Amy,
oh once you start.....you will keep on going!!
Shelly Crider
Hi,
If you include the actual entering of the information in an online format, than no, online courses take longer prep time.
Mike
Michael,
The more you do, the quicker it becomes. Now....don't rely on that! Please double check all work before you send it out to the students.
Shelly Crider
This is a great question because so many of us go into the online classroom without thinking through how different the delivery method is. As an instructor in a traditional classroom, I have the advantage of judging for myself the levels of prior knowledge and motivation of my students. Yes, in an online class you can ask them to self-report, but that isn’t always accurate. When speaking to students directly, I can see the dazed look of misunderstanding when I’ve wandered too far from their contexts. My job is to give them the context it takes to make the lessons relevant and that requires creating or discovering a lot of support materials.
Lessons and lectures have to be rewritten each time I use them, based on the abilities and prior knowledge of the class members. In a traditional classroom, many of these adjustments can be made on the fly as a discussion progresses or a new topic is introduced by a student in a discussion. Also, it takes time to adjust an online lecture (posting the change, adjusting everything it is linked to or is linked to it), and no time to ajdust a face-to-face lecture. It’s not all bad. One advantage, in an asynchronous discussion, is that I have time to look up information before replying to a new idea. Another advantage is that I find students more willing to ask questions and make mistakes than in a traditional classroom-- a positive to that faceless quality, and this often saves time because we don’t have to review things from previous classes quite as often.
So, I guess that I’d say an online class takes me much more time, but it is absolutely worth it.
I find it to be about the same. My courses are always evolving as well, so after the first round of development, I am still making changes, seeing what works, and altering what is not effective. I don't think of a class as something you develop once and then its done.
Hannah,
Thank goodness you believe in going back to a class and adding and or subtracting content! Classes get stale for instructors who do not update as well.
Shelly Crider
I'm not sure I agree or disagree.I wonder if it's time just spent in different ways. In face to face, we try to make sure we have a considered a variety of learning and teaching styles incorporated into our classrrom that wouldn't be as much of a consideration in online. (I know it is to some degree, but not as much).
But my first thought was that online courses require more time for the same reasons others have mentioned: researching and anticipating student responses and levels of competency. In a face to face environment we have the benefit of facial expressions, real time questions or concerns to clarify any points of confusion, etc. It online course, these would have to be anticipated and accommodated for before it's delivered.
carol,
Good point. The time spent really depends of several items. Has the class run before? Does the instructor get involved in discussion and share personal experience?
Shelly Crider
I disagree. It takes more time to develop the online course because we have to consider the nonverbal aspects such as color, font, size, etc. We have to insert hyperlinks and ensure that the technology is also working and keeps working.
Initially, the content of the course is the same as well as the syllabus and objectives. But as we looked at this in the module 1, incorporating multi-sensory information is important.
It will be the same or shorter to initially create the course, but the grooming necessary before offering it to students will take longer.
Then as the course is presented each time grooming should occur as an ongoing process.
TAMARA,
Always check your hyperlinks each and every term. Good job!
Shelly Crider
Loren,
As with ground courses, online courses can change due to the students in the course. This can change each and every term.
Shelly Crider
We are currently in the process of developing online content and find the process very time consuming. In a traditional classroom, you can evaluate student interest and comprehension by both verbal and non-verbal cues and adjust the lecture accordingly - explaining content, inserting comprehension questions, etc. This is not as possible in an online environment, where the material is somewhat more static. You must anticipate questions, stumbling points, interest and participation as you create the online content, making the process much more involved. Our classroom lectures have evolved over time and I am thankful that we can use that knowledge to create online content, but I anticipate a similar evolution of the online courses, based on the specific needs of this student population.
Jason ,
The first few classes are a little more difficult, but you learn through those first few what really works and what does not work.
Shelly Crider
Jason, I do agree with you it is very time consuming to develop a effective online coures In addition teaching on line is also time consuming, for the faculty having to be on line 3-4 times a week grading and being in contact with the students. The down side as you stated is not being able to give immediate feedback and having the whole class share infornmation and ideas or redirecting the lectures to fit the tone of the class. Online learning is not for everyone it take getting used to for the new student and a lot of structure to log on. Essentially the faculty must have a presence in the classroom
I believe in the future, students will always have a choice regarding the method of "book". It is exciting to be in education right now. I have not had the opportunity to teach an online class yet, but this is exactly why I am taking this and other online educator classes. The future will include changes for both the students and teachers, but I think it will be a positive.
I have not yet put together an online course. I do however hope to have an opportunity to do so soon in the future. For the first time I think that it might be similar, maybe once the class is set up teaching the same class in the future might take less time. I will say however that while I was a student, the courses that I completed that were online or a hybrid I actually spent more time doing the classwork, reading, and responding on the portal that I ever did in the classroom.
I have not yet put together an online course. I do however hope to have an opportunity to do so soon in the future. For the first time I think that it might be similar, maybe once the class is set up teaching the same class in the future might take less time. I will say however that while I was a student, the courses that I completed that were online or a hybrid I actually spent more time doing the classwork, reading, and responding on the portal that I ever did in the classroom.
I have not yet put together an online course. I do however hope to have an opportunity to do so soon in the future. For the first time I think that it might be similar, maybe once the class is set up teaching the same class in the future might take less time. I will say however that while I was a student, the courses that I completed that were online or a hybrid I actually spent more time doing the classwork, reading, and responding on the portal that I ever did in the classroom.
That is not true. It takes a lot to convert a course to online. It is not always a one for one. I do think many people believe that you can just put it up and copy and paste but it really is not that simple. It takes time and thought. Items may need to be reworded. The learners need to be considered as well as the technology being used.
Dianna
