Lifelong Learning @ UNB
UNB College of Extended Learning

---

UNB's College of Extended Learning (UNB CEL) has long been a powerhouse in online course development and delivery. In 1997, UNB was one of the first universities in Canada to offer a degree-credit course online. Fast forward to 2020 and the onset of a global pandemic, and the university was well-positioned to move courses to online delivery to accommodate students and instructors who were unable to continue classes in a traditional format.

When officials on the UNB Saint John campus (UNBSJ) decided to offer online courses to boost enrollments for the 2020 summer term, it seemed only natural to reach out to their UNB colleagues at CEL for help.

The Background: Developing a partnership to enhance the student experience

When Dr. Petra Hauf began her role as Vice-President of UNBSJ in March 2019, one of her challenges was a year-over-year decrease in enrollment for spring and summer courses.

Through a pilot project with UNB CEL, she was able to develop a strong partnership and address this challenge.

At the time, the spring and summer course line-up at UNBSJ was primarily in-person classes; not ideal for the university student of today who demands more accessible, flexible learning options. Hauf turned to her colleagues at UNB CEL to help move some programming to an online format.

“It didn’t make sense to duplicate a service that CEL provides. They have a long-standing history at UNB, and they have the knowledge, the infrastructure, the people, and the willingness to work with us”, explained Dr. Hauf.

Dr. Hauf was no stranger to the online learning environment. Having taught online courses for more than 10 years herself, she was aware of the benefits that extend beyond the accessibility and flexibility, such as all the ways to enhance learning in a virtual classroom.

Armed with a strong desire to provide online options by the Summer of 2020 and the support and expertise of UNB CEL, Dr. Hauf reached out to deans, program chairs, the registrar’s office, and faculty advisers on the Saint John campus to determine what courses would be of most interest to students. The goal was to create classes that would be in high demand and would represent all Saint John campus faculties in the project.

The Process: Working together toward a common goal

Working with UNB CEL’s project management office, a service agreement was created to outline the duties and financial responsibilities of each partner. A team of UNBSJ instructors who were willing to convert their classes to an online format was assembled, and the pilot project kicked off. As the project began in February with a goal of launching the new offerings in May 2020, the courses selected were already developed for in-person delivery to meet the timeline.

For faculty wishing to move course content online, it can seem like a daunting task to translate what they do well in a face-to-face class to a virtual setting. Often instructors don’t know where to start, nor do they have the technical skills required.

The UNBSJ group quickly identified a preference for term-based classes with start and end dates rather than open entry courses. They wanted to replicate a classroom environment, including a cohort of students who would work on assignments together, even though it was virtual. The instructional design team at UNB CEL, led by Cindy Seeley, was able to provide different ways to achieve their goals.

“The goal is always to provide an exceptional learning experience for the student,” says Seeley. “A well-designed online course can provide a tremendous opportunity for engagement and interaction.”

Building an online course is a collaborative approach combining the expertise of instructional designers and development team members and that of the instructors.

“Instructors know how to best teach their courses; their role is to identify the goals of the course, the learning objectives, and create the course content. The instructional designer provides expertise on how to transform that to an online environment,” adds Seeley.

The Benefit: Engaging the student

Dr. David Speed, Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at UNBSJ, was new to the online learning space but liked the idea of being able to reach a wider audience. He researched, recorded, designed and taught two courses for the pilot, PSYC 3453 - Cross-Cultural Psychology and PSYC 3803 - Industrial Psychology.

“There is a question of accessibility and the broader theme of justice concerning access to education, so being able to implement courses online is an essential step for a university to take,” says Dr. Speed. “Online learning balances the economic playing field for students as they do not have to incur the expense of relocating, reducing the cost it takes to get a quality education.”

Speed believes online courses can improve how we deliver education but emphasizes that there needs to be a high degree of quality and professionalism.

“They have to be done responsibly, the emphasis has to be on the education, not on the output,” he adds.

Dr. Speed had students participate in a variety of different activities to ensure that they were getting a quality experience out of his classes. He assigned them a bit more work than usual, to make up for the lack of in-classroom interactions and so that they understood it was something to be taken seriously. He gave them multiple weekly readings and tested them every week.

Based on student responses, Dr. Speed’s courses were well-received. Students found the course material interesting and online discussions had a high level of engagement.

