Moving Your Course Online

by Evelyn Beck

It will take longer than you think. That’s some of the wisdom offered by one course designer about the process of moving your traditional classroom on-line. Cynthia McIntyre, an on-line designer and instructor for The Concord Consortium in Concord, Mass., finds that new on-line teachers are surprised by the amount of time involved not only in creating a course, but also in facilitating it. In an attempt to quantify that excess, David Mogk, a professor of geology at Montana State University-Bozeman, suggests in some teaching tips he has posted at http://www. scienceteacher.org, that on-line instructors should take the number of hours they think they’ll need to teach an on-line course and then multiply that number by [pi] to arrive at a more realistic estimate.

With the growing recognition of the demands of teaching on-line come an abundance of timesaving tips. McIntrye, for example, recommends creating a technology FAQ (frequently asked questions) sheet, using templates to write feedback, and checking into the course at regular times rather than making yourself available 24/7.

Here are some more tips to help ease the transition to the on-line classroom:

1. Visit successful on-line classrooms to get a sense of what works and what doesn’t and to come to a recognition of your own on-line teaching style. Many colleges offer sample course sites for prospective students to explore, but they’re also great resources for the teacher new to on-line learning. Here are a few:

http://www.stmarys.ca/conted/on-line/sample.html (nine WebCT courses at St. Mary’s University)

http://other.cerrocoso.edu/ccolsamp/ (Cerro Coso On-line course using FrontPage)

http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/Blkbrdfiles/ourskyregdetails.htm (Ole Miss course using Blackboard)

http://www.ctdlc.org/Sample/guest.html (The Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium sample courses on three platforms: WebCT, Blackboard, and WebMentor)

http://learn.wisconsin.edu/course.asp (University of Wisconsin sample course using Blackboard)

http://www2.wcc.cc.il.us/public/orientation2/ (Waubonsee Community College WebCT course)

http://www.champlain.edu/ccol/sample.php (Champlain College WebCT course)

http://wsuon-line.weber.edu/demo/ (Weber State University Vista on-line course demo)

2. Start simply. You don’t have to incorporate all the technological bells and whistles as you begin; trying to do so will only overwhelm you. For example, if you want to encourage interaction but aren’t sure about how it will work, you can make such interaction an option in your first course rather than a requirement. Simply encourage students to work in study groups or offer extra credit for students who’d like to review each other’s papers. Once you see the challenges and rewards, you’ll feel better able to construct a more intricate system of group activities and discussions.

3. Set tight and frequent deadlines. Some instructors recommend segmenting each assignment so that one part of it is due each day. This helps prevent students from procrastinating.

4. Restrict your participation in discussions so you don’t take over the conversations and so that this responsibility doesn’t take over your life.

Finally, amid the stress of moving on-line, expect to be delighted, as well.

“I think teachers are surprised at how much they get to know their students in this environment, although they may never meet face to face,” says McIntyre. “Teacher roles change and include new roles, like technical support person, moderator, and mentor.”