Pitfalls In Online Course Development and Delivery

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Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1376] pitfalls in online course development and delivery
From: jataylor (jataylor_at_utk.edu)
Date: Mon Apr 12 2004 - 15:21:48 EDT

Hello All,
I have found that oftentimes, learning and sharing what doesn't work can be just as valuable as sharing what does. We've heard from a couple of us the week before last in this regard, but many of us subscribed to this list have experiences in online course development and delivery. Please share at least one example of what *not* to do in developing and/or delivering online courses! What did you learn from your experiences? And based on your experiences, what might you recommend to others who may find themselves in similar situations?

I look forward to hearing from you ~

Best, Jackie

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1377] pitfalls in online course delivery
From: Kathleen Olson (olsonk_at_franklin.edu)
Date: Mon Apr 12 2004 - 17:06:23 EDT

Having taught many online courses, I think the most significant factor is the number and quality of 'contacts' with the instructor. I feel students are more likely to complain about a course or an instructor when the teacher is an abstract persona, rather than seen as a real person. I also find it is easier for students to drop out or not complete the class when there are not sufficient 'contacts' with the instructor. The university I teach for has tried to help ameliorate this problem by having a conference call fairly early in the course and several scheduled chat sessions during the course. Students often report that these were some of the most valuable and/or enjoyable parts of the course.

Kathy Olson
Training and Support Specialist
NE ABLE Resource Center

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1378] Re: pitfalls in online course development and delivery
From: Dlhargrove_at_aol.com
Date: Tue Apr 13 2004 - 08:42:39 EDT

Hi all,
Jackie asked for some examples of lessons learned in developing and delivering online courses. As I mentioned in an earlier discussion, our online training is developed using grant money. What we forgot to do, was continue to include funds in the subsequent grant proposals to maintain and update the existing trainings! We had links to research and other resources on the web that were becoming broken, etc and turned the trainings into frustrating experiences as opposed to engaging ones.

Just a recommendation to those who are considering developing.

Debra Hargrove
Florida TechNet

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1382] Re: pitfalls in online course development and delivery
From: Jennifer Elmore (jennifer_at_jelmore.com)
Date: Wed Apr 14 2004 - 00:19:16 EDT

Hi everyone.
Here are a few of my "lessons learned" re: online course development and delivery.

Creating a Course

1. Consider the volume of work and/or reading you assign. Depending (naturally) on the goals of a particular class, you may find that "less is more" in an online context. Try to streamline.

The first online courses that I developed resembled some of the syllabi that I'd received in school. The courses included mountains of information on a given topic - reading lists, resources, websites, etc. Most of the teachers and administrators who signed up for these courses did not have the time to explore all (or even a portion of) the materials. Rather, they wanted me to distill information for them, highlight key issues, etc. A few people who were unable to weed through the material felt delinquent and, I believe as a result, lost momentum and/or dropped out entirely.

2. Try to separate system-related instructions from course content.

(This may be less of an issue if you are working with a commercial delivery system like Blackboard.) The early LiteracyLink course pages mixed system-related instructions with course content. Participants found this confusing - we tried to remedy the situation by creating "Help" tabs that connected users to system-related information. The introduction of a clearly delineated "Help" section drew an important line between the delivery mechanism and its operation - and the course content.

Facilitating a Course

1. The following point may be fairly obvious, but I'll include it anyway. If at all possible, give participants a chance to learn/become comfortable with the technology before delving into the course content.

In one online course I facilitated, I relied a little too heavily on the content's capacity to engage participants in using the technology. I had hoped that folks would be more inclined to learn and experiment with the technology if they had compelling (content-driven) reasons to do so. I should have provided more of a baseline tutorial, especially for people with limited technology experience. Because I did not offer enough background information on the technology up-front, I/we spent more time troubleshooