I think developers need to have a broad idea of what technologies can assist in meeting the course outcomes and appeal to a wide range of learners. All LMS's are different with unique features and it would be very difficult to be competent in them all. In our organization there are separate individuals who construct the course in the LMS (the technical piece) and those who design the course. This way no technological expertise is necessary and the developer can focus on design. The drawback is a disconnect between design and functionality.
Mark-- Response times and optimization are more technical in nature. These are important in order to have a virtual classroom free of distractions. We want students focusing on the content and not jumpy video, images that don’t load and links that don’t work.
Hi Tylana-- I agree.. Networking is important. I’ve learned of new technical tools/techniques not only from fellow instructors, but also my students.
Sharif ,
Computers simply do not care how old your are...they just want used!!
Shelly Crider
I agree, development of online courses is a basic necessity for distance/ offsite educational programs. I believe faculty these days should know how to use computer competently, as they are role models for the students. Even the senior faculty can be trained to use computers, through special programs, as there is no age limit to learn and enhance one’s knowledge.
Developing an online course may not require technological wizardry, it however does require a solid knowledge of information technology. Since the course will be delivered in a virtual environment, course developers should have the ability to utilize fairly sophisticated information tools and techniques. If the course developer is not an expert in a certain area, they should be able to draw upon resources which can provide professional level technical implementation to ensure the course is adequately designed in terms of the use of technology.
Dr. Thomas,
It does indeed to help, but not necessarily a must. It might speed the time up of completing the course.
Shelly Crider
It sure would help if you have some Technological Expertise but I do beleive there is help available to you. Your supervisor or the Tech. people could help you get started then continues learning can help you move forward.
Shari,
Students depend on the strong IT department as well.
Shelly Crider
Erika,
What works one term may need to be updated or tweaked the next term!
Shelly Crider
I agree with Jon. The online course developer should be a SME as well as exceptionally tech savvy. However, most LMS are relatively easy to use once understood, so perhaps even those who are not so tech savvy can undergo some basic education in whatever LMS their institution uses, thus making them more tech savvy! Thoughts?
So very true! I was able to develop my own online course at an institution where I used to work, and I am far from a technological wizard. I think the technological wizard is needed for creating the online platform where the class will be viewed. But I think in most cases, the developer just needs a better understanding of making it obvious what assignments are, where to find them, etc. When I developed my course, I had nothing to do with the platform and really any technological wizardry would have been useless since I basically just needed to know how to upload items, post in text boxes and create hyperlinks.
Shelly, I think that "wizards" is a strong term sense not all instructors will indeed be wizards so I would disagree that we all need to be wizards thus all-knowing how to implement various types of technology to meet our course design experience. There are so many helpful websites and forums today, to include extra training we can take to ensure we can complete web-based interactive course design so it will be accepted by the student and visualized.
I somewhat disagree, I have found myself to be tech support at many times to my students, I really need to understand how to troubleshoot for my students. I have seen many non-tech saavy teachers try to teach online, however they become frustrated and overwhelmed with the questions on the technology.
Sara
An idea of how the technology works, and will work, for the learner and the instructor is always useful. The course would ideally be tested before it goes "live" to work out any bugs. One does not have to be a wizard to develop a course but a good IT department should be behind the developer to make sure everything goes as planned.
I dont believe the designers need to be technical wizards as most of the analysis, design, development and testing is related to content of the course materials and the look and feel of the website. The course designers are like users within an organization that are developing an application - they need to be involved because they will be using the app on an on-going basis and the technical developmers are the ones who do the coding to bring the design to reality.
To construct a basic online course, one does not have to be a technical wiz. However, I have found that when venturing further from the rudimentary course design, things can get complicated, i.e. adding the 'fancy stuff'. Specifically, when adding features such as video clips, pre-recorded video segments (done by the instructor) and similar types of media features, one can experience problems.
The main reason for this is lack of familiarity in doing these tasks and the relative infrequency of working with these features. Therefore, when attempting to take a one dimensional online course to the next level by adding more media features, having a strong instructional design technical support function is very helpful.
John
Jonida,
Good point. The developers may put in the best of the best in technology, but if the end user is uncomfortable, is it worth it?
Shelly Crider
Not necessarily. Usually content development is somewhat separate from overall implementation within the larger system. It can be helpful though have experience as both an instructor and course developer since you are intimately knowledgeable about both. If you are using the content to teach, it can be helpful to have participated in the initial development process. Developers should be highly aware of the latest technology and especially technological trends that impact students. The ways that students prefer to learn and interact with content is changing. As developers, its important to plan and deliver the content in the most suitable ad effective way.
I don't think one has to be a tech wizard to design an online course. However, you do need to understand the basics. Training courses are usually sufficient in providing the basic tools. One basically needs to be comfortable with the school's platform for e-learning.
I do think it's possible to go overboard with "bells and whistles." Doing so may seem to make the course more interactive, but it may discourage the students who may not be as tech savvy.
