Jane Leight

Hi Karen, You bring up a good point about the dedication it takes to physically attend school. Do you think that it takes a different kind of dedication to earn an online degree? :) Jane

Good answer! What do you think about hybrid classes? Do you think that, perhaps, they could be the answer to evaluating the psychomotor, practical application, and physical activity portions of the course. Aside from video tape and streaming video, can you think of any other way to assess these skills in the online environment? Is there other technology that can be used? Let me know if you come up with any brainstorms!! :) Jane

You bring up a couple of good points about the energy level that can be achieved with real-time chat and the convenience of asynchronous discussion. The question that keeps running through my mind, however, is "which method is best for learning?" Chat is energetic but what about the slow typist or the slow reader? Discussion forums are convenient but does the lack of timely feedback hinder the learning process? As always, I am interested in your thoughts. It seems that you have a great deal of experience with both types of discussion. :) Jane

I started asking this question a few years back and am amazed at the evolution the answers have taken. Online schools have really made terrific strides in gaining acceptance. Do you think that it is actually the better students (and, thus, better employees) who complete their education online? I am interested in your opinion. Thanks, Jane

You make a very appropriate distinction between first-time users and experienced users. Too often course designers assume that all learners are the same. Some argue that the time it takes preparing the Design Specification document could be better spent developing a prototype. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Elaine, There aren't too many options besides having students submit a video, which is what the current speech classes are doing. Assuming that the students live close to the school, you could have the final presentation conducted onsite. Another option would be for the institution to hire outside evaluators, similar to test proctors for final exams. If you come across any other information on this, I would love to hear from you again. :) Jane

I think you hit the nail on the head when you suggested posting rules for engaging in synchronous chat. Many students are used to talking to their friends in chat rooms and have developed some bad habits that could translate to the online classroom. Do you agree that deeper learning can happen when asynchronous methods of discussion are used? Why or why not? Thanks, Jane

Excellent point!

You bring up an interesting point about the training workshop not being suitable for online because of the need for immediate feedback. The thought that I can't get out of my head is that some colleges are offering speech classes online, which are evaluated in much the same ways as your workshop. In light of this, if you were challenged to convert your training workshop to an online course, could you make it work? I am interested in your thoughts :) Jane

Needs assessment is definately a necessary step in creating a Design Specification. I also agree that the person developing the course should be able to offer advice as to the feasiblity of many aspects of the design. Do you feel that performing a needs assessment and creating a design specification document will be less costly and time consuming than taking a prototyping approach? Thanks for your input :) Jane