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They do not--- the people who input all the information need to have more knowledge but having helped develop courses, I have no technological wizardry but am able to figure out what would work with the applicable subject matter.
I believe it depends on the type of learning management system that will be used. The more complicated the systen, the more technologically-inclined the person may want to be. That said, many programs have sufficient support so that users do not have to be "wizards" with technology.
Agree. With that said, an online course designers has to have some technical experience, but you don't have to be a programmer or net admin to create a course. The online course platforms that are used to deliver online course and content are created to be not only user friendly for the students, but the instructors as well.
Technological wizard is a very broad term ... to develop an online course one must be computer literate, email literate, understand how to use the CMS developed for that particular teaching environment and also understand the development of a proper ISD.
The developers of online courses are not technical wizards unless they are also physicists that can design a nuclear magnetic resonance machine form memory (misnamed MRI by hospitals to avoid explaining "Nuclear") or perform similar technology related feats.
Disagree - you do indeed have to know how to structure a course and make sure you are presenting the material correctly, as well as getting the correct feedback. This takes some practical abilities that are not just theoretical.
Granted, a good instructor with no computer skills whatsoever could probably be helpful to a "techie" re: design.
There are two functions here, technical and instructional. Both are needed, and it probably helps for the course developer to have both sets of skills. But its not necessary for the instructional designer to have the tech skills if the school where they work has a technical staff that can create the tools that are needed. My institution takes that approach and it works.
Agree. The course developer would not have to be a technological wizard if the correct LMS is chosen. Only the LMS developer would have to be.
It is important to have intermediate computer and internet skills to be able to enter the course into the platform and predict how it will look to the students taking the course.
Over the many years of teaching On-ground I have developed mental pictures and abstract structures that I have attempted to translate into verbally delivered and whiteboard assisted lectures. When computer technology developed to the point that it promised possible translation of my face to face strategies into e Learning scenarios I began a long frustrating journey to try and develop Online learning software.
The technical tools are getting more powerful and easier to use, but there were always implementation difficulties that fell short of what my imagination wished was possible. As content expert, I could design pedagogically sound learning strategies, but as a technological apprentice there were many challenges to turn an idea into a deliverable product.
A teacher in the classroom is an actor and a performer limited only by the range of their enthusiasm and skill in perceiving the degree of the learner's reception of knowledge from body language or responses to their questions. Building that enthusiasm and perception into a computer program is very hard, and requires lots of technical skill. I found that many tools were needed, and then integrating them together presented additional problems. You need to be a Technological Expert in my opinion to be fully effective in converting a design plan into a developed lesson.
A content expert who is also a technological wizard is of course ideal. At the institution where I teach they are now asking to migrate our technical courses to online. The catch-22 problem I see here is that the content expert almost needs to teach the subject matter to the technical wizard to communicate what ideas they want to convey, and the techie needs to explain ("dummy down"?) what is possible with current technology!
So in my opinion, the Design phase of online learning must start with the content expert who is an experienced teacher, and the Development phase needs to be guided by the techno wizard. The more that the teacher is aware of what is possible and what it involves to implement learning concepts, and the more the techie understands about the subject content, the better the two can work as a team.
Now, can the institutions who employ teachers and techies to create online learning realize the amount of time required for such a team to do a good job?!
I disagree because developers need to know how to create pdf's, jpgs and animations. All of these items add to the educational experience of the online course. This is the main reason why the Instructional Designer is now a career choice.
I disagree because developers need to know how to create pdf's, jpgs and animations. All of these items add to the educational experience of the online course. This is the main reason why the Instructional Designer is now a career choice.
Do you think that it is an option to develop instructions on how to use some of the media programs?
It should not be overlooked that the course end product does not exceed the technology requirements defined within the course description.
Developing an online course does not require advanced technology skills, although additional skills are needed for the production and incorporation of some media. Developers can rely on specialists to provide specific artwork and photographs, as well as custom video and audio to support the learning outcomes.
Maureen.
I think it takes a bit of expertise. One must understand the technoldy so that they are familiar in troubleshooting their own course site and any problems that the users/learners might be having.
Although I don't think I need to be a technological wizard to teach online, I do feel that further training in computer technology would benefit my ability to be an excellent online instructor. I feel a little overwhelmed by all the choices of delivery methods and how to access them.
Not sure about "wizard" but a very strong knowledge of computer technology is required to create hyperlinks, insert videos/photos, etc. I agree a little bit of web designing knowledge or experience comes in very handy.
Hi Shelly,
I agree. Developers of online courses do not have to be technological wizards. Developers of online courses, probably more than anything else, need to understand how to present the content of their courses in a meaningful fashion so that students may learn it. Additionally, they have to be very cognizant of the content themselves.
Thank you.
Susan Ceklosky
I think most individuals comfortable with basic Internet and email use could design a course which only utilizes basics-text, simple graphics, Power Point,etc. However, I think it takes a little more knowledge to begin incorporating multimedia and hyperlinks. I've also noticed that the difficulty in incorporating these strategies varies with available online course development software.