Article Title: Teaching College Courses Online vs Face-to-Face
Author: by Glenn Gordon Smith, David Ferguson, Mieke Caris
Department and Issue: T.H.E. Journal Feature, April 2001
Experiencing a huge demand for college courses
taught over the Web and not wanting to be swept aside by competitors
from the commercial sector, universities are often pressuring faculty
to teach courses online. Many faculty members have never taught
online, and therefore wonder what they are getting themselves into.
What are the differences between teaching online and teaching
face-to-face? What can faculty members expect from the experience of
teaching college courses on the Web?
Other faculty members have some experience teaching online,
but haven't shared their experiences, nor have they read the
literature on distance education. Their knowledge remains
fragmentary. Are faculty experiences with teaching online specific to
their content areas, or representative of the larger experience of
teaching over the Web? This study seeks to integrate the experiences
of professors currently teaching online into a qualitative
description.
Literature Search
Before embarking on the research, we were aware of and
influenced by a number of research-based notions of distance
education. The first was that it requires a considerable amount of
time to design and develop an online class. The instructor must shift
from the role of content provider to content facilitator, gain
comfort and proficiency in using the Web as the primary
teacher-student link, and learn to teach effectively without the
visual control provided by direct eye contact (Williams & Peters
1997).
Moore (1993) suggests that there are three types of interaction
necessary for successful distance education: 1) learner-content
interaction, 2) learner-instructor interaction, and 3)
learner-learner interaction. Distance learning instructors need to
ensure that all three forms of interaction are maximized in their
course structure.
Peters (1993) criticizes distance education, saying that it reduces
education to a kind of industrial production process, lacking the
human dimension of group interaction, and even alienating learners
from teachers. He compares distance education to a mass-production
assembly line process where a division of labor (educators and
communications specialists) replaces the more craft-oriented approach
of traditional face-to-face education. However, Peters' article
predates the current Web-based boom in distance education. His
notions, like the computer themes in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A
Space Odyssey, sound slightly like industrial age paranoia toward
computers. The personal computer and the Internet have probably been
a greater force towards individualization than mass production.
Method
We interviewed 21 instructors who had taught both in the
distance and the face-to-face format. The instructors ranged from
assistant professors to adjunct professors. Fifteen of the 21
instructors taught in the context of the SUNY Learning Network, a
non-profit, grant-funded organization that provides the State
Universities of New York (SUNY) with an infrastructure, software, Web
space and templates for instructors to create their online course.
The Learning Network also provides workshops on developing and
teaching online courses, a help desk and other technical support for
Web-based distance education. The remaining six informants taught
Web-based distance education courses in similarly supported
situations at state universities in California and Indiana.
Four of the interviews were conducted over the telephone and 18 were
done via e-mail. The four telephone interviews occurred first and
were used to develop a set of open-ended questions for e-mail
interviews. Since e-mail interviewing did not require the laborious
process of transcription, the e-mail interview process allowed the
gathering of data from a much larger number of participants than was
possible from telephone or face-to-face interviews alone.
By reading over the transcriptions of the telephone interviews, the
investigators found emerging themes that were converted into 27
open-ended essay questions comprising the "e-mail interview." The
e-mail interview, as it is used in this study, is differentiated from
a questionnaire on several counts. It uses open-ended, essay-style
questions as opposed to the Likert style, fill-in-the-blank or
multiple-choice items common to questionnaires. The informants
averaged approximately 45 minutes to complete the e-mail interview.
The initial questions included some "chit-chat" and informal
questions designed to put the interviewee at ease. It also involved
some degree of interaction between the interviewer and the
interviewee. The interviewers sometimes e-mailed participants
follow-up questions to particularly interesting responses.
The investigators read over all the interviews at least two times,
looking for trends and consistencies and generating 39 categories of
responses and mnemonic codes to symbolize these categories. Some
typical coding categories include ">WK," meaning that the online
classes require more work, and "N FUNNY," meaning that humor was
problematic in the online environment.
Three investigators coded the interviews and then counted how many
times each type of response occurred (not the number of informants
who said or wrote a particular response). So if one informant wrote
at three different times in the interview that online classes
required more work, that interview contributed three occurrences of
the ">WK" category, not one occurrence. The coding system was not
done to be objective (this type of ethnographic research is by its
nature non-objective), but rather to uncover trends in the data.
Data Sources
Some of the most important, most emphasized and most frequent responses made points we had not directly asked about. A lot of
issues related to bandwidth limitations and the dominance of text in
Web-based classes. Some instructors feel as if a lifetime of teaching
skills goes by the wayside. They can not use their presence and their
classroom skills to get their point across. Nor can they use their
oral skills to improvise on the spot to deal with behavior problems
or educational opportunities.
