Course Development and Delivery 1
Running Head: COURSE DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY
Organizing an Online Course
LaShonda Houser
Auburn Montgomery
Course Development and Delivery 2
Developing and delivering effective online courses requires pedagogy and technology
expertise possessed by few faculty. Good pedagogy implies that the instructor can develop
targeted learning objectives.
Because few faculty have had formal education or training in
instructional design or learning theory, it is probably unrealistic to expect them to master the
instructional design needed to put a well-designed course online. (Oblinger & Hawkins, 2006).
In a research article by Oblinger & Hawkins (2006), a more effective model is to pair a faculty
member with an instructional designer so that each brings unique skills to the course-creation
process. Oblinger & Hawkins research states that technology is another significant responsibility
when developing and delivering an online course. One of the first issues to address is the
application that should undergrid the course. The technology questions don’t end when the
course is developed. Developing and delivering an online course requires numerous and varied
skills that are unlikely to be found in a single individual (Oblinger & Hawkins, 2006).
Given the demand for online learning, the plethora of online technologies to incorporate
into teaching, the budgetary problems, and the opportunities for innovation, we argue that online
learning environments are facing a “perfect e-storm,” linking pedagogy, technology, and learner
needs (Kim & Bonk, 2006). Instructors are being challenged to move beyond the notion of a
course as covering content to the idea of a course as constructing a series of learning
environments and activities (Oblinger & Hawkins, 2006). The role of the instructor based on
andragogy is that learners are autonomous and self directed. Teachers guide the learners to their
own knowledge rather than supplying them with facts (Green, 1998). Green states that the
instructor should use open ended questions to bring out the vast experiences of the adult learners.
They should not be afraid to give up control. Instruction should be about tasks not memorization
Course Development and Delivery 3
of content. The instructor should use problem oriented instruction. Case studies, simulations
problem solving groups make the instruction relevant to the adult’s situation. In a research
article by Green (1998), these adults bring a wealth of information and experiences to the
learning situation. They generally want to be treated as equals who are free to direct themselves
in the education process (Zemke, 1984). Technology has played and continues to play an
important role in the development and expansion of online education (Kim & Bonk, 2006).
Findings ways to assure the quality of e-learning is an important endeavor (Kidney,
Cummings, & Boehm, 2007). Most of the University of Houston-Clear Lake courses are
delivered through the WebCT courseware management system. Therefore, UHCL created a
course production process based upon the team approach, where a variety of specialists work
together with a faculty member to insure quality assurance strategies (Kindey, et al., 2007). The
university added quality assurance evaluator positions to the Instructional Technology team to
describe the progress, successes, and failures in each area. UHCL’s stakeholders’ committee
identified eight quality assurance strategies which included instructional plan review, web design
review, editing, usability & accessability, maintainablility, copyright, infrastructure impact, and
content & rigor to be evaluated. However, online course quality remains in much discussion
(Kindey, et al., 2007).
On the other hand, Rughooputh (2009) says, lecturers delivering face-to-face instructions
on campus do not really have recourse to structured and systematic approaches in the design and
delivery of their lectures or instruction. Rughooputh also states, with a few slides containing the
subject matter in note-form, they mostly rely on their experiences, expertise and their ‘art of
teaching’ to deliver their instruction. However, integrating text-to-speech software into
Course Development and Delivery 4
pedagogically sound teaching and learning delivery of classes whether for on-campus, blended
or online modules it will stimulate exactly the delivery of an intended lecture, assisted with
teaching aids such videos, animations and music, as deemed necessary (Rughooputh, 2009).
In summary, research findings indicated that instructors’ abilities to teach online are
critical to the quality of online education (Kim & Bonk, 2006). Online instruction is more than a
series of reading posted to a Web site; it requires deliberate instructional design that hinges on
linking learning objectives to specific learning activities and measureable outcomes (Oblinger &
Hawkins, 2006). Make sure the information is relevant and readily useable for the learner
(Green, 1998).
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References
Green, J. (1998). Andragogy: Teaching adults. In B. Hoffman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of
Educational Technology. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from
http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/andragogy/start.htm
Kidney, G., Cummings, L., & Boehm, A. (2007). Toward a Quality Assurance Approach to ELearning Courses. University of Houston-Clear Lake, USA. International JI. On ELearning, 6(1), 17-30.
Kim, K. J. & Bonk, C. J. (2006). The Future of Online Teaching and Learning in Higher
Education. Educause Quaterl,y, 4, 22-30.
Oblinger, D. G. & Hawkins, B. L. (2006). The Myth about Online Course Development.
Educause Review, January & February, 14-15.
Rughooputh, S. D. D. V. (2009). Integrating text-to-speech software into pedagogically sound
teaching and learning scenarios. Educational Technology, Research and Development. .
57 (1), 131-146.