Dr. Murray Littlejohn is a professor in the Philosophy Department in the Faculty of Arts at UNBSJ. Ask his students, and they will tell you that he is incredibly passionate and has a knack for keeping his lectures interesting. He developed and taught PHIL 1053 - Logic, Reason, and Critical Thinking.

“This was a different experience because moving a course online, you have to really think about transporting and transforming the course content for the online environment,” says Dr. Littlejohn.

Dr. Littlejohn says he had an excellent working experience with Cindy Seeley; she had a good sense of pedagogy and was able to hook into this specific course.

“As I was laying out my course, she got the idea that it was like a novel or a story unfolding that had a kind of prologue and epilogue and that captured what I try to do in teaching,” says Dr. Littlejohn. Even in a course like logic, reasoning and critical thinking, it is laying out a narrative so that the students can take away all the elements and remember when they leave the classroom.”

Dr. Littlejohn said the aesthetic, the logic, and the flow of the course was done very well. He says D2L is a fantastic tool.

“I was able to perfect my lecture as I thought through the process from the student’s perspective. I created lecture previews using video, which added a personal touch,” he explains. “I can’t speak highly enough about the CEL people and the experience of laying out the course with Cindy, who understands pedagogy from the ground up.”

Dr. Shelley Rinehart is a Professor of Marketing and MBA director in the Faculty of Business at UNBSJ. Shelley worked with UNB CEL team to develop BA 3328 - Consumer Behaviour and taught it during the summer. She says the online term-based format maintained the rigour and quality of UNB’s regular offerings but provided enough flexibility for the students to continue with their programs and still work and, in this case, adapt to COVID.

“The design work done by CEL was exceptional and improved the student’s ability to navigate course content and deliverables compared to earlier e-learning experiences I have had. The CEL touch added usability and professionalism to the course,” says Rinehart.

Dr. Rinehart has taught several online classes and said that she thoroughly enjoyed the term-based course she developed with the team at UNB CEL.

“The term-based format allows for the flexibility of online learning, students can check-in at their own time, but at the same time it provides the structure, and it is the lack of structure that often prevents the student from success in an online environment,” she explains.

Rinehart says UNB CEL made it easy because they have a system. She wanted to incorporate some different features in her course.

“I wanted to have a regular time that students could come and talk to me, and offer a virtual class for those who were interested, and we were able to integrate that right into the course,” she says.

The Outcome: Accessibility and flexibility

Fourth-year business student, Ariel Arthurs, had plans to visit her family in Edmonton during the summer of 2020. When COVID hit, she decided to enrol in five online classes instead.

“I had never taken an online class, so I didn’t have anything to compare my experience to, but it was more structured than I expected. Some classes had specific due dates for reading and assignments, but otherwise, you worked at your own pace,” says Arthurs.

Arthurs says there are pros and cons to online versus in-person classes, but she prefers the online format because the lectures are recorded, so if she couldn’t make the class, she could watch it later when she had the time.

“Online was ideal. If my son was sick and couldn’t go to daycare, I could still participate in the class.”

There are lots of other benefits too. Arthurs gained new skills that she may not have in a typical classroom, including Excel and other technologies to complete her assignments. She also improved her time management skills.

“I had to keep myself motivated. If you didn’t manage your time well you could get behind fast,” Arthurs explains.

Arthurs liked that she could get up five minutes before class and still be on-time. She also found instructors seemed easier to reach as they weren’t limited to typical office hours.

Next Steps

With the success of this summer’s pilot courses, there is a plan to expand the number of online offerings at UNBSJ.

“Knowing the CEL team was readily available and dedicated to this project’s short timeline made for a very positive collaboration,” says Dr. Hauf. “Putting these resources in and committing to do this project together was a tremendous experience.”

Ian Allen, UNB CEL’s executive director, agrees it was a positive collaboration.

“This partnership was a great opportunity for CEL to showcase what we have to offer to faculty members who want to transform their courses to an online format. This type of collaboration goes far in terms of providing our students with the flexible learning options they demand,” says Allen.

For more information on the UNBSJ Pilot Project or to learn about the services UNB CEL provides for faculty, contact the College of Extended Learning at 506-453-4646 or unbcel@unb.ca. UNB CEL services also include administration, student onboarding, as well as marketing and promotions.