I am a big fan of the online environment as I have been teaching online for the past 11 years, and I feel that some parts of the content can be re-used between the traditional and online courses, for example the lecture content, the discussion questions, as well as the assignments. The presentation would, of course, be different. The lecture materials would be presented as written or audio or video components of the classroom as opposed to a live lecture. Scheduled Seminars help the online instructors introduce the lecture content like they would in a traditional classroom. The discussions change from synchronous to asynchronous (from oral to written format). The format for the assignments would most likely remain the same. I feel that the better online platforms allow a good amount of interactivity between the students and the instructor, and matching those capabilities with the appropriate course content would create a terrific experience for students taking the course. Thank you. Elena Martignon
Nicholas,
Great post. It is a great opportunity to look at courses in a different way. There are so many tools that can engage your students.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jonida,
The way a course id delivered should be different. Content may be the same but course design plays a huge role in students success. You have to think outside the box for your engagement piece. There are so many tools that you can incorporate that can help you with engaging your students.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Khal,
You are correct. It isn't the content, it is the design. Course design is so important to student success/ You have to think about student engagement in another way using different tools. I have always found that when I work on my online courses it always improves my f2f courses.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Stephanie,
True, you don't have to sacrifice interaction for online. You just have to look at it creatively regarding course design and delivery. Again, I think social media could be explored to provide that type of interaction.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Stephanie,
This is where you need to really look at course design. Content may be fine, but delivery, that is the opportunity. Social media may be one way to fill that void of interaction.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Janet,
Correct, you can replicate nonverbal cues in an online course. It does take creative thinking and looking at delivery in a new way. Social media may help in making that transition. Just a thought. . . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
John,
Interesting post, thank you for sharing. We as instructors take on a different persona and I don't think are quite use to it yet. You will need to develops strategies for students to KNOW who you are. Students will connect.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Frances,
Great post. You are right, it really isn't about the content it is about structure. Course design is so important to student success in the online environment.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I agree with you Michael. The online course is not meant to be face to face.
Dr. Wilkinson,
Course content created for a F2F course would not be appropriate for an online environment since both the students and the instructor are neither meeting at the same place nor at the same time.
Furthermore, both the instructor and the students would not have access to all technology tools available in a traditional classroom setting.
Since the format and the setting of an online course are different than a traditional one, the instructor cannot simply transfer the same F2F content to an online environment. Instead, he or she must transform, organize, and re-structure content to suit the new environment. At the same time, he/she must incorporate the newly structured content to effectively meet the learning objectives of the course.
On another note, please consider reviewing question 2 in Quiz 4.
Best,
Since the method of interaction is different then there is often a need for additional information. Furthermore this information often needs to be provided in a different context. For example, aspects of the class which would normally be discussed in person need to be supplied through announcements or other forms of online communication.
So true! That interaction is key! I have worked for schools before who, like you said, repackaged face to face materials into the online classroom and then wondered why those classes weren't successful. The online learner is a completely separate entity than the face to face learner and we have to treat them as such.
In a simple response, the formats are just different. There are certainly components which are transferable, but online is not the same as face to face, in real time. There are ways to change course content to make it work for the online course but we also have to then take into account delivery, is it student centered, does it support outcomes, etc. I also think there are times that what you do in the face to face environment does not have the "bells and whistles" needed in the online class. For example, in a face to face classroom, an instructor might lecture for 30 minutes, but this is not going to work in the online course.
Some face to face content is delivered in an manner where nonverbal feedback is essential for the instructor to understand whether or not students are clear and not confused about the content. Seeing students nodding their heads or shaking their heads indicates whether or not the subject matter is understood. This does not happen in the online environment.
To properly adapt such content for online courses requires some creative thinking. Providing examples where students can apply the material to their own lives may help convey the material. But the instructor must ask probing questions to determine if the material is understood and they will need to closely monitor student engagement and progress to see if the desired outcomes are achieved.
Some face to face content is delivered in an manner where nonverbal feedback is essential for the instructor to understand whether or not students are clear and not confused about the content. Seeing students nodding their heads or shaking their heads indicates whether or not the subject matter is understood. This does not happen in the online environment.
To properly adapt such content for online courses requires some creative thinking. Providing examples where students can apply the material to their own lives may help convey the material. But the instructor must ask probing questions to determine if the material is understood and they will need to closely monitor student engagement and progress to see if the desired outcomes are achieved.
Dr. Wilkinson, I taught high school math classes for 35 years and that is probably why I made that statement. I know how much "extra" help and assistance I always gave to my students in high school. And I always have online math students that require me to be much more than a facilitator. But you just feel like you get to know your f2f students better. I do enjoy the online experience and it has been a good change for me.
John Rudolph
Course content created for a face-to-face class does not take into account that the students in an online environment are communicating with the material and the instructor using technology. The online classroom may have to structure the materials differently such as being in shorter "chunks" with some additional elements such as chat sessions, discussion boards, blogs, recorded audio/video and other elements that are not used in the face-to-face environment.
In a face-to-face environment, a lot of the time the instructor uses a lecture environment to deliver the information to the student. The students are there in the classroom and the instructor can see the students and engage the students by asking questions and changing the delivery if the students are not responding. In the online environment, it is more difficult to know how the students are receiving the material since the "body language" and facial expression elements are not available to the instructor.
The online environment uses more technology tools but can be as effective, if not more so, if the content is structured appropriately and the instructor is comfortable with the delivery methods necessary for the online environment.
carol,
Student interaction is one key to an interesting online course. The discourse among students and instructor is crucial. But, isn't that what makes a f2f course engaging and interesting. Use groups as a way to facilitate that. Hope this helps.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jeremy,
Is it the content or the delivery method that makes it unsuitable? I know of science labs online now. . . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
