3. Mission
Athabasca University, Canada’s Open University,
is dedicated to the removal of barriers that
restrict access to, and success in, university-
level studies and to increasing equality of
educational opportunity for adult learners
worldwide.
We are committed to excellence in teaching,
research and scholarship, and to being of service
to the general public.
rededicated by Athabasca University Board of Governors October 21, 2011
4. History
1970 Established by Province
(June 25, 1970)
1973-75 Pilot Project
(First Course ‘World
Ecology’ Opened in 1973)
1975 Approval in Principle
1978 Permanent Mandate
1984 Relocated to Athabasca
5. History
1992 Revised Mandate
(Masters Programs)
2005 First Canadian
university regionally
accredited in U.S.
2006 EdD approved
2011 Academic &
Research Centre
opened
2014 Architecture
Program opened
16. Skills Acquired by Graduates
Top Five % Bottom Five %
Learn Independently 88% Speak in Public 27%
Writing 81% Develop Math Skills 32%
Work Independently 80% Resolve Conflicts 43%
Analyze Information 80% Computer Skills 46%
Research Skills 75% Interpersonal Skills 47%
2014 AET Graduate Outcomes
17. Staff Complement By Type
16%
3%
31%
21%
2%
22%
5%
Academic Full Time
Academic Part Time
Part time Tutors &
Markers
Professional
Management &
Executive
Support & Temporary
Casual
As of March 31, 2016 there were 1,163 employees.
All full time academics expected to be active researchers!
18. Staff Complement By Location
36%
7%
2% 3% 1%
52%
AU Athabasca
AU Edmonton
AU Calgary
AU North Edmonton
Partners
Heritage Resource
Management
Working from Home
22. Course Team
• Core Team
– Subject Matter expert(s) – professors
– Learning Designer
• Added near end
– Media staff
– Editor
– Peer reviewers
23. Course Development
• Preparation & Design
– 1. Assess all relevant information
including Open Access Sourcs
a. Review course evaluations
b. Solicit input from instructors, tutors
and learners
c. Review other university offerings.
Review course outcomes in relation to
the overall program. Discuss course
styles and ideas.
24. Course Development
2. Create course map
• a. Measurable learning outcomes
– i. Collecting measurable learning outcomes and
assigning them to course units
• b. Determine evaluation and assessment tools for the
outcomes
• c. Learning Activities for each unit
• d. Content Topics Determine content needed for each
outcome and unit.
• e. Learning Materials
• f. Team feedback and approval.
25. Course Development
3. Develop Unit 1
a. Team lead develops first unit based on the
course map and standard requirements provided
by the learning designer.
4. 20% presentation to interested faculty and
instructors
26. Production
• 5. Continue Unit Development
– a. Incorporate feedback from team and interested faculty
and develop several more units.
• 6. Team Review
– a. Team reviews units and the course map before
approving continued development.
• 7. Develop Remaining Units
• 8. Editor Review
• 9. Evaluation and Assessment Development
a. Evaluation and Assessment development including all
assignments and test instructions.
• 10. 80% presentation
27. Online production
• 11. Create Moodle Shell
• a. Create unit web pages
• b. Create media
– i. Video and audio
• c. Create graphics
ii. Graphics, photos, animations
• d. Copyright clearances
• e. Create test items
28. Types of Course Development
1. Major development
• change course title, course aims, course
description, learning outcomes / learning
objectives / competencies
• redesign course structure and assessment
• substantially change the Study Guide (text,
images, figures, tables, multimedia,
interactivity, etc.) and Course Orientation
• transfer course from one media format to
another (e.g., print to online, desktop to
mobile, etc.)
29. Types of Course Development
2. Minor development
• change questions in assessment: quizzes,
assignments, Lab or projects
• insert new required readings in some units
• for new edition of textbook or eText: change
references to a new edition of the same
textbook or eText in study guide.
30. Types of Course Development
3. Maintenance
• correct typos, grammar, broken links.
• rewording, clarification, or elaboration
• add or delete items in Supplementary Materials
• replace exam without affecting marking scheme (Note:
Exam unit must be involved)
• open a paced course in a new semester but does not
require any changes to the content or layout
32. Part 3.
Innovations At Athabasca
• Prior Learning
Assessment and
Recognition
(PLAR)
• see Conrad, D. (2008).
Situating Prior learning
assessment and
recognition (Plar) in an
online learning
environment. The theory
and practice of online
learning, 75.
Free online Course on
PLAR for Educators
33. Innovations At Athabasca
• AU Press –
AUPRESS.CA
• Canada’s First
Open Access Press
• Books in Paper for
$$ or downloaded
for free.
34. Continuous Enrollment
• Students enroll whenever they want
• Have 6 months to complete course
• Arrange to write test at a learning centre
when they chose
• More freedom and flexibility for students
• Attracts students enrolled in
conventional universities
• Higher drop our rate
• No summer holidays for teachers/tutors
35. Doctoral Programs -not PHD
Designed for those who
will likely not be
researchers or university
professors.
Designed to help
practitioners make a
major, research-orientated
contribution to a
profession.
40. IRRODL
• Most widely Cited and widely read Distance Education
Journal in the World
• Only Open Access and SSCI Journal in Distance Education
• Readers, reviewers and contributors needed
• Irrodl.org
42. Challenges facing Athabasca
• Decreasing government funding
• Staff effective use of new technologies
and new pedagogies
• Increased pressure to research.
• New competition from traditional
universities (1 in 4 students takes at
least one fully online course)