I disagree. In an on-ground environment you have the ability to use the immediate feedback and input from students to direct and sometimes even create additions to the course. When preparing an Online course you have to research, type, anticipate responses, get guest participants to do the same etc. The amount of preparation can seem daunting and endless. I am an Admissions Specialist and not at all familiar with course preparation, when I created my online course for admissions staff, I found that what I teach and train in person was difficult to translate into course work. I have a new found appreciation for faculty as a whole, but especially for online faculty.
I disagree, the time needed to develop a quality online course requires turning lecture into media, handouts into pdf. outlines, loading quizzes online, and having the instructors record the lectures, this takes more time than them being able to stand in front of the classroom and giving a lecture.
Corrine:
My previous response was made within the context of the Discussion Topic which mentiosn "time to develop". I did not realize your response was directed towards student effort.
Satrohan
Yes, these are great statements
MORE TIME: when the student is on site, we meet for four hours a day, but then we know that the student will have to spend AT LEAST two more hours doing the homework which is practicing. Think of it as someone learning the piano. They must practice what they learned from the teacher. It has nothing to do with their knowledge, it is their skill that is practiced.
When a student is doing it online only, who can tell them to "make your fingers more round, keep your feet on the ground." All the different things that slow them down and they are not going to sit for 50 minutes at a time,let alone do it four times at 50 minutes. It's more "hit and miss."
THE ENERGY: Just as above, no one sits around the the computer for four hours. The TV, maybe.
Corrine:
Please continue to share your thoughts with us on this Subject by:
Providing thsoe factors that contribute to more time and more energy.
Elaborating on "descriptive terms".
Satrohan
Roy:
I can offer two suggestions.
1. Develop a detailed Course Design Specifications in which you include the time estimates for your effort. Remember that you are now addressing a reading asudience; not a listening audience. It take time to create well composed text that is clear and concise. It takes time to storyboard multimedia components. Also remember to include time to review the course materials until the course is in final form. You should account for at least two reviews---one after the course has been uploaded to the Course Delivery Platform; the other after any revisions you submitted have been made.
2. When you develop the Course Design Specifications, take into account what percentage of your course content is driven by the text book or other existing materials you do not have to create.
Satrohan
I disagree; it takes more time, more energy, and most definitely more descriptive terms than what would just be discussed in class.
I have found myself thinking about this question and how it applies to management expectations. How can I effectively/realistically/convincingly document the greater amount of time it takes to develop online course materials? I want to help our school develop curriculum in this area. I want to avoid working under same expectations as brick and mortar curriculum development and for the same pay per class developed. Any ideas?
Richard:
You certainly are entitled to your opinion about the value of test items geared towards knowledge acquisition. I believe they serve a purpose to measure knowledge learned; not the ability to apply that knowledge; and certainly not for skill assessment. This is especially useful in an online environment in which students should be provided with some measure of their progress especially if the mastery of the theory-based knowledge is a prerequisite for further learning in the course.
The validity of the use of those kinds of test items must be judged on the basis of the learning outcomes. Repeated attempts on Quizzes should not be allowed for quizzes that contribute to the final grade; and if they do, the percentage should be minimal---perhaps 3 to 5 depending on the overall goals of the course.
I agree that exams are meant to distinguish between those who "know" and those who do not "know".
Pleqase share with us one example of "an authentic assessment and practical application" and how you would administer that in an online environment.
Satrohan
I disagree, I feel that a "good" online class would take more time especially with the assessment. True/false, completion, multiple guess and other such assessment used in Face to Face classes were designed for rapid grading and in my opinion next to worthless for assessing knowledge learned. I also do not see much use for these assessments to be used in Face to Space and using them over and over to get 100%. I belive that with authentic assessment and practical application properly administrated, not everyone will be successful, a properly rounded bell curve will be generated that is not skewed due to rote retaking of quizzes which indicate what material is important and the information which can be overlooked. I do not think that dumming down the process of education serves anyone especially the learner.
Carol:
Please share with us your thoughts on these two questions.
Question 1
For a traditional classroom delivery scenario, how many hours do you think it will take you to create one hour of instruction?
Question 2
How many hours will it take you to create one hour of online learning materials?
Satrohan
I disagree. I think it would be the same if not more. In a classroom setting you can change venues with the class mood (so to speak). In an on-line course you may not be able to, but must be able to communicate at different times, and in different ways. Knowledge of the technical workings of an on-line course is a must.
Mark:
The statistics with which I am familiar support the fact that designing and developing an online course is significantly more time consuming; especially if the course is not supported by a textbook or other forms of existing reading materials.
Satrohan
I totally disagree!
When developing online it takes a lot of proof reading and corrections before presenting it online. When delivering in the classroom, the professor has the option of not displaying certian information especially if a mistake is noticed before the material is handed out. Also making the material user friendly is an area where the information presented on-line must be a ground level. Not all who do on-line know how to navigate on the computer. Point-in-case, I developed a web space for me to place my class exams. I am presently teaching an introduction to information technology class and wanted to introduce the ease of taking an exam on line. Well, three of my students could not access the site due to input error. These three students were not familar with the computer setting.
MARk
