KHE Seminar 2.0 and Flex

July, 2009

Academic Technology

KHE Seminar

• Kaplan University’s synchronous learning platform is hosted by Kaplan University. KHE Seminar is Kaplan Higher Education’s proprietary online classroom designed to increase learning by encouraging dynamic communication and collaboration between students and instructors.

• Seminar enables instructors to communicate to their students via voice, and allows students to communicate with instructors and classmates through synchronous chat in general or private modes.

• Seminar facilitates classroom discussion through use of PowerPoint presentations, encourages collaboration through whiteboard drawing and mathematical tools and allows participation in class polls.

• Seminar includes an archive feature that allows students to review entire sessions and print chat transcripts.

Current KHE Seminar Features

• Text chat• Moderated chat• One way audio (KU version)• Pass the mic (CLS version)• Whiteboard• Math symbols• Polling• Quizzes• Private Messaging (IM)• Text sizes• Transcript/Archive replay• Print• Scheduling integration• On the fly scheduling (flex)

KHE Seminar 2.0 Features (in addition to current features)

• Two way audio (pass the mic and duplex)• Screensharing• Breakout rooms• Welcome page to test user’s internet connection and

set user preferences (font size, IM, mic and speaker default)

• 508 compliance • User interface redesign• Back-end upgrade• Administrative changes for integration

KHE Seminar 2.0+ Reporting Features (to be defined)

• Integration with Asynchronous classroom gradebook

• Seminar Activity Report– Duration of seminar– Audio used (yes/no)– # of student participants (link to classroster OR gradebook)– Presentation used (link to a copy of it)

Current KHE Seminar Projects

• User Interface investigation

• Back-end upgrade

• Flexible seminar administrative changes (integration)

• General KU seminar administrative changes (integration)

KHE Seminar Gap Analysis

• A synchronous platform review was performed by Craig Gold, Donna Techau and Erin Froyd Q1-Q2 of 2009.

• The platforms reviewed were: Elluminate, Adobe Connect, Avacast, Webex, and Stream57.

• The team reviewed features, scalability, and cost.

• The recommendation was to fund the KHE Seminar to gain feature parity with the front running applications (two way audio, screensharing, and breakout room).

– Seminar 2.0 will include these features along with some enhancements specific to the KU’s needs.

KHE Seminar - Next Steps 2009-2010

• Deliver the KHE Seminar 2.0 features and expand upon our integration. – Two way audio (pass the mic and duplex)– Screensharing– Breakout rooms– Welcome page to test user’s internet connection and set user preferences (font size,

IM, mic and speaker default)– 508 compliance – User interface redesign– Back-end upgrade

• Administrative changes for integration.

• Develop a stand alone application to be used outside of a set class/time.

• Develop features that will distinguish us from other synchronous providers.

Flexible Seminar

• Flexible seminar is a tool that allows instructors to create their own seminar session on the fly, invite students from their own section(s) or other section(s) within the same course/term.

• The tool is available via KU Campus under My Tools

• It consists of a 5 step wizard process for selecting, naming, scheduling, inviting, and saving/publishing a seminar session

Flexible Seminar Pilot

• The pilot has run for 8 consecutive terms with approximately 200 sections each term.

• The method of applications has been one of three approaches:

1. An instructor teaching one section (or more), uses flex to reschedule a missed seminar or to add an additional seminar.

2. An instructor that has more than one section uses flex to set up seminars across all or more than one of his/her sections.

3. An instructor uses flex to schedule a seminar for multiple sections (his/her sections and other instructors' section(s)).

Flexible Seminar Pilot - Findings

• Faculty ratings for overall seminar experience

• Student ratings for overall seminar experience

Term Positive Neutral Negative

0902C 80% 12% 8%

0902B 83% 11% 6%

Term Positive Neutral Negative

0902C 61% 28% 11%

0902B 69% 23% 7%

Flexible Seminar Pilot - Findings

• Confusion among students on how to enter their flexible seminar and how to retrieve the transcripts/archives. *Once they figure it out, they like it.

• Initial term starts had a poor experience with the help desk agents. Extra training has resolved this issue.

• Confusion on the day/time of the seminar because it is different from what they registered for or they did not know it was a flexible seminar class. *Proposed solution on next slide.

• Initial lack of reporting tools for Department Chairs to access and review transcripts/archives. *Seminar Manager tool updated in June to accommodate flexible seminars.

Flexible Seminar Pilot – Next Steps*out for approval

• Extend the tool to all courses as a Supplemental option for office hours, make-up sessions, additional seminar sessions.

• Create an area on the portal that houses flexible seminar(s) the student is invited to.

• Create a “With Flexible Seminar” identifier for courses running flex.

– This will assist during the registration process for students and advisors to know about flexible seminar sections prior to enrollment

• Update back-end administration to accommodate these changes.