I agree. There is a difference between a person who prepares an online course and the one who designs such course for online instruction from the technological point of view. Here we are talking about essence and process. I prepare the essence of the course; the technology expert prepares the process through which the course will be delivered to the students.
John
Nicholas,
Indeed it has become easy. Be sure to check your links each and every term and links can be bought by other companies and you could have a link to a porn site!
Shelly Crider
I agree. Many of the course design aspects have been reduced to point and click making it easy to develop the online course the way you want it. Even embedding video and photographs has become easy to do. Often it is as simple as attaching a photo or placing a link.
James,
Email is an awesome tool. If phone is not high on your list, maybe IM chats would work as a back up.
Shelly Crider
Maybe its just me, but i can stand talking on the telephone. I would much rather email someone and keep the phone calls to those emergency situations when at all possible.
Sure, I do find it does help to learn these other technologies, they can make a real difference in content delivery, especially media. Todays students almost demand some media in the classroom from my past experiences with this subject.
Debra,
Trying new things is keeping up with our students!! Students who take online courses are more than likely to have a lot of technical toys!
Shelly Crider
I think the team approach is the most effective one. Subject matter experts may have some ideas to pass along to the techies and vice versa. Mutual learning opportunities then help all participants grow in ways they can continue to add value to their various course design endeavors and roles.
Debra
Hi Shelly -- I don't think people who develop OL courses have to be tech wizards, but being tech savvy certainly helps, which means keeping up on new developments and trying out new things.
Debra
I agree that developers of online courses do not have to be technological wizards. It is helpful if they have a background of computer knowledge, but not an expertise. I think that it is possible to have basic computer knowledge and to learn how to work within your schools platform to create an online course. Most schools provide instruction on how to set up an online course, using their preferred software. Also, many schools provide support staff if you run into difficulty.
I think the most important qualities for setting up an online course are willingness and hard work.
Ron,
I would say that most of the instructors in this course would not call themselves a tech wizard, but can or could put a class together. We have all gathered resources that help us.
Shelly Crider
Hhhmmm. I am somewhere in the middle. No the need to be a tech wizard should not be necessary. However, the depth to which you want to add multimedia may require special expertise.
I agree with this statement. However, each should be willing to learn and implement new techinques. I find that access to course developers and explaining what you would like to do helps the developer make suggestions. As technology improves, it is difficult for each instructor to stay current.
Richard,
I think you are safe! Students want their instructors to be an expert in their field.
Shelly Crider
Jerry,
Instructors need to know enough to be able to help students and to be able to add content if something worldly happens that needs to be discussed.
Shelly Crider
Rebecca,
Very well stated. As an instructor, a student wants you to be a "wizard" in your own field whether it is accounting, medical, criminal justice or IT.
Shelly Crider
As a novice I hope I need not be a technical expert, if so, I am in trouble.
I agree with Jon. Ideally course developers should understand and appreciate the technical aspects of the course. However, having subject matter expertise is most important and the developer can work with a technical expert to achieve the balance in the development process
It depends on your definition of "technological wizard." I do not think the developer need to be a master of ALL the system, but she or he need to know the system and platform where the online course will be deployed.
I think you are right, Alfred. I would add that the technology experts are more likely to be up-to-date on the most recent developments in technology, more so than the course developer would be. As a course developer, I am an expert in my field, I have a strong background in online instruction, and I have expertise in pedagogy and andragogy. My focus has not been on technology, however, so I have to rely on those who are trained in those areas to support my course development and ensure that courses reflect the latest advances.
