Shari,
Method of delivery could change due to content changes (such as tax courses) or technology upgrades.
Shelly Crider
The time to convert a traditional course to an online course is greater. There are several reasons but the most predominant reason is that the instructor must 'grapple' with the delivery platform. Most of us know that this can involve checking and double checking date settings, grade book links, typographical errors on all material, etc.
If the instructor is new to the platform, the development time is even greater because of the need to learn the nuances of the platform while also focusing on course content.
I would disagree with this statement as it takes more time to prepare an online course since students must access all of their information online. The course materials, discussion boards, chats, additional reading, assignment submittal are all areas that need to be addressed and in many cases the traditional classroom doesnt have to accomodate for some of these areas.
I believe that the time invested would be the same to develop a robust course- the medium of delivery is immaterial.
I completely disagree, I have developed many courses in both the online and the traditional platforms. Online takes much more time, you have to pre-record and post lectures, power points, type up all the activities, discussion board questions, etc. It is a lot of work to set up an online class, you have the technology piece as well as the teacher piece.
Sara
From the ISD module, we learned that when developing an online course, it is good practice to take the material and information form a traditional course and find a way to convert it to the online version. So, if one is developing the online course from a traditional counterpart that already exists, then I do think it could take less time because a big chunk of the work has already been done.
But if the online course is being developed from scratch, then I would say it would take just as long. In the ISD module, I didn't think the creation of the online course was all that different from creating lesson plans and similar things for a traditional class. Also going through the modules, it is obvious that basically everything that can be done in a traditional setting can be converted to an online version. I've taken an online course before where the instructor had recorded his lectures--so it was a video and it was very much like being in a class. So, converting the materials to the online format does take time, and I think it could be argued that doing that work would require more time. But it is a one time thing (unless updates need to be made) and can be used over and over.
I would have to disagree. I can say from extensive experience that both design AND delivery of courses in the e-learning environment is more time consuming.
Erika,
There are students who will participate 100% more in an online class due to the fear of feeling stupid in front of others is taken away.
Shelly Crider
John,
We can all probably agree that students are happy to let us know when we have missed a date!
Shelly Crider
Sara,
then you have to update when the textbook changes editions!!
Shelly Crider
Time invested for online course would be more than on-ground. It has to be very clear to the student. They can submit questions but the time required to answer may be to late for the student. So the better you can prepare your online class the better all will be.
Time is required to develop both online and in class courses. Thus it depends on the instructor and his subject/ computer based abilities and competencies.
Josh,
Yes, once a class is developed you can use it over again. You will always want to check your links if you use any.
Shelly Crider
Because an online course is delivered in a virtual environment it requires the developer of this course to think differently than if they were in a traditional physical classroom environment. There are many dimensions of the online course that need to be considered when generating the material and the motive delivery. For example, should the material in an online course be delivered as part of the asynchronous discussion, in an assignment or as part of a synchronous chat? These are some of the considerations that do not weigh heavily in a physical classroom environment. Thus, it will probably take more time to develop an online class then for a traditional classroom delivery.
William ,
We do have to think of the student and what type of computer they may have. We would like to use items that require bells and whistles, but some students will not have this capability.
Shelly Crider
Quite the opposite is true. Traditional course development omits the "details" of the course and only provides a framework. For example, quizzes, exams, assignments all have to be created up front in an online environment (before the class begins). Traditional (on-ground courses) usually allow the instructor the freedom to create these as the course unfolds. The "lecture" portion of the course has to be developed for online courses and basically serves as a "script" for the course. On-ground instructors do not have to create a "script" for their lectures unless they are videotaped.This is the most time consuming aspect of course development.
In my school’s online courses, most content is loaded prior to the first day of class and it locked for the duration of the term. We are unable to do adjustments mid-way.
Certainly more thought has to be given to the timing and the appropriateness of the content in the online course when content is locked.
I have not developed content for a traditional classroom presentation. I suspect it would take the same amount of time to develop as it does for my synchronous online chat presentations.
Shelly— That has been my experience as well. However, I suspect the reverse occurs as well. Otherwise active students may become withdrawn because they don’t have the same levels of stimulation provided by a ground classroom environment.
I completely disagree. I think it may take more time because you cannot view the student's face to know if they do not get it. So more types of learning modalities should be included to reach all types of learning styles and present the information in various ways. The designer also needs to ensure the course meets quality assurance standards.
I have developed curriculum for both and it is far more rigorous to develop the structure of an online course because you cannot leave any details out. Most online courses are preconfigured so changing them in the middle of a delivery is not usually an option. In a traditional room you would ideally strive for this same structure but their is more chance for being dynamic.