Because of the reliance on text-based communication and a lack of
visual cues, every aspect of the course has to be laid out in
meticulous detail to avoid misunderstandings. Every lecture must be
converted to a typed document. Directions for every assignment must
be spelled out in a logical, self-contained way. Therefore, Web-based
distance classes require considerably more work, often including
hundreds of hours of up-front work to set up the course. On the other
hand, the development of an online class, especially one that began
as a face-to-face course, makes the instructor confront and analyze
the material in new and different ways.
Once the course begins, the long hours continue. Online instructors
must log on to the course Web site at least three or four times a
week for a number of hours each session. They respond to threaded
discussion questions, evaluate assignments, and above all answer
questions clearing up ambiguities, often spending an inordinate
amount of time communicating by e-mail. The many instructor hours
spent online create an "online presence," a psychological perception
for students that the instructor is out there and is responding to
them. Without this, students quickly become insecure and tend to drop
the class.
This great amount of work sounds intimidating; however, most online
instructors looked forward to their time spent online as time away
from their hectic face-to-face jobs. One respondent commented: "This
is why I like the online environment. It's kind of a purified
atmosphere. I only know the students to the extent of their work.
Obviously their work is revealing about them."
The Web environment presents a number of educational opportunities
and advantages over traditional classes, such as many informational
resources that can be seamlessly integrated into the class.
Instructors can assign Web pages as required reading, or have
students do research projects using online databases. However, it is
important that the instructor encourage the students to learn the
skills to differentiate valid and useful information from the dregs,
as the Internet is largely unregulated.
Some instructors also had online guests in their classes (authors,
experts in their field, etc.) residing at a distance, yet
participating in online threaded discussions with the students in the
class. All these things could theoretically be accomplished in a
traditional class by adding an online component; however, because
online classes are already on the Web, these opportunities are
integrated far more naturally.
Other advantages of online classes result from psychological aspects
of the medium itself. The emphasis on the written word encourages a
deeper level of thinking in online classes. A common feature in
online classes is the threaded discussion. The fact that students
must write their thoughts down, and the realization that those
thoughts will be exposed semi-permanently to others in the class seem
to result in a deeper level of discourse. Another response stated:
"The learning appears more profound as the discussions seemed both
broader and deeper. The students are more willing to engage both
their peers and the professor more actively. Each student is more
completely exposed and can not simply sit quietly throughout the
semester. Just as the participating students are noticeable by their
presence, the non-participating students are noticeable by their
absence. The quality of students' contributions can be more refined
as they have time to mull concepts over as they write, prior to
posting."
The asynchronous nature of the environment means that the student (or
professor) can read a posting and consider their response for a day
before posting it. Every student can and, for the most part, does
participate in the threaded discussions. In online classes, the
instructor usually makes class participation a higher percentage of
the class grade, since instructor access to the permanent archive of
threaded discussions allows more objective grading (by both quantity
and quality). This differs from face-to-face classes where, because
of time constraints, a relatively small percentage of the students
can participate in the discussions during one class session. Because
of the lack of physical presence and absence of many of the usual
in-person cues to personality, there is an initial feeling of
anonymity, which allows students who are usually shy in the
face-to-face classroom to participate in the online classroom.
Therefore it is possible and quite typical for all the students to
participate in the threaded discussions common to Web-based
classes.
This same feeling of anonymity creates some political differences,
such as more equality between the students and professor in an online
class. The lack of a face-to-face persona seems to divest the
professor of some authority. Students feel free to debate
intellectual ideas and even challenge the instructor. One respondent
stated that "In a face-to-face class the instructor initiates the
action; meeting the class, handing out the syllabus, etc. In online
instruction the student initiates the action by going to the Web
site, posting a message, or doing something. Also, I think that
students and instructors communicate on a more equal footing where
all of the power dynamics of the traditional face-to-face classroom
are absent."
Students are sometimes aggressive and questioning of authority in
ways not seen face-to-face. With the apparent anonymity of the
Internet, students feel much freer to talk. "Students tended to get
strident with me online when they felt frustrated, something that
never happened in face-to-face classes because I could work with
them, empathize and problem solve before they reached that level of
frustration," noted one respondent.
In the opening weeks of distance courses, there is an anonymity and
lack of identity which comes with the loss of various channels of
communication. Ironically, as the class progresses, a different type
of identity emerges. Consistencies in written communication, ideas
and attitudes create a personality that the instructor feels he or
she knows.
