There is certainly a level of savvy that an instructor must have. Basic familiarity will help - but as the world innovates -- the leaders and developers must be able to keep pace with student expectation. There was a time when embedding video clips or Your Tube links in a power point was not common. Things have changed.
Nashid,
We as instructors need to be learning the online format too so that we can create better and better classes.
Shelly Crider
Excellent points, Trista! I think a collaboration between those that are technologically savvy along with subject matter experts and those that are experts in curriculum development for learners of all types must work together in order for the online classroom to meet the needs of our wide variety of learners.
They don't have to be technological wizards but it helps. However, developers of online course should know good instructional design principles and approriate content that can be used to teach specific learning objectives.
It depends on who is designing the course and also what type of course is being designed. For computer courses or technical courses, yes the developer and the facilitator should be as knowledgeable and experienced as possible. For general or non-technical based courses - while they may not need to be technology wizards it is beneficial to at least have some background experience with the topics or learning platform. I have found that (in the e-learning environment) online instructors have been able to partner with the curriculum design team and produce a very learner-centered product because they do have the hands on experience with the subject therefore making them SMEs. The technology part can be taught/learned. That combined with the knowledge from the learner and facilitator’s perspective is what makes the design process and delivery more successful.
Joel,
Thank you for adding "learning objectives". Not every class is equal!! Learning objectives are very different and need to be addressed per class.
Shelly Crider
It certainly helps if they are. It can be frustrating for someone that encounters a technological obstacle as they are developing course content. Those that do not have this limitation can focus more on the overall content.
Hi Anthony,
Thanks for sharing your experience! It gives us all a better picture of the online course deveopment process.
Kevin,
It can be frustrating when you are developing and your computer tells you that you need more of something, but you have to search exactly what that is!
Shelly Crider
Yes. A good example is when I was freelancing as a designer and had a PC. One evening my PC crashed and I spent too many hours trying to get it up and running. As I was doing this, it occurred to me that as a designer I should be able to focus on the design and not need to manipulate the registry. The next morning, I bought a MAC and completed my wortk in record time! Technology is meant o assist us not serve as an obstacle to our goal.
It depends on what environment the course is being created in and how well the software works that the environment is being created in. There are good software packages for course development. That does not mean you will necessarily be using the software working software.
I agree. The most important part, in my opinion, is not the technological expertise which is likely always emerging. Rather, it is the technological awareness and strategic fit the instructor engages in their teaching strategies.
No they do not have to be technological wizards but they do need to have a good grasp on the virtual campus (VC), etextbook, assignment submission and discussion posting processes, how to access valuable information and sometimes even knowing how to walk students through their own computer issues. For most online instructor's we would not take on these type of positions if we did not already feel confidant in using computer technology. While each instructors level of comfort will be different it is a must that instructors keep learning how to interface with new technological advancements. And meet those challenges head on, so they too can encourage students to do the same. I recently started a twitter account for each of the courses I teach (I do not have, nor will I ever have a personal twitter account). The twitter account is specifically used to reach out to students and expand their research for the course. I post a website of the week and then each day of that week I post an article of interest from that website. As most online educator know making sure your students use peer reviewed websites is an up hill battle. So, I am taking it upon myself to help them learn how and what are good websites.
Somewhere you need some solid technological expertise, but not necessarily in the developer. Much of the formatting, and the learning platform itself is often preselected. This reduces the technological expertise needed by individual developers.
I prefer the approach where we have instructional designers who understand curriculum, a graphic artist, a person who can handle technology issues, perhaps a programmer. This team working together can really become efficient in developing great curriculum.
I think developers would need to have a certain level of experience to have a position. This may also depend on the type of courses and the specifics as to the role of what exactly is being developing and for what type of course.
I believe that having technical wizards for development certainly works in favor of what you are trying to accomplish. As a media arts instructor I am constantly working with artwork, photos, animations, audio, video and graphics so having a background is vital. I think these elements are important in any online environment to hold the attention of the learner. The more technically savvy the developer is, the easier it becomes to troubleshoot issues and come to the aid of the learner when they experience technical difficulties.
Now this question depends on what the online course system is. Most Universities use an existing program or create on of their own. Some understanding of how a compter works is needed to operate the programs yet most programs have tools that can be user friendly that will allow the instructor to develop and load their instructional items into the system. Each instructional program has differences in the operation yet are similar enough that instructors with some experience can usually figure them out. Also most Universities provide training and user guides to help new instructors develop their courses.
I agree that the involvement of the development of online courses must include some technological savvy just as an online instructor must be familiar and comfortable with technology in order to successfully facilitate the course online. To be a technological wizard, in my opinion, means that one must have advanced knowledge of creating the layout and design of the course, etc and the ability to transfer the course content into the course management system and depending on the role of the individual in the course development, one may or may not need to be a technological wizard.
Thanks,
Dianne
I am not sure a person has to be a wizard, but it helps to be fairly familiar with the system. I know it is possible to get help, to have experts show you how to do one thing or another, but the more the creator of a course knows about the computer, the more he or she can design a course effectively.
This is pretty much what I would say as well. YOu want people to be able to think about what is possible in a course, and if the developer doesn't even know that, then that person would not be able to come up with appropriate ideas for inclusion.
