Despite the boom in computer assisted language learning (CALL) implementation at the University of Hawaiʻi during the COVID-19 lock-downs, adoption of one of CALL’s most promising sub-fields, virtual reality assisted language learning (VRALL), has lagged behind. A needs analysis of University foreign language instructors uncovered low technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK), low perceived relevance, and high perceived barriers to implementation as possible causes. To address these challenges and increase VRALL use in the higher education language classroom, Virtually Fluent, an online mini-professional development course was designed using the ADDIE Model of instructional design. The instruction introduced the benefits and best practices of VRALL using CoSpaces Edu, an educational virtual reality application, and leveraged Keller’s ARCS Model and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle approaches to enhance cognitive learning and affective change.

A usability study and learning assessment were conducted to evaluate the instruction’s usability and effectiveness in addressing the cognitive and affective goals. Both the usability testing (n=4) and learning assessment (n=15) were conducted online. Feedback from the usability testers was incorporated into the final design then evaluated by the learning assessment participants. Participants’ attitudes and knowledge of VRALL were measured before, during, and after instruction using surveys, embedded quizzes, reflections, and digital artifacts. Results indicated an overall improvement in TPACK (+ 60%) and Attitude (+ 20%) from baseline scores, and a moderate degree of satisfaction with the instructional design and tools. Pedagogical implications and possible future improvements will be discussed.

The internet offers opportunities and threats for today's middle school students, requiring parents to proactively educate their children about life on the internet. However, there is a lack of clear, accessible information about how to initiate these complex conversations in a way that fosters openness and trust among parents and teens. An asynchronous instructional module provided parents with information about teen brain development and offered communication strategies to initiate and facilitate conversations about life online with teens. The instruction was guided by communication strategies developed by therapists Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. The design and development of the instruction were guided by theories in Androgogy, informal learning, Keller's ARCS model, and Merill's Principles of Instruction.

The instruction was evaluated through a usability study and learning effectiveness assessment. Results of the usability study showed strengths in instructional content and design but weaknesses in navigation. Learning effectiveness data showed that the instruction was generally effective but not relevant to a small group of study participants. Results showed growth in understanding, and 100% of the participants were motivated at the end of the instruction to use the strategies with their teens. Future work in this instructional area could delve more deeply into the target audience's needs and expand on the number and types of scenarios parents and teens may face. The most important thing the designer learned from this process is that effective instruction is less about the "bells and whistles" of novel technology and more about understanding the problem, formulating clear objectives, and implementing research-based instructional strategies organized in an easy-to-follow fashion.

eSports, where viewers watch gamers compete, is changing the landscape of high school and middle school sports. ‘Iolani School in Honolulu has a successful eSports program which includes selecting games, recruiting players, and finding tournaments. This session will present best practices and action-based steps to help schools start their own eSports programs.

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
-George Bernard Shaw

“Play gives [adult learners] a chance to practice what they are learning.”
-Mr. Rogers

Modern learners see learning as a social experience (Mandernach, 2022). It’s not our job to entertain our students but it is our responsibility to design learning experiences that are relevant and engaging. Flippity is a free tool that uses Google Sheets to generate fun learning activities that anyone can create. Come play with us as we demonstrate several Flippity tools: Random Name Picker, Interactive Timeline, Leaderboard, Flashcards, and Virtual Breakout. We will show you how you can adopt them so your students can play to learn. Bring your mobile device or a laptop to play with us then create your own Flippities.

Research has shown that a sense of community impacts the extent to which an individual connects to concepts within a learning environment (Tu, 2000). This feeling of connectedness is known as “social presence” and comes naturally during face-to-face interactions in a brick-and-mortar classroom. In an online classroom environment where the physical gathering of learners is missing, it is the instructor’s role to create an environment that cultivates social presence via the instructional design, implementation, and evaluation process (Rhodes & Schmidt, 2021).

This presentation will discuss how online instructors can successfully facilitate social presence with high-tech and low-tech methods while being inclusive of multiple abilities and learning styles. Additionally, best practices and the use of tools such as Nearpod, which takes “previously created material such as Microsoft PowerPoint presentations or Google Slides and turn[s] them into interactive learning lessons” (Buttrey, 2021, p. 3), will be explored.

References
Buttrey, K. (2021). Inclusion, Engagement, and Nearpod: Providing a Digital Alternative to Traditional Instruction. Kentucky Teacher Education Journal, 8(1), 1-12. https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/ktej/vol8/iss1/2/

Rhodes, C. M., & Schmidt, S. W. (2021). Being “present” in the online learning space. New Directions for Adult & Continuing Education, 2021(169), 81–88. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.20416

Tu, C., 2000. On-line learning migration: from social learning theory to social presence theory in a CMC environment. Journal of network and computer applications, 23 (1), 27–37.

