An Overview of
Teaching Online
Bruce Cameron, J.D.
eLearning Development Specialist
Special Projects
(60 distance courses at the U of A)
Teaching Online - Index
• Paradigm Shift
• 3 online Integration Levels
• Online Syllabus - examples
• Evaluation of Course Design
• Community of Inquiry
• Getting going
• Skills you need to acquire
Paradigm Shift
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There is more to putting course content online than moving the syllabus into a
learning management system (D2L). It is also a mistake to think that the
objective for moving courses online is merely to give more students enhanced
educational access. Using technology also requires we rethink how we teach in
order to serve all students better. Garrison (2008)
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The field of e-learning “is marked by a juxtaposition of new technology and old
pedagogy.” Levey (2005)
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The “rules are changing, and there is increased pressure on institutions of
higher education to evolve, adapt, or desist.” Swail (2002)
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A new technology driven pedagogy is emerging which moves instructional
pedagogy from the behaviorist to a constructivist approach in creating a
community of inquiry (CoI) which requires a faculty trained in online social,
teaching, and cognitive skills. Garrison (2008)
Behavioral Psychology
• Psychology is based on
observable behavior
• Behavior is determined by
outcomes
• Knowledge is manifested in
behavior (correct answers)
Cognitive psychology:
• Learner as active processor of
information
• Emphasis on internal mental
states
• Considers perspective and
knowledge of student
Objectivism:
• Question is put to student
• Student is told if answer’s is
right
• Positive reinforcement for right
answers
• Cycle is repeated fro wrong
answers
• External truths and knowledge
exists for learners to memorize
• Teacher control
• Students learn meaning
Constructivism:
• Encourage knowledge formation
• Process is different for each
student
• Self-directed exploration
• Discovery learning
• Construction of concepts,
schema and mental models
• Truth and knowledge is
constructed by students based on
perspective and experience
•Teacher observes, coaches and
facilitates
• Students create meaning
Paradigm Shift
Behavioral Perspective
Cognitive Perspective
Teacher Centered
Learner Centered
Give me the correct answer
Show me your solution
Students learn others’ thinking
Students develop own thinking
Learner as a memorizer
Learner as a processor
Rote memory
Active memory
Knowledge transmission
Knowledge formation
Teacher provides resources
Students find resources
Brain in neutral
Socratic thinker
Limited thinking
Higher order thinking skills
Individual study
Cooperative learning
Teacher dominates
Teacher observes, coaches, facilitates
3 Online Integration Levels
Web-Assisted
Web-assisted courses follow a
traditional F2F curricular
design but, (1) basic materials
about the course and/or
instructor are placed in a D2L
course site to provide ease of
access to course information,
and (2) they may incorporate a
minimal usage of various
online activities to enhance
learning.
Web-Assisted
Online content:
• Syllabus
• Handouts
• 2 – 3 D2L tools
• Discussion board
• Grades
• Etc.
Blended/Hybrid
Hybrid/Blended Courses are courses in which a
significant portion of the learning activities have been
moved online, and time traditionally spent in the
classroom is reduced and/or repurposed, but not
eliminated.
Blended/Hybrid
Online content:
• Syllabus
• Handouts
• Lectures
• Media
• Links to resources
• Collaborative groups
• Dropboxes
• Grades
• Quizzes
Distance
Distance Courses are courses where class interaction and
management takes place in the online environment; may
include synchronous and/or asynchronous learning activities;
may require proctored exams and may include opportunities
for face-to-face orientations, but there are no physical class
attendance requirements.
Distance
Online content:
• Syllabus
• Handouts
• Lectures
• Media
• Dropboxes
• Grades
• Quizzes
• Discussions
• Chat
• Links to resources
• Collaborative groups
• Online assignments
• Class announcements
• Second Life
• Checklists
• Glossary
• Blogs
• Competencies
• Schedule
• FAQ
• Rubrics
• etc.
Online Syllabus – Content Tab
• Course Map
– Instructor Info
– Basic Syllabus
– Instructional index
• NO INSTRUCTION
Content Structure
Administrative
HTML
T
Instruction
D
1
2
3
4
HTML
A
Q
Evaluation of Course Design
Good Practice:
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Encourages Student-Faculty Contact
Encourages Cooperation Among Students
Encourages Active Learning
Gives Prompt Feedback
Emphasizes Time on Task
Communicates High Expectations
Respect Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning
(“Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education” Chickering & Bamson, 1987)
Quality Matters Rubric Standards
The eight broad standards include:
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Course Overview and Introduction
Learning Objectives
Assessment and Measurement
Resources and Materials
Learner Engagement
Course Technology
Learner Support
Accessibility
MarylandOnline, Inc. ©2008 http://qualitymatters.org/Rubric.htm
13 Best Practices
1) Navigational instructions make the organization of the course easy to understand.