"Recently I had printed out a number of student papers to grade on a
plane. Most had forgotten to type their names into their
electronically submitted papers. I went ahead and graded and then
guessed who wrote each one. When I was later able to match the papers
with the names, I was right each time. Why? Because I knew their
writing styles and interests. When all of your communication is
written, you figure out these things quickly."
This emergence of online identity may make the whole worry of online
cheating a moot point. Often stronger one-to-one relationships
(instructor-student and student-student) are formed in online courses
than in face-to-face classes.
Conclusions
Contrary to intuition, current Web-based online college
courses are not an alienating, mass-produced product. They are a
labor-intensive, highly text-based, intellectually challenging forum
which elicits deeper thinking on the part of the students and which
presents, for better or worse, more equality between instructor and
student. Initial feelings of anonymity notwithstanding, over the
course of the semester, one-to-one relationships may be emphasized
more in online classes than in more traditional face-to-face
settings.
With the proliferation of online college classes, it is important for
the professor to understand the flavor of online education and to be
reassured as to the intellectual and academic integrity of this
teaching environment.
Glenn Gordon Smith is a professor in the Department of Technology
& Society within the College of Engineering & Applied
Sciences at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He
teaches courses in educational technology and conducts research on
the effects of computer technology on human spatial visualization,
and on the differences between distance education and face-to-face
education. In August 1998, Glenn received his Ph.D. from Arizona
State University, where his dissertation research examined the
effects of computers and computer games on spatial visualization.
Prior to that, he worked as a computer programmer, specializing in
computer graphics for entertainment and aerospace industries.
E-mail: glsmith@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
David L. Ferguson is a professor of Technology and Society and
Applied Math at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He
has been director and co-director of numerous projects, including NSF
and FIPSE grants, for the improvement of undergraduate education in
science, engineering and mathematics. His publications include
articles on the use of advanced technologies in the learning and
teaching of mathematics and science. He has given numerous conference
presentations on the learning and teaching of problem solving.
Currently, he is director of the Center for Excellence in Learning
and Teaching at Stony Brook.
Aldegonda (Mieke) Caris received her M.A. in Teacher Education
at the Moller Institute in Holland. She founded the Institute of
Electronic Fashion & Design in Almelo, Netherlands. She developed
multimedia products and taught classes in linear and hyper media at
the University of Twente, Enschede in the Netherlands for the
department of Educational Science and Technology. She was directorof
Technology for the College of the Arts in Kompen and has been
involved in distance education since 1997. She is currently an
adjunct faculty member at Stony Brook, NY and a full-ime member of
the Faculty Development Center for Adelphi University in Garden City,
NY.
References
Moore, M. 1993. "Three Types of Interaction." Distance
Education: New Perspectives, eds. K. Harry , M. Hohn and D.
Keegan. London: Routledge.
Peters, O. 1993. "Understanding Distance Education." Distance
Education: New Perspectives, eds. K. Harry , M. Hohn and D.
Keegan. London: Routledge.
Williams, V. & Peters, K. 1997. "Faculty Incentives for the
Preparations of Web-Based Instruction." Web-based Instruction,
ed. B. H. Khan. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology
Publications.
----
To read the article on our Web site go to http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/a3407.cfm
----
T.H.E. Journal offers a FREE one-year subscription to qualified individuals in educational institutions. Go to http://www.thejournal.com/freesub for more information.
----
Copyright � 2004 ETC Group LLC. All rights reserved.
