Thanks for that reminder to check links every term. So true!!!
Dr. Felicia,
An instructor must review their online class each and every term to make sure all links are working. There are times when links can change to an unwanted site!
Shelly Crider
Dr. Felicia,
As we know, we all learn differently, so having an option will allow you to touch more students.
Shelly Crider
Time invested to develop online course is more than time required for on ground course in my opinion. Although one becomes more efficient in online classroom after facilitating it over and over again, a facilitator must still ensure that the courses are relevant and real-time. For example, one can tie the course to current events so that the learners can feel the relevance of the course to real-life examples or situations.
I also like both options...That way learners can choose whichever they prefer.
Althea,
All of this technology around us makes you wonder what will be the "norm" for classes in 20 years!
Shelly Crider
It depends. It would seem easier, especially if you have a template from an on site course to work from. Still, being at a distance from the learner poses its own unique set of challenges that to me make it more difficult. Selecting the most appropriate learning environments - whether synchronous,asynchronous, or blended; instructional media; and navigational strategies, etc., seem more challenging to me, given that we do not always know who our learners are and given the wide variety of options available to us.
Is it more important to replicate what we do in the classroom, or is it more important to really consider how, where and when learners access information and learn in designing instruction? The world of social media and mobile technology is opening up new vistas for reaching and educating students that makes approaching design more complicated, yet infinitely more interesting to me.
Tim,
Oh so true. Students will give up when they simply cannot figure out the step they missed. Having available different web browers, and presentation of the information is a must.
Shelly Crider
My courses, being technical computer courses, contain labs which must be tested multiple times (as students may use more than one "standard" way to troubleshoot and configure a technical problem). Similarly, an online course must be be tested for use with multiple web browsers, differing editions of web browsers, presentation and word processing software.
I am continually surprised at how written lab steps can be misconstrued be a student - for a course I have taught for years! In a classroom, a skipped step can be identified and executed - imagine the frustration of an online learner, at home, unable to complete a lab and unable to determine why!
Darakshan,
You always want to review the class each time it is offered for items that have changed!
Shelly Crider
I agree. First time development of the course may be more time consuming. However, for each subsequent course, the time invested is less. In addition, online courses can be developed from anywhere 24/7. This may not be true for instructors who are not computer savvy.
German ,
Good example with "plan the day's lesson and interact with students that night only". That is a powerful statement and one hopes that an instructor has more planning than that!
Shelly Crider
I do agree that a dependency is created with technology through online courses. As much as I enjoy technology, I've seen the chaos when it fails.
I would have to disagree. I have taught the same courses both online and on campus. I has taken more time to prepare and monitor student growth and achievement through online courses than on campus. Planning for online has taken more time as well, I must either record my lectures or find the accompanying videos that go with my lesson along with creating Powerpoint presentations with very detailed notes. In addition, I'm always communicating with students via telephone or email. In a campus based class, I usually just plan the day's lesson and interact with students that night only.
Sergio,
I have found that the more communication you have with the students, the more they login to your class. If the instructor can send out a "tip" for the week, such as a new technology or a new website, then the students have something to look forward to.
Shelly Crider
It requires more time to develop the first class of online delivery. The subsequent classes tend to be more of "maintenance" time.
Things that one could deliver orally, in an online course one cannot and must make sure the content is delivered appropriately.
On the other hand, most books come with instructional resources that allow instructors to browse, pick and edit content instead of creating it from scratch. This resources, though, create a sort of codependency with technology, and, in my experience, the instructors cannot teach a class if technology fails for some reason.
What has been your experience?
John,
Students learn differently, so different books make a difference. Many of the older students will want a traditional textbook especially for a capstone class.
Shelly Crider
Both e-books and the traditional textbook have their pros and cons. I am simply but deeply concerned about a course that does not have a prescribed textbook such as the lower dividion and upper division cpstone classes. Books are the common suppository of knowledge, the center of our learning universe.
E-books are more economical than the traditional textbook and its portability is so much easier than the traditional text.
Both the ongorund and online course development, in order to be successful for student delivery and retention, must require full devotion and quality assessment by the instructor. However, there are some requirements for online courses that are technology driven and not required for onground, such as providing tech. support; identifying technology requirement necessary to navigate throughout the course.
Victor,
You may have to update each term so that you are connecting to your students. As we all know, each class of students that we have tends to be a bit different!
Shelly Crider
