Abstract
This paper examines best practices for technology use in online, collaborations between the University of Illinois at Springfield and Chicago State University in class sessions shared across institutional boundaries. We explore the collaborations between these two ethnically and culturally diverse institutions. The University of Illinois at Springfield received two grants in the fall of 2004 to address the challenge of encouraging diversity in online and on campus classes. One grant, from the Illinois Board of Higher Education supported the development of online collaborations between classes at UIS with astudent population that is approximately 9% ethnic minority and Chicago State University with a student population that is more than 90% ethnic. Highlighted are synchronous and asynchronous exchanges using Elluminate Live’s synchronous, web-based two–way audio conferencing and Blackboard’s asynchronous discussion board technologies.
Highlights
Innovation comes from breaking down barriers in our thoughts and patterns of behavior, seeing new connections, and finding ways to use our resources to build something better
Innovation comes at a glacial pace to higher education because much of what we do is steeped in traditional rhetoric
The instructor for EDL547, who had previously used this assignment in non-collaborative classes, welcomed the ideas and changes which resulted from consultation with the Chicago State University (CSU) professor
Summary
Innovation comes from breaking down barriers in our thoughts and patterns of behavior, seeing new connections, and finding ways to use our resources to build something better. In 2002, the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) under the auspices of the Higher Education Cooperation Act (HECA) funded the first of what has proven to be a continuing grant to support collaboration between the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) and Chicago State University (CSU) Both are public non-profit institutions in the state of Illinois. The HECA grant proposal stated: “In addition to the workshops for online learning tools, CSU and UIS propose to form an Online Teaching Partnership” [5] This program identifies and supports faculty members who wish to work with peers at the partnering institution. Because it relies on delayed posts and replies, asynchronous communication tends to take a while to establish group consensus.
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