Hilee
Draehn
COMM
5350a
Lesson
11
The April 24, 200 edition of
"Newsweek" featured a study of online courses from many colleges and
universities, ranging from Harvard University to Jones International
University. The information is revealing.
According to "Newsweek", by the end of the year 75 percent of
American's colleges are expected to offer online course work, and by the end of
the year 2000, more that 5.8 million students will have logged on for
coursework (Burke, 2000). Can you imagine how these numbers
must have increased already for the year 2001?
Web-based
instruction is at the cutting edge of technology offering significant
opportunities-opening up education to the unserved or underserved, providing
new multimedia tools to support learning, freeing geographical barriers to
education, providing a limitless supply of information, experts, and
experiences, and increasing the convenience of learners to access their course
work anytime, anywhere, anyplace. Moreover,
with the proliferation of adaptive technology features, even the physically
challenged are able to participate.
However,
as Dr. Ingle notes in Lesson 11, there
are key areas of concern for determining success with educational environments
involving the use of technology:
*Learner Characteristics
Everyone
posses an array of learning styles, preferences, and abilities. Regardless of the environment, the primary
goal of the student is to learn. Some
articles that address characteristics of adult learners:.
1.
Characteristics
of Adult Learners
http://scrtecne.unl.edu/SCRTECNE/TechTopics/AdultLearners/default.html
The
article addresses problems that impaired adult learners face during web-based
instruction. Solutions are noted.
2.
Meeting
the Needs of Adult Learners in Developing Courses for the Internet http://www.isoc.org/isoc/whatis/conferences/inet/96/proceedings/c4/c4_2.htm
This
article discusses specific adult learner characteristics and how their needs
should be met.
*Instructor
Instructors
who are involved as the facilitator of an online course fulfill roles different
than that of the traditional classroom teacher. The professor must:
*
be comfortable with technology
*
shift to learner-centered activities
*understand
the changing role of the teacher
*have
the time to learn new technologies, guide students, and give positive,
constructive feedback.
A
site that discusses the role of the instructor is:
Learn
Online http://learn.gmcc.ab.ca/lol/staff/lit_comp.cfm
*Learner's Technology
Literacy Skills
Tips
for Online Success http://illinois.online.uillinios.edu/IONresources/tips.html
This
site offers tips for online learners.
*Quality of instructional
content
Implementing
the Seven Principles: Technology as a
Lever http://www.aahe.org/technology/ehrmann.htm
This
essay describes appropriate ways to use technology to deliver course work.
*Structure of the course
Teaching
Through the Web http://www.teachonweb.org/teaching/teaching.shtml
This
article address ways to offer an effective program.
*Student to student and
student to professor interactions
A
form of contact must be established and ongoing to formulate a community of
learners. As a student, some of the
most effective collaborative building environments have included, group work,
co-authoring software, voice messages, constructive feedback, one-way video
conferencing, and clear concise messages from students and professors.
*Aligning the course with
the goals and objectives of the program
*Ease of navigation
It
is imperative that the course materials be easy accessible, understandable, and
clear expectations be expressed.
*Use of media
My
personal opinion, more is not always better.
The use of the media must enhance the program rather than detract from
it.
Of
course measuring the effectiveness of online programs is multi-tiered. The course web-site should be evaluated by
the students and feedback used to refine the class. Student portfolios that various tasks (even highlighting the role
of the student in completing the task) should be used to assess learning.
Student participation should be evaluated not to just how much but what kinds
of messages are being sent to the listserv, bulletin board, and email.
Reference:
Burke,
D. (2000). APSU Offers Online Course for Fall. In the News. Retrieved November
17,2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www.apsu.edu/news/7_24_2000/online_classes.HTM