OTAN. Outreach and Technical Assistance Network.

Hannah Gandy: OK. We're Clovis Adult Education. Specifically, we're part of the career and technical education health careers department. And so we are part of Clovis Unified School District just outside Fresno, California.

Our team. We're coached by Yesenia Delgado. We also have our director of nursing, Chun Hee McMahon. I'm Hannah, and I'm a CTE nursing instructor. And this is our new team member, Amalia. She's also a CTE nursing instructor. We did have Elaine Sims, who is our department chair and our assistant nursing director, but she had to step back. But she'll be a big part of everything. She kind of has already done a lot of our execution. And so we were able to bring in another instructor to kind of give a really, really fresh perspective.

So our department is career and technical education, health careers. We also have a business section that is slightly separate from us. We serve approximately 100 students annually here in Clovis California and provide our community with courses in nursing assistants, home health aide, CNA continuing education, VN prerequisite classes, vocational nursing, which is our big department, CPR, and we also do IV certification.

And so we, as instructors, can kind of jump around all these different classes. And our vocational nursing program runs a new cohort twice a year. And sometimes during the year we will be running four cohorts consecutively. So at certain times of the year, we can be stretched a little thin.

All our programs are accredited by COE, the Council on Occupational Education, Lusk, and our State Board for Licensure. And so for us specifically, it's the BVNPT, Board of Vocational Nurses and Psychiatric Technicians.

Chun Hee McMahon: So I'm going to just share with you how our online and technology began back in 2017 when I happened to accidentally attended one of the OTAN seminar. And that was eye-opening experience. So I want to share with you. At that time, Mickey Obermeyer invited me. And I was teaching nursing students with a pen and pencil and scanning all the documents. And not only scanning, but those documents were printed over and over. It was just like unreasonable.

And I thought, what the heck is going on here? We are in a world of technology. We're still stuck in the pen and pencil and copy. The copy machine they were copying, it was mountain size. At that time, California had a lot of fire going on. And you have seen trees burning down.

So when I started sending out to teachers why we wanted to get on Moodle, and I use that. It's like are we burning down all these trees now? It's time to save our trees. So by going on online, we're not going to use a paper anymore. That's how I convinced. So this is all started by myself. I had no inspiring person or no teacher share any information, and I was very brand new nurse who never taught nobody except the Sunday school for 18 years.

So the director recognized me. There is a burning desire to change things. So I guess we were learning about the strength and weakness. And I was very good executor but not a good person to retain whatever, execute I did. I needed a support obviously, right?

But I don't know. This happened just before pandemic. So I want to share this how it happens. 2019, and Clovis Adult Nursing Education Department has Moodle. Before Moodle, what I did it is I have no computer tech knowledge. I don't know how to create the website. And my son is computer, I call him geek. And I call them. Can you help me to create the website? And so I had no clue how he does, but I gave a content what needed to be in that website. That's how I began.

So I am the only teacher use the website, and no other teacher was still using it. But when I found out at OTAN, I know we have a free access to Moodle. So wow. I'm going to practice using Moodle. And then I'm going to move a Moodle, just a spread it to all other teachers because they're all going to be in one place. That's how we started Moodle.

2017 to all the way above five years, and we trained all these teachers. I mean, we trained, I'm talking about I train every individual who's coming in. And I, can I put you in a Moodle? So I take over their class and started putting into Moodle. And I tested it out. I could test our students online because they were still taking paper and pencil. We had to go to and scan through a machine. And we had to scan to correct and grade it. And then we have to post it individually. That went on until we use the Moodle.

So in the Moodle, and pretty much about a year, all the instructors' material. I'm talking about 89-- Marjorie is not here. 89 courses entered into Moodle site. We are the top user in the Moodle. So each class, I created until these young educators come along. And now they took over, and they just managing all that.

Before that, and my philosophy was I didn't know anything. I need to ask my son to create this. So he was a generous about supporting my goal. So I thank to him because I couldn't find anybody to go in our school district. So I was very grateful. So I decided myself, well, these people have no clue, no exposure, nobody to practice. So maybe I am the one should be a go for resources.