28.9.05
Assignments
- Fall 2005
- October
- 3
- Oct 3 ***online class*** Student topics TBD ***online class*** Text: None Additional Readings: TBD Assignment Due: Reflection
- 10 Wht Ppr
- Oct 10 Social Interaction in the Online Classroom
Text: Moore – Ch 5, Collison – Ch 4
Assignment Due: White Paper on Current Topic, Reflection
- Oct 10 Social Interaction in the Online Classroom
- 24
- Oct 24 *** No Meeting Oct 17 *** ***online class*** Student topics TBD ***online class*** Text: None Additional Readings: TBD Assignment Due: Reflection
- 31
- ct 31 E-Learning Development: Issues and Practices Text: Collison – Ch 5 and 6 Assignment Due: Reflection
- 3
- September
- 12
- Sep 12 *** No Meeting Sep 5 *** DE Technologies Online learning environments (OLEs) and Virtual Classrooms Text: Moore – Ch 4, Collison – Ch 1 and 2 Additional Readings: TBD Assignment Due: Reflection
- DL Critique 19
- Sep 19 ***online class*** Topic: When is Distance Education the best choice? Instructors, students, context, and content. Assignment Due: Distance Learning Review/Critique, Reflection
- 26
- Sep 26 Front End Analysis for DE Text: Moore – Ch 6 and 7, Collison – Ch 3 Additional Readings: TBD Assignment Due: Reflection
- 12
- December
- 5
- Dec 5 ***online class*** Student topics TBD ***online class*** Text: None Additional Readings: TBD Assignment Due: Reflection
- 12 Dsgn Project
- Dec 12 Project Presentations and Course “Wrap” Assignment Due: Final Design Papers, Reflection
- 5
- November
- 7
- Nov 7 ***online class*** Student topics TBD ***online class*** Text: None Additional Readings: TBD Assignment Due: Reflection
- F/E Analysis14
- Nov 14 Evaluation in DE: Programs, Courses, and Learners Text: Moore – Ch 10-12 Collison – Ch 7 Optional Readings: TBD Assignment Due: Front-end Analysis Paper, Reflection
- 21
- Nov 21 ***online class*** Student topics TBD ***online class*** Text: None Additional Readings: TBD Assignment Due: Reflection
- Bibl & Gloss 28
- Nov 28 Theoretical Foundations for DE Case Studies in DE Text: Moore – Ch 9 Collison – Ch 8 Additional Readings: TBD Assignment Due: Bibliography/Glossary, Reflection
- 7
- October
Calendar
| September | |
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 | |
| Friday, September 02, 2005 | |
| Saturday, September 03, 2005 | |
| Sunday, September 04, 2005 | |
| Monday, September 05, 2005 | |
| Tuesday, September 06, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, September 07, 2005 | |
| Thursday, September 08, 2005 | |
| Friday, September 09, 2005 | |
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 | |
| Sunday, September 11, 2005 | |
| Monday, September 12, 2005 | |
| Tuesday, September 13, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, September 14, 2005 | |
| Thursday, September 15, 2005 | |
| Friday, September 16, 2005 | |
| Saturday, September 17, 2005 | |
| Sunday, September 18, 2005 | |
| Monday, September 19, 2005 | ***online class*** Topic: When is Distance Education the best choice? Instructors, students, context, and content. ***online class*** Text: None Additional Readings: TBD Assignment Due: Distance Learning Review/Critique, Reflection |
| Tuesday, September 20, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, September 21, 2005 | |
| Thursday, September 22, 2005 | |
| Friday, September 23, 2005 | |
| Saturday, September 24, 2005 | |
| Sunday, September 25, 2005 | |
| Monday, September 26, 2005 | Text: Moore – Ch 6 and 7, Collison – Ch 3 Additional Readings: TBDAssignment Due: Reflection |
| Tuesday, September 27, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, September 28, 2005 | |
| Thursday, September 29, 2005 | |
| Friday, September 30, 2005 | |
| Saturday, October 01, 2005 | |
| October | |
| Saturday, October 01, 2005 | |
| Sunday, October 02, 2005 | |
| Monday, October 03, 2005 | |
| Tuesday, October 04, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, October 05, 2005 | |
| Thursday, October 06, 2005 | |
| Friday, October 07, 2005 | |
| Saturday, October 08, 2005 | |
| Sunday, October 09, 2005 | |
| Monday, October 10, 2005 | Text: Moore – Ch 5, Collison – Ch 4 Assignment Due: White Paper on Current Topic (Listsrv?) Reflection |
| Tuesday, October 11, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, October 12, 2005 | |
| Thursday, October 13, 2005 | |
| Friday, October 14, 2005 | |
| Saturday, October 15, 2005 | |
| Sunday, October 16, 2005 | |
| Monday, October 17, 2005 | |
| Tuesday, October 18, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, October 19, 2005 | |
| Thursday, October 20, 2005 | |
| Friday, October 21, 2005 | |
| Saturday, October 22, 2005 | |
| Sunday, October 23, 2005 | |
| Monday, October 24, 2005 | |
| Tuesday, October 25, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, October 26, 2005 | |
| Thursday, October 27, 2005 | |
| Friday, October 28, 2005 | |
| Saturday, October 29, 2005 | |
| Sunday, October 30, 2005 | |
| Monday, October 31, 2005 | |
| November | |