This paper reports the design, development, and implementation of a microchallenge in a graduate level online course. The purpose of the microchallenges was to get students more actively involved in posting on Twitter. The design process involved conceptualizing the week-long challenge with daily tasks aligned with course objectives. Technological tasks involved coordinating classroom based online communication tools to facilitate the challenge. The results demonstrate that students generally enjoyed the challenge which fostered active and meaningful knowledge sharing, networking, community development, and learning practices. Implications for social media based course activity design were discussed.

This brief refereed-paper presentation would be one professor's story of being highly reluctant to leave the classroom and enter the world of online synchronous education. He believed that his student-centered and dialogue-based pedagogical style of long duration was not amenable to the small screen, that too much would be lost in translation, that failure was likely. The shift to synchronous teaching via Zoom was made, however, and the results highly surprising and dramatically positive. I've summarized this true tale in a six page paper, and emailed it to Curtis & Bert on 12/29.22.

Here is the abstract: "Abstract - A student-centered and dialogue-based pedagogical style is suitable not only for the in-person university classroom but also highly adaptable to the synchronous online learning environment. The core dialogue values and practices of Warmth, Empathy, and Genuineness can establish a safe container for meaningful synchronous classroom dialogues around central course subject matters. Cohesive, caring, and supportive synchronous human learning communities are achievable by and for today’s students in this era of heightened challenge."

I would like to present this refereed paper at a 25-minute session. Who would be interested? Probably other educators who have either adapted really well in their own transition to synchronous online teaching, and maybe want to hear a fellow educator's success story; and also perhaps some educators who have not fared well at all in their transition to online, and want to find out how to better address this challenge. This presentation would be about high educational quality and active student engagement, and how to increase the likelihood of achieving these using a student-centered and dialogue-based pedagogical approach within the synchronous online medium.

Social media has become a mainstay in many people’s lives and increasingly has been used to support teaching and learning. Still, it can be a minefield of dangers, real or anticipated, leading all education stakeholders (students, instructors, and institutional leaders) a bit wary of its value or use in a formal learning context. To address privacy-related dangers, one need not avoid social media. Instead, it is important to have a clear plan for how to introduce and manage the technology while empowering students to use it purposefully and comfortably.

In this session, I address several privacy concerns that arise when social media is used to support formal learning and share the PAVE IT framework. This is a framework for addressing these concerns at different times during a course and with different approaches – it paves the way for thoughtful and purposeful integration of social media in the class setting. The framework was developed based on experiences from over 15 years of researching and teaching with social media, with extensive reflective teaching notes providing case examples and guiding the process.

In terms of concerns, the framework addresses privacy-related discomfort, fear, and uncertainty throughout the course lifecycle through consideration of permanence, affiliations, visibility, expectations, identity, and trust (PAVE IT). Concrete recommendations, sample course policies, and a course checklist will all be shared during the session. Additionally, I will share ways to help turn educational use of social media into an opportunity to education students about online privacy issues. In sum, the session will cover identifying potential privacy issues, mitigating harm while maximizing learning, and preparing and empowering students to effectively navigate privacy issues on their own.

Training Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) students of the Honolulu Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) is often severely constrained by the lack of adequate resources, minimal training time allotted and was further complicated by the physical distancing requirements during the COVID-19 viral pandemic. This presentation describes the use of low-resource, low-technology training methods to create, adapt and deliver training to EMT students. A branching scenario critical decision-making module previously created using Twine (http://twinery.org/) had to be adapted as some EMT units were more remote and internet access would be difficult. Instead, Google Form was used to present the same objectives and provide similar feedback and interaction. When COVID-19 physical distancing requirements were lifted, a low fidelity simulation scenario training was created where EMT teams role-played “working” on an ambulance and running “calls” using a very basic setup of a couple of chairs to replicate the front of the rig with a gurney and a mannequin. Four different scenarios were created to walk students through similar branching decision-making scenarios used in Twine and Google Form. The “evolution” of the branching scenario training from using Twine to Google Form and finally to in-person low-fidelity simulation scenario training was in response to the evolving needs and constraints of training EMTs in the trenches. Additionally, two interactive HTML5 (H5P) modules were developed to train EMTs on the use of emergency lights control panel and siren box control in an emergency ambulance. This presentation will provide an overview and demonstration of these low-resource methods as well as anecdotal feedback from EMT students.

Effective professional development programs can reduce learner anxiety and increase learner self-efficacy. In anticipation of an LMS transition, the Instructional Design team at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) developed the Canvas Institute (Institute). The Institute is a comprehensive, immersive experience designed to introduce novice Canvas users to some of the basics of using Canvas. Our presentation examines the Institute’s design process, its effectiveness, and lessons learned from its development. Those involved in designing and administering professional development will especially benefit from this session.