So I decide and actually propose out. At that time, I wasn't director, and I was as a teacher. And I approached to our director that I'm the one just manage all this Moodle, and you just support me. Whatever I need, and you help me to build this thing going. The nursing department did not have, no computer lab . Academic had some computer. And I know K to 12 school, they all had computer room. But we didn't have it.

So when they said that they have some grand money, very personally I said, I want 35 computer in the lab. Guess what happened? Actually, they said, we have money, and how many computer you want? And we had-- I request 30 computer. And there we go. And they gave me 35. Because the reason we get 35 magic number is we enrolled at that time each cohort, LVM program, 33 students. Three are extra. 30 was the maximum, but always there's three because there's always some people fail, right?

So that's the beginning of computer. So I started doing all my courses testing on the computer. And everybody said, I never use, I never sit there and scoring anything because it's all automated. And then it was posting in the Moodle. So now, they all using that way. And then I help every individual teachers, their question bank into Moodle.

So eventually, all those courses move into Moodle. Now when the pandemic happened, what happened is I've got everything in the Moodle. And actually, I did not have to have students in the classroom to give those syllabus, handout, or lesson plans because it was posted. So our school, adult education in the nursing program never closed during the pandemic. You know why? Because it was already in there.

When we were panicking, what are we going to do? I remember that we had OTAN meeting right up here. That I believe 2020 in March, and we had a meeting. And that weekend, when I went back to school, we might close down. We might, right? Exactly two weeks later, they closed. Guess what? I say, give me over the weekend because I'm going to come out way to bring the students in.

And I just come up. I actually remember going into Zoom meeting. So I utilized Zoom meeting practice with my family. So we're going to have a Zoom meeting. My son, my daughter, and they all joined. And so oh, this is working. And so we're going to use a Zoom to collect the student.

And my daughter, which is Hannah. So I come up in June. And I want to her to talk about Discord, which I had no clue. So she wants to utilize that because there is some benefits. And I had to learn how to get in. So how you use the Discord?

Hannah Gandy: So is anybody familiar with Discord? Some people? So my feeling at the beginning of the pandemic, it was that it was going to be very isolating for the students because Zoom pops up, and then it goes away. We don't have a permanent classroom.

And while we had Moodle, it was just kind of a dumping ground, right? Assignments, whatever. I wanted a sense of community for the students. And so Discord is a permanent server where students can gather. They can voice chat. They can private message. They don't have to exchange phone numbers. They can video chat. We can group video chats. I'm trying to think what else. I can share images, all that kind of stuff. And so we utilized it early in the pandemic.

For my classes, I just happened to be hired right before the pandemic. And they utilized me a lot just for my different knowledge of tech that was available. Discord, recently, it's in the news a lot for gaming stuff and legitimacy. But a lot of gamers use it to create community. A lot of subcultures use it to create community. And so I wanted to do that for our students.

And we actually have a cohort that I just started in January that made one on their own. And that's where they gather as a cohort, kind of like a Facebook group I guess. Maybe that's the original inception, where they can share their notes. And oh, do you remember we have this? Check in with each other, send reminders to each other without being in our Canvas classroom, where you got the oversight of the teacher.

Chun Hee McMahon: Remember, actually, we were teaching medical nurses. It's not what you teach English as a second language. We have to show them how to do things, demonstrate them. And we ask them to demonstrate back to them. And you should have seen the creativity that we applied. It was amazing.

You can tell why I recruited my daughter? I was working with my director 82 years old. My teacher, oldest one is 76 years old. And then the rest of the retired nurses, they don't want to work in a clinical side, and they decide to teach. So you could tell what kind of challenge I had to face. They were scared of using computer. They make me to stand by every single courses. When they have to open Zoom, I have to troubleshoot because that's what I did.

I opened the Zoom. The teachers will stand, and they lecture, just like a classroom. And then I close it. And the students could not get in, I'm running around. And I put them in. They call me in my office. I try to get in. Nobody coming. I put it in. So I just want to let you know how just kind of struggle that I had to go through to making some of the young generation to join.