| Tuesday, November 01, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, November 02, 2005 | |
| Thursday, November 03, 2005 | |
| Friday, November 04, 2005 | |
| Saturday, November 05, 2005 | |
| Sunday, November 06, 2005 | |
| Monday, November 07, 2005 | |
| Tuesday, November 08, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, November 09, 2005 | |
| Thursday, November 10, 2005 | |
| Friday, November 11, 2005 | |
| Saturday, November 12, 2005 | |
| Sunday, November 13, 2005 | |
| Monday, November 14, 2005 | Evaluation in DE: Programs, Courses, and Learners Text: Moore – Ch 10-12 Collison – Ch 7 Optional Readings: TBD Assignment Due: Front-end Analysis Paper, Reflection |
| Tuesday, November 15, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, November 16, 2005 | |
| Thursday, November 17, 2005 | |
| Friday, November 18, 2005 | |
| Saturday, November 19, 2005 | |
| Sunday, November 20, 2005 | |
| Monday, November 21, 2005 | |
| Tuesday, November 22, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, November 23, 2005 | |
| Thursday, November 24, 2005 | |
| Friday, November 25, 2005 | |
| Saturday, November 26, 2005 | |
| Sunday, November 27, 2005 | |
| Monday, November 28, 2005 | Theoretical Foundations for DE Case Studies in DE Text: Moore – Ch 9 Collison – Ch 8 Additional Readings: TBD Assignment Due: Bibliography/Glossary, Reflection |
| Tuesday, November 29, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, November 30, 2005 | |
| Thursday, December 01, 2005 | |
| December | |
| Thursday, December 01, 2005 | |
| Friday, December 02, 2005 | |
| Saturday, December 03, 2005 | |
| Sunday, December 04, 2005 | |
| Monday, December 05, 2005 | |
| Tuesday, December 06, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, December 07, 2005 | |
| Thursday, December 08, 2005 | |
| Friday, December 09, 2005 | |
| Saturday, December 10, 2005 | |
| Sunday, December 11, 2005 | |
| Monday, December 12, 2005 | Project Presentations and Course “Wrap” Assignment Due: Final Design Papers, Reflection |
| Tuesday, December 13, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, December 14, 2005 | |
| Thursday, December 15, 2005 | |
| Friday, December 16, 2005 | |
| Saturday, December 17, 2005 | |
| Sunday, December 18, 2005 | |
| Monday, December 19, 2005 | |
| Tuesday, December 20, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, December 21, 2005 | |
| Thursday, December 22, 2005 | |
| Friday, December 23, 2005 | |
| Saturday, December 24, 2005 | |
| Sunday, December 25, 2005 | |
| Monday, December 26, 2005 | |
| Tuesday, December 27, 2005 | |
| Wednesday, December 28, 2005 | |
| Thursday, December 29, 2005 | |
| Friday, December 30, 2005 | |
| Saturday, December 31, 2005 |
18.9.05
860 Syllabus
Department of Instructional Technologies
Helping people in education, business, and communities learn
ITEC 860.01 Distance Education (3 units)
Fall 2005
Monday – 4:10-6:55 PM, Burk Hall 170 (may also meet in BH 168 as needed)
Instructor: Dr. Brian Beatty
Office: BH 163C (inside the ITEC department office)
Office Hours: Monday 1-4 PM
Phone: 338-6833 (alternate – 338-1509)
E-mail: bjbeatty@sfsu.edu
Course URL: http://ilearn.sfsu.edu
I. Course Description
From the course catalog:
“Understanding of distance education development and delivery. Exploration of the field through demonstrations of telecommunications facilities, meetings of professional organizations, internet capabilities, and teleconferencing classrooms. Development of an instructional unit delivered via distance education.”
Prerequisite:
ITEC 800 and 801 should be completed before enrolling in ITEC 860. Permission to enroll in this course may be requested from the instructor if a student is able to demonstrate knowledge of ITEC 800 and 801 content through parallel coursework or life experience.
Introduction to Distance Education:
This course introduces the learner to the principles learning at a distance, commonly called distance education, distance learning, distributed learning, e-learning, online learning, etc. In this seminar, we will explore the complexities of designing instruction in various distance contexts (such as, corporate training, education, etc.). We will learn the fundamental instructional concepts supporting various distance learning strategies, tactics, and media, and apply these concepts in a real context through frequent online discussions and a major design project.
There are two major elements in this seminar:
- An introduction to various distance teaching and learning methods, such as video telecommunication, classic correspondence models (print), online education, and independent e-learning modules. We will explore the instructional design considerations, technical implementation requirements, and implications for learning (and teaching) with each of these methods. Your learning of this content will be assessed primarily through a short paper assignments, hands-on activities, and class discussions throughout the semester.
