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Online Teaching Tools Workshop
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Quick Review of
Pedagogical Issues
Three Approaches to Distance Education
Technology as a lever for good teaching practices
"Faculty members who work with students in ways consistent with the Principles need to be tough-minded about the software- and technology-assisted interactions they create and buy into. They need to eschew materials that are simply didactic, and search instead for those that are interactive, problem oriented, relevant to real-world issues, and that evoke student motivation.
Institutional policies concerning learning resources and technology
support need to give high priority to user-friendly
hardware, software, and communication vehicles that help faculty
and students use technologies efficiently and effectively.Investments
in professional development for faculty members, plus training
and computer lab assistance for students, will be necessary if
learning potentials are to be realized.
HyperNews Discussion Link
Promises of Teaching on the Internet
- Familiarity with how to use e-mail, World Wide Web, technology, doing online research
- Enhanced student dialogue, interaction,collaboration
- Potential for group projects with varied media
- Improved access to information: more, better, faster
- Specialized on-line resources not available in traditional libraries ,vast resources in texts, multi-media, background information
- In-depth background information not realistic in print resources
- Up-to-the-minute information in all disciplines
- Improved student learning
- Encouraging learning-how-to-learn and active learning in different formats
Problems of Teaching Online
Student Training
- Widely varied student backgrounds and familiarity with technology
- Problems arranging adequate student training,
given
varied experience of students - Time-consuming trouble-shooting by faculty member
- Necessity for available technical assistance
- Varying availability of high-end technology
in labs
and student homes (sound cards/speakers,microphones, latest browsers) - Matching student needs with lab schedules and facilities
- Teaching facilities for using/demonstrating
on-line
materials - Ability of tech staff to support advanced software
- Reliability of the Internet and Web servers off-line at home institution and desired sites .
Copyright
- Difficulty finding appropriate copyrighted
materials
on other sides for setting up hyperlinks - Distortions in course planning to favor public
domain
materials
Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines
Problems Managing On-Line
Dialogue
- On-line discussions require constant involvement of instructors to provide feed-back and keep the discussion focused
- Faculty-student communication can be overwhelming, especially if managed by e-mail
- Loss of student experience in oral communication and interpersonal skills
