Working together
One thing that is very important when developing courses is to have a partner or colleague that you can touch base with. Sometimes the order of content or the way things are taught may make sense to you as an individual but may not to others. Having another author or eye on the course can help you combine different teaching methods and styles to reach as many students as possible. For example when developing a statistics course I worked with an individual who specialized in application of statistics in industry, and one who was more education based. That allowed for the combination of knowledge from the 'real world' as well as input on how to best teach these concepts from an educational standpoint.
Patricia,
I agree. When we work collaboratively, we learn from each other and have the opportunity to tall things through. Very helpful.
Thanks.
Working together on course development is always beneficial. The input from another person can help to put course content into perspective for easier understanding and improvement of the learning process.
Bob,
It's a great questions to ask students. We need their feedback to more appropriately provide the content. Nice job.
one thing i like to do is bounce ideas off of students to see how they respond to it. When I ask them, "What way would you like to see this presented that helps you to retain the information?" They are usually very willing to be a part of their own education and it helps them to feel a little more at ease to ask questions after they see I am willing to ask them questions.
Charles,
I agree. When we work with another person, it is easier to let the other person test modules and provide feedback. It is nice to have others provide feedback from another perspective. Thanks.
Working together with at least one partner in developing a course is very good, sometimes we may make a minor error and our partner may see it.
Joye,
Yes, i have worked with many content experts who have never taught before. The pedagogy is equally important as the content knowledge. We have to know what we are teaching and how to deliver it well. Thanks.
I think that having one author with educational experience and one author be someone who has applied what you are teaching in the workforce is a great combination. It can be difficult for the person with field experience to convey to students what they have not taught in a classroom setting. In Medical Assisting, we have instructors who came directly from the work force, therefore we have had to learn how to effectively teach. In order to do this, we have to consult with educational experts to make sure that we are doing everything we possibly can to enrich our students learning.
Christin,
Yes, this is why it's so important to get peer feedback/input/reviews, etc. We learn so much from each other.
Thanks!
I agree with this. Sometimes you are focusing on something for so long that you lose sight of what you are doing. It's great to have another set of eyes on an online course. I also believe that testing your course (quizzes, etc) is a must. Developing online curriculum is so time consuming and mistakes can happen along the way. Anything that can be done to test and review your work should always be done.
Nadia and Leah,
You bring up very good points. Our colleagues can help us tremendously. I love people looking over my courses and giving me feedback from their perspective and experience.
Thanks for your input.
Leah, Having colleagues to learn different teaching techniques from is priceless. It is vital for professional developement to learn many differnt teaching styles. An effective instructor has the ability to bounce back and forth between styles that are most effective, depending on which student he/she is communicating with.
Nadia
Denise,
Collaboration helps many people see things from a different perspective - through another lens. Thanks for your input.
I agree that having a partner who has the same mindset as you do can be very beneficial when developing a course. The ability to collaborate on a specific thought, seeing and hearing your partner's ideas and their philosophy, can trigger and expand the thought process, which can open the door for a more diversified and meaningful course outline.
Donald,
Right. We do what we can with what we have to work with. ;-) And, sometimes we work alone and sometimes we have help. It's always good to have a co-worker. Thanks!
I think that working together when deveoping a course is quite helpful. However, if an individual is developing a course for the first time, for financial reasons, it may not be possible to ensure that another person is available to review the course. Even so, the need for an editor is paramount, and should not be discounted.
Robin ,
Ah - when you find a good industry person who will take the time to do that, it is excellent. Keep up the good work.
Dr. Tena B. Crews
In developing a marketing research graduate course, I invited a colleague who works in the industry to review the assignments. She was able to provide some excellent feedback. But more important, she helped to make sure the assignments I was creating were something that a marketing researcher would encounter in the industry.
Jerry,
We all need more than one pair of eyes. ;-) Thanks for your input.