- Practice applying instructional design skills for distance learning by planning and moderating a topical online discussion and completing a comprehensive distance learning instructional unit design project. This project will be selected by you – working in conjunction with a small group of your peers. Your small group will choose a distance education topic and develop online activities and discussion for one week of the seminar. Additionally, your team (this may be a different team) will complete a brief design plan and produce a limited (short, but complete) instructional unit as the major assignment for the second half of the course. (Specific assignments detailed below.)
II. Accommodation Statement
If you are a student with a disability requiring special accommodation in this course, you must be registered with the Office of Disabled Student Services (DSS). Your counselor will give you a letter that you must deliver to the instructor in person, at which time an appointment will be arranged to discuss appropriate accommodation. This must be accomplished during the first three weeks of class.
III. Learning Goals
- Demonstrate a sound understanding of distance learning theory and practice by critiquing instructional units (commercial/educational and peer work).
- Analyze an instructional context and determine an effective mix of distance learning strategies and tactics.
- Create a plan for implementing a distance learning instructional unit in a specific setting.
- Create an instructional unit (short – about fifteen minutes) and conduct a basic formative evaluation.
IV. Readings
Required Texts:
Distance Education: A Systems View (2nd Ed, 2005) by Michael G. Moore and Greg Kearsley; published by Thomson Learning/Wadsworth. ISBN/ISSN: 0-534-50688-7
Facilitating Online Learning: Effective Strategies for Moderators (2000) by George Collison, Bonnie Elbaum, Sarah Haavind, and Robert Tinker; published by Atwood.
These texts will be used as the primary print resources for our learning about distance education. We will read most of the material in the texts during the first two-thirds of the course. During your project work (primarily during the second half of the course), you will refer back to the texts for reference and further learning support.
Additional
Each week I will provide access to other important readings. Hopefully, these will all be available electronically so you may print your own copy, if you wish.
If you find interesting, relevant readings on your own in trade journals, magazines, newsletters, etc., please bring them to class to share or post them to the course website.
V. Course Requirements and Grading
Basic Course Requirements:
Class Participation (10%)
This is a seminar course, implying active engagement in discussions and other class activities. Participation includes completing pre-class readings, online exercises, and joining in class discussions – both in class and online.
Reflection Posts (10%)
Weekly you will post your thoughts about the class and the distance education field in an ongoing discussion thread – similar to a “blog”. These posts are intended to help you consider questions important to you, and capture your thoughts at selected instances in time. Posts will be viewable by others, though there is no requirement for others to read your posts or vice versa. You will receive full credit for this assignment if you contribute a meaningful post once a week for 14 weeks of the semester. Specific instructions available in class the first week.
Written Assignments (40%)
Approximately four short writing assignments are due during the course of the semester. We will utilize the course website to post, update, and comment upon these short papers.
Paper 1. Distance Learning Review/Critique (due week 3) - This 3-4 page paper will be assigned and completed during the second quarter of the course. You will find, attend, and evaluate a distance learning event (seminar, course, module, etc.) and prepare a short written evaluation to turn in. You will also present a brief (5-10 minute) summary of your experience to the class. More details will be provided in class at the appropriate time.
Paper 2. “White paper” on a current DE topic (due week 6) – This paper is a 3-5 page report on any current, relevant topic in the field of distance education. You should choose and research a unique topic and prepare a summary/position paper describing the topic and its importance and/or relevance to you and the field of distance education. You may choose a topic related to your online discussion moderation assignment (see below), but you may not choose the exact same topic as any other student. More details will be provided in class at the appropriate time.
Paper 3. Front-end Analysis for DE (due week 10) – This 3-5 page paper will describe the front-end instructional design analysis that would be effective for a specific DE learning situation (you will choose). You will include information about and/or results from a Needs/Learner/Context/Task Analysis. Hopefully, this paper will help you start thinking about a context for your design project. As such, you should consider this paper as a tool to get you moving on your major work of the semester. More details will be provided in class at the appropriate time.
Paper 4. Annotated Glossary/Bibliography (due week 12) – This paper has two major components: a five term glossary and a 10 item bibliography. For the glossary component: Choose any five terms used in the DE field, and create a short glossary entry for each. The entry should include the term, a definition (and description) of how it is used in our field, and a link to a web-based or print resource that either describes this in more detail or provides an example of the term in practice. For the bibliography component: List any 10 resources you have found to support your learning about distance education. In your list, include a short description of the resource (what is it, what is it for) and your evaluation of its usefulness. Why was it valuable to you? For each resource, give its full reference so that someone else can find it if they want to. This assignment will also contribute to a perpetual resource we are creating for the ITEC community at large. More details will be provided in class at the appropriate time.
