It does seem like creating a syllabus for a course I have already taught live wouldn't be so difficult. However, things change when developing an online course. There is an expectation that the syllabus be interactive so that studetns can easily find what they are looking for and search through topics easily.
Additionally, the provisions for when the instructor and TAs are available need to be structured differently. Virtutal office hours may be necessary to accommodate students. However, it seems that in a virtual environment students are less likely to be available during the traditional office hours of campus instructors or faculty and TAs. To alleviate some of these problems, I have added a frequently asked questions discussion post that will be checked daily by the TAs and myself. I am hoping this will help the students have access to question answers at more convenient times of the day for them, as well as cut down on multiple e-mails with the same or similar questions.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A Whole New World: Developing online modules
When I first began this project, I thought "well I have all my content created, it is just a matter of moving it online". Wow, was I confused! The more I ascertain about how students learn in an online environment, the more I realize how I need to shift my thinking. A leading educational theorist, Seymour Papert, has studied the use of new technologies in learning extensively. One of his major findings is that new technology should not be used simply to relay the old information in a new way. Instead, technology should be used to create a new learning experience that is interactive and designed to enhance a student's creativity.
Thus, in order for the course to be the best learning experience for my students, I need to do more than simply narrate my PowerPoints and put them online. I need to develop online learning objects, sometimes called Reusable Online Learning Objects or RLOs. These will be interactive modules, they will engage students in the topic by requiring them to do more than just listen and/or read. Through the Articulate Studio products, I will be able to create Flash based presentations, quizzes, and interactive models. There may be other software available for developing these modules, but this is the program I am familiar with and being trained to used by our amazing e-learning staff.
As always, the biggest barrier to developing online modules is the time it will take to transfer my teaching to an online format. Now that I have recovered from the initial shock of how much time this will take to develop modules, I am excited about learning how to do this effectively and expand my student's learning experience and the vision for their future.
Thus, in order for the course to be the best learning experience for my students, I need to do more than simply narrate my PowerPoints and put them online. I need to develop online learning objects, sometimes called Reusable Online Learning Objects or RLOs. These will be interactive modules, they will engage students in the topic by requiring them to do more than just listen and/or read. Through the Articulate Studio products, I will be able to create Flash based presentations, quizzes, and interactive models. There may be other software available for developing these modules, but this is the program I am familiar with and being trained to used by our amazing e-learning staff.
As always, the biggest barrier to developing online modules is the time it will take to transfer my teaching to an online format. Now that I have recovered from the initial shock of how much time this will take to develop modules, I am excited about learning how to do this effectively and expand my student's learning experience and the vision for their future.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Why Didn't Someone Think of This Before?
Well, many people actually did think of converting this course to an online course before me and my current team of people. For many years, it was talked about as a possibility, but like all projects it takes time, money, and the right people to make it happen. About a year ago, Hope Kelly, Coordinator, Education/Training Programs for our department's UF e-Learning Institute applied for a campus-wide grant to convert large enrollment courses at the University of Florida to online courses. For a myriad of reasons, this class was not selected to receive a grant, so we all let the idea go.
Then, when I expressed my interest in converting the course, without money, Hope developed a proposal for a mini-grant from our college to help with some of the development. Because I intended to convert the course anyway, this money came as a nice surprise and will allow us to purchase some software, hardware, and training to make this process easier.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Why Convert Anyway?
This research and business writing class (AEE3033) has typically been a high enrollment course for our department, which allows graduate students an opportunity to teach in a large lecture format and manage multiple TAs. Students in this course are from all different majors with a variety of career interests. Due to high enrollments and multiple disciplines, this course brings money to the department and allows the department to offer more assistanships.
While enrollment in both sections continues to remain high during the fall and spring semesters, summer enrollment has declined. There are many reasons for this, a few are: some scholarships do not pay during the summer and students want to go home during the summer to work or visit with friends and family. After visiting with my department chair, we both agreed that an online version of this course would really make sense over the summer. The department will still offer a live version for those students who would prefer to take the course in this format.
After our discussion, I immediately volunteered to teach the online course this upcoming summer (2010). I am excited about this opportunity and consider it an thrilling learning experience. However, each time I meet with someone new I realize this may be way more work than I initially realized. Because this process is full of learning and growth opportunities, I thought my experience could benefit others through this blog.
While enrollment in both sections continues to remain high during the fall and spring semesters, summer enrollment has declined. There are many reasons for this, a few are: some scholarships do not pay during the summer and students want to go home during the summer to work or visit with friends and family. After visiting with my department chair, we both agreed that an online version of this course would really make sense over the summer. The department will still offer a live version for those students who would prefer to take the course in this format.
After our discussion, I immediately volunteered to teach the online course this upcoming summer (2010). I am excited about this opportunity and consider it an thrilling learning experience. However, each time I meet with someone new I realize this may be way more work than I initially realized. Because this process is full of learning and growth opportunities, I thought my experience could benefit others through this blog.
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