2) A statement introduces the student to the course and to the structure of the student learning.
3) The learning objectives of the course describe outcomes that are measurable.
4) The learning objectives address content mastery, critical thinking skills, and core learning skills.
5) The types of assessments selected measure the stated learning objectives and are consistent with course
activities and resources.
6) The grading policy is transparent and easy to understand.
7) Assessment and measurement strategies provide feedback to the student.
8) The instructional materials support the stated learning objectives and have sufficient breadth and depth
for the student to learn the subject.
9) Instructional materials are presented in a format appropriate to the online environment, and are easily
accessible to and usable by the student.
10) The learning activities promote the achievement of stated objectives and learning outcomes
11) Learning activities will foster instructor‐student, content‐student, and if appropriate to the course,
student‐student interaction.
12) Clear standards are set for instructor response and availability (turn‐around time for email, grade
posting, etc.).
13) The tools and media support the learning objectives of the course and are integrated with texts and
lesson assignments.
Community of Inquiry (CoI)
Elements
Categories
Indicators
Social
Presence
Cognitive
Presence
Open communication
Group cohesion
Affective/personal
Enabling risk-free expression
Encouraging collaboration
Expressing emotions, camaraderie
Triggering event
Exploration
Integration
Resolution
Having sense of puzzlement
Exchanging information
Connecting ideas
Applying new ideas
Teaching
Presence
Design & Organization
Facilitation of discourse
Direct instruction
Setting curriculum and methods
Sharing personal meaning
Focusing discussion
Blended Learning in Higher Education, Framework, Principles,
and Guidelines, Garrision & Vaughan, Jossey-Boss, 2008
Community of Inquiry
Teaching
Presence
Setting
Climate
Selecting
Content
Educational
Experience
Social
Presence
Supporting
Discourse
Cognitive
Presence
Getting Started
• Putting course content online is more
than a matter of converting the syllabus
to HTML and placing it in D2L.
• Make a list of learning objectives and
their corresponding current learning
activities, measurements, potential
online activities.
Conversion Chart
Week One:
Objective
Current LA
Outcome
Measure
Online LA
Outcome
Measure
#1
Read Ch 1
Class discussion of
question xyz
Read Ch 1
Small group
discussion – report
xyz to class
discussion as a whole
#1
Lecture
Class discussion of
question abc
Brief video
Find other viewpoints
of abc online
#1
Quiz
Group Synthesis
project to Dropbox.
What To Do With The Lecture?
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PowerPoint w/narration
Video
Text document
HTML page
Audio file
Research the Internet
Interactive Learning Object
Online Teaching Activity Index
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Art Projects
Article (Journal) Critiques
Audio Recordings (Includes Podcasting)
Blogging
Brainstorming
Case Briefs
Case Studies & Case-Based Instruction
Community Action
Concept Mapping
Debate
Design Projects
Discussion Question Activities
Document Analysis
Drill and Practice
Essays
Fieldwork (Includes Apprenticeship)
Fishbowl
Gaming
Group Debugging
Group Problem Solving
Group Reports
Hypothetical Situations
Ice Breakers
Inductive Reasoning
Interviews
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Jigsaw
Journaling
Kinesthetics
KWL
Laboratory Experiments
Learning Contracts
Literature Review
Multimedia Presentation (Video and Film)
Oral Reports
Peer Editing / Review
Portfolios
Presentations
Procedural Demonstration (Perform a given action)
Q & A (Students pose questions)
Quizzing
Reflections
Review (Play, Movie, Audio, Book, etc.)
Role Playing
Scavenger Hunt
Simulations
Socratic Dialogue
Webquest
Wikis
http://www.ion.illinois.edu/resources/otai/
Get Going
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Select online integration level
Select Course Map layout
Select Instructional page layout
Determine pedagogy
– Objectives / outcomes
– Learning activities: Community of Inquiry
– Evaluation student/course
• Quality control
Online Technical Skills
• “Technology, by itself is neutral ….It is
essential that we place pedagogy above
technology. “ Thornburg (1992)
• Often forgotten is the training that the
instructors needed for quality distance
learning programs. Crys (1997)
Online Technical Skills
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Typing
Microsoft Word – markup
HTML
D2L Tools
Multimedia creation
Computer/Internet
Technology does not teach.
You do!
The End