Online Discussion Moderation (20%)
During one week of the semester, you will work with up to 3 peers to prepare and moderate instructional activities and an online discussion focused on a distance education topic of your choosing. During the first several weeks of class we will develop a list of topics and assign specific weeks to teams of students. During your week you will be required to present a brief introduction to the topic, provide resources for students to explore on their own, and then create a threaded online discussion (or possibly schedule a synchronous chat(s) session) to coordinate student interaction on this topic. The following week, your group will present a short debrief to the class focused on the “highs and lows” of your experience. (What went well, what did not work, what would you change the next time, etc.) Finally, you will turn in a 1-2 page summary to the instructor.
Possible topics:
- Copyright
- Plagiarism
- Technology challenges – Bandwidth, etc.
- Mixing online and face-to-face methods (blended or hybrid)
- Professional organizations and conferences
- Specific uses in XXX industry/company/etc.
- Certification
- Quality Control
- Distance Education in developing countries
Distance Learning Design Project (20%)
A short but comprehensive distance learning design project will be completed during the second half of the course. This project will be completed in teams of up to 4 students and will require you to apply the principles of effective instructional design to create the design plan and part of the content for an original instructional unit delivered by distance learning technologies. At the final class meeting, your team will present your instructional unit during a 20 minute presentation to your peers. More details will be provided in class at the appropriate time.
Late Assignments
In order to receive full credit for an assignment, it must be turned in at the requested time. Partial credit for late assignments may be given, at the discretion of the instructor. Late assignments will receive a minimum 10% grade reduction, and will not be accepted after one week has passed since the original due date.
Grading:
A- to A 90-100 %
B- to B+ 80-89 %
C to C+ 75-79 %
No Credit below 75%
Incomplete:
If you do not complete the course requirements by the end of the semester, you may receive a grade of “I” (Incomplete) with prior arrangement with the instructor. 75% of all course assignments must be successfully completed prior to the end of the semester in order to qualify for consideration of an Incomplete. All Incomplete grades will have a pre-arranged deadline for completion, usually no longer than the end of the following university term (spring, summer or fall).
Changes to the Syllabus:
This syllabus is subject to change throughout the semester due to emergent student needs, important new learning opportunities, or other unforeseen situations. In the event a change must be made, the instructor will notify the students as soon as practically possible, and provide an updated syllabus on the course website.
Other Student Resources
Associated Students Inc.,
338-1230 ext. 4. (phone), (415) 338-0522 (fax), http://www.asisfsu.org.
Chasiti Effort, College of Education Representative.
Cahill Learning Resource and Media Lab, Burk Hall 319, (415) 338-3423, http://clrml.sfsu.edu. Chasiti Effort, Graduate Student Assistant.
VI. Course Calendar (tentative)
| # | Date | Topics | |
| 1 | Aug 29 | Course Introduction What is Distance Education? Historical Distance Education Today’s DE Landscape | Text: Assignment Due: Reflection |
| 2 | Sep 12 *** No Meeting Sep 5 *** | DE Technologies Online learning environments (OLEs) and Virtual Classrooms | Text: Moore – Ch 4, Collison – Ch 1 and 2 Assignment Due: Reflection |
| 3 | Sep 19 | ***online class*** Topic: When is Distance Education the best choice? Instructors, students, context, and content. | ***online class*** Text: None Additional Assignment Due: Distance Learning Review/Critique, Reflection |
| 4 | Sep 26 | Front End Analysis for DE | Text: Assignment Due: Reflection |
| 5 | Oct 3 | ***online class*** Student topics TBD | ***online class*** Text: None Assignment Due: Reflection |
| 6 | Oct 10 | Social Interaction in the Online Classroom | Text: Moore – Ch 5, Collison – Ch 4 |
| 7 | Oct 24 *** No Meeting Oct 17 *** | ***online class*** Student topics TBD | ***online class*** Text: None Assignment Due: Reflection |
| 8 | Oct 31 | E-Learning Development: Issues and Practices | Text: Collison – Ch 5 and 6 |
| 9 | Nov 7 | ***online class*** Student topics TBD | ***online class*** Text: None Assignment Due: Reflection |
| 10 | Nov 14 | Evaluation in DE: Programs, Courses, and Learners | Text: Collison – Ch 7 Assignment Due: Front-end Analysis Paper, Reflection |
| 11 | Nov 21 | ***online class*** Student topics TBD | ***online class*** Text: None Assignment Due: Reflection |
| 12 | Nov 28 | Theoretical Foundations for DE Case Studies in DE | Text: Collison – Ch 8 Assignment Due: Bibliography/Glossary, Reflection |
| 13 | Dec 5 | ***online class*** Student topics TBD | ***online class*** Text: None Assignment Due: Reflection |
| 14 | Dec 12 | Project Presentations and Course “Wrap” | Assignment Due: Final Design Papers, Reflection |
VII. Other resources:
A. Large websites with rich resource sets:
1. Distance Education Clearinghouse -
The Distance Education Clearinghouse is a comprehensive and widely recognized Web site bringing together distance education information from
The Clearinghouse is managed and maintained by the University of Wisconsin-Extension, in cooperation with its partners and other
http://www.uwex.edu/disted/home.html
2.