And I'm very glad that I did it, because I actually dragged them into OTAN time because they said it's not their thing. But I couldn't do it by myself because it has the sign up for bunch. So I just wanted to say, eventually, Clovis nursing instructors all trained the Moodle. And then we eventually had to transition Moodle to Canvas.

Guess what? I almost had a panic attack because I remember I spent 24 hours every single weekend sitting and setting up all that Moodle. 89 class. I could not imagine to moving that class into Canvas. But I'm going to tell you. This happened because all these Moodle to Canvas transition transferred over 89 nursing courses. In this process, a digital classroom, online test, supporting instructional material, and grading system had to be individually updated by instructor, which these young generation teachers came and helped made a smooth transition.

OTAN was pivotal in providing early education and supporting to our staff through this transition that took place in August, 2022. Not even a year ago. And IDEAL 101 has helped to give us agency some great structure to our goals. Because I did it by myself. But the goal with a team, it was really great by keeping us on track when it comes to time management and goal achievement.

And we had some clear goal and timeline now to execution. And that may not have been so timely due to time constraints and challenges. We have had abstract thoughts about what we want to see in our transition to Canvas for Moodle and fully going paperless. IDEAL 101 has helped us to center our ideas and bring them into clarity.

Our goal is for all our nursing instructors to be able to use campus and other technology resources to its full potential and with some continuity between our classes. Additionally, we would like to bridge the gap for our instructors, getting them all on more level field and when it comes to interacting and utilizing technology.

And our biggest accomplishment today is getting all class into Canvas with the minimal issues. And then additionally, through the work of Elaine, we have created All Things Canvas classrooms resource posted actually on the Canvas. So we don't have to have a face to face, and it's there. And then between Elaine and I could support.

And then skills that we have refined during the training session, having to be lean on our strength and individual labor of a project accordingly. So I want to have--

Hannah Gandy: OK. So she went ahead. But we're going to go back. So kind of she did all the preliminary stuff that set us up to where we were. So everything was set up into Moodle. I came in 2019 as an instructor. And I was the first instructor to convert over to Canvas. So I was the first class.

We kind of did like a rolling start in August of 2022. I used Canvas as a student. I used Moodle as a student. I also use Blackboard as a student. So I have a unique vantage point because I came into college using technology. So for me, I just have a different perspective than a lot of the teachers.

And so for me, I participated in some of the trainings. But for me, I found that just having a vision in my head, this is what I want to do, and then seeking it out and building it worked better for me personally. Amalia can share a little bit about her perspective. She came in after me. And she actually took over one of my classes. So she also has a different vantage point as well.

Amalia Pizano: Hello. Yes. So I was at an advantage as well because I used Canvas in my college courses. It was very easy to learn from switching from a student perspective to a teaching perspective. And that was because I had access to people who had used it in that perspective.

And then also the resources, like the All Things Canvas that I can refer to if I am looking for something in particular. But I think fresh is a great word. I am young in age, but I am not a young nurse. I have been a nurse almost 10 years. So a very modern view or a modern take on nursing, right? As she said, some of the instructors are a little bit older than I am. So I bring that modern perspective and can help troubleshoot a lot easier than they can.

And I don't accept anything on paper. Everything is online. So while they can print if they would like to and handwrite, I would like them to upload it in a PDF file because I just don't have the time honestly. And it makes it so much easier to grade when I can just hit complete, complete, complete. And that's pretty much it.

Hannah Gandy: OK. So just to finish. Our learners are our instructors. It's slightly different. The Canvas classroom, that's already gone live. So now for the future, for this next year, our plan is to complete forms to kind of help guide our instructors with a little bit more structure. We do need some more support from OTAN in terms of training. And we just want to kind of continue to grow and develop our capabilities and really even the playing field because you have two instructors that are probably the most strong of everybody. And so we want to bring everybody up to that level. And everybody that we bring in, we want to keep at that level. Thank you.