Getting
Started
Converting Traditional Courses to the Distance Learning
Environment
- The syllabus
from your existing course. Don't try to develop an entirely new course the
first time you teach at a distance; a familiar class will be much simpler
to convert.
- A list of your reading materials.
Gather together your reading materials (URL's, textbooks, handouts)
- A list of supplemental materials.
Do you have videotapes, pictures, or audio files that you can use in your
class?
- A list of the resources
available to you and your students. What kind of technological and other
support (library, technical, etc.) will you be able to draw on?
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Click on
the compass to take an instructor
self test to see if distance teaching is right for you. After you
finish, close the quiz window to return to this page. |
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Things to do
- Visit the Assessment
and Evaluation page for more information on preparing to teach a distance
education class
- Determine whether a need
exists for your course
- What external factors
verify the need for your course?
- What factors led to the instructional
need?
- What past experiences
indicate that your course can meet this need?
- Look at other online courses and see how
they’re structured. For concrete examples, check these sites:
- Think about your own teaching
strategies and how they can be adapted to the distance
education environment
- Think about which of your activities/strategies
might have to be replaced or significantly altered when
you move to the distance education environment
- Think about what new activities
could replace them
- Determine whether your course can be delivered
effectively at a distance
Things to consider
- Technological considerations
- Determine the technical
requirements - what kind of technology will students need to take
your course?
- What kind of tech support
is available to students and when is it available?
- Email your server administrator and
ask
- what you need to know to implement
any special capabilities your server has
- for space on the server for your
site and get the URL so you can publish your course home page
- Materials distribution
- How will you get reading
materials, videotapes, handouts, etc. to a remote or online class?
- How will you collect assignments
and tests?
- Copyright
issues: Be sure you check copyright
law for distance learning before using the work of others. Take a look
at The
TEACH Act, too. Take the Copyright
Crash Course developed by Georgia K. Harper. Harper is the manager of
the Intellectual Property Section of the Office of General Counsel for the
University of Texas System, where she specializes in copyright law.
- Privacy issues
- Don’t use student
pictures or full names on the website without signed permission
- Your school may have a contract
for students to sign agreeing to be videotaped in an ITV course
- Protect user privacy and preserve security
- Evaluation tools -- Check
the Evaluation Tools
section of the NETnet Resource Center for links to existing surveys and
questionnaires that evaluate the course, technology,
and instructor. It’s a good idea to look at these
before you begin to design your course, so you can know
in advance what kinds of things to plan for and incorporate into your course.
Keep the following in mind when creating your own evaluations:
- Course
- Class format
- How effective were the activities/exercises/discussions/questions/answers
- Was the class atmosphere
conducive to learning?
- Course content
- Was the course material relevant
to the students’ needs?
- Was the course well-organized?
- Were the assignments and deadlines
clearly defined?
- Were the assignments relevant
and useful?
- Could online readings be accessed?
- Were time requirements and
difficulty levels of assignments realistic?
- Was feedback frequent,
constructive, and timely?
- Testing
- Was there sufficient review?
- Were tests frequent and relevant?
- Were tests graded and returned
in a timely fashion?
- Was constructive feedback
given
- Technology
- What was the student’s level
of comfort with and attitude toward the technology?
- Were there problems or concerns?
- Were there positive aspects?
- Instructor
- Was the instructor patient, accessible
and proficient with the technology?
- Did the instructor facilitate student-to-student
or site-to-site interaction?
- Did the instructor provide timely
and relevant feedback?
 |
Ready to test your
recall? Click on the compass to take an interactive self-assessment
made with FREE WebQuestions2 software. Close the answer window and the
quiz window to return to this page. Download the free WebQuestions2
software here. |
|
|
Click on the compass
to get started developing or converting your distance education class.
Print out the Getting Started Worksheet in PDF format and start filling
in the blanks. |
You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the Getting
Started Worksheet in
PDF format. If Acrobat Reader is not installed on your computer, click
the Adobe icon to download your free copy. |
 |
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Explore Further
Preconversion
Issues
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phone (903) 877-7510 / fax (903) 877-7430