Penn State’s
http://www.ed.psu.edu/acsde/
B. Plagiarism and other topics
Help with understanding what is and what isn't acceptable use!
http://education.indiana.edu/~frick/plagiarism/
Office of Instructional Consulting at
http://www.indiana.edu/~icy/ebrownbag/
C. APA Style for Citations and References
A few helpful sites:
Purdue University Online Writing Lab (start here):
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html#Handling%20Quotes%20In%20Your%20Text
APA Electronic References:
http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html
Help is here - from your local SFSU CET!
http://cet.sfsu.edu/etl/content/citations/
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/jmain11.html
D. Learner Centered Principles
Background and the descriptions of the principles at http://www.apa.org/ed/lcp.html
Putting the Learner at the Center: Next-generation innovation emphasizes enabling learning in classrooms and e-learning environments. http://www.educause.edu/nlii/annual_review/2003/putlearneratcenter.asp
E. Social Interaction Online
Easy read: Brent Muirhead – Interactivity Research Studies
http://ifets.ieee.org/periodical/vol_3_2001/muirhead.html
More difficult: A Constructivist Method for the Analysis of Networked Cognitive Communication and the Assessment of Collaborative Learning and Knowledge-Building
http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/jaln/v8n2/pdf/v8n2_campos.pdf
Even harder: EVALUATING ONLINE DISCUSSIONS: FOUR DIFFERENT FRAMES OF ANALYSIS
http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/jaln/v8n2/pdf/v8n2_meyer.pdf
The hardest of all: Dr. Beatty’s dissertation on this topic J
http://online.sfsu.edu/~bjbeatty/dissert/dissert_index.htm
And the resulting “interactive” website:
Social Interaction Online (SIO) - http://itec.sfsu.edu/social/pages/index.cfm
F. Front End Analysis / Instructional Design for DL
For an academic paper looking at the sociological side of virtual classrooms, read David Jaffee's manuscript at: http://www.unf.edu/~djaffee/virtualtran.htm (Here's the formal citation - "Virtual Transformation: Web-Based Technology and Pedagogical Change". Teaching Sociology 31 (2), April 2003.)
Try these for some other views:
Concurrent Instructional Design: How to Produce Online Courses Using a Lean Team Approach - U of Syracuse: http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/paper56/paper56.htm
From "Designing Web-based Training" by William Horton, comes this interactive site to explore various instructional strategies he discusses in his book (includes working samples): http://www.designingwbt.com/index.htm
Learner Analysis anyone? This article describes a process to help higher ed students self-assess whether or not they are ready for a DE course. Be sure to view (and take) the learner self-assessment questionnaire linked from the article. Would you ask the same questions if you were creating this short survey?
http://www.campus-technology.com/news_article.asp?id=10123&typeid=156
G. Evaluation in DE - Phillips Five Levels (ROI) and more ...
Phillips discusses an additional level of evaluation - Return on Investment ... his fifth level to add to Kirkpatrick's four levels.
Phillips, J. J. (1996). Measuring the Results of Training. In R. L. Craig (Ed.) The ASTD Training and Development Handbook: A Guide to Human Resource Development. SF: McGraw Hill.
The Consortium's E-learning Model - http://www.concord.org/courses/cc_e-learning_model.html
The Training Foundation - position paper and standards for e-learning - http://www.trainingfoundation.com/articles/default.asp?PageID=997 and http://www.trainingfoundation.com/standards/default.asp?PageID=395
Institute for Higher Education report on Quality Online - http://www.ihep.org/Pubs/PDF/Quality.pdf
WorldBank Distance Education evaluation white paper:
http://wbweb4.worldbank.org/DistEd/Management/Benefits/cou-02.html
CA Virtual Campus 2003-2004 Report –
http://www.distance-educator.com/dnews/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=12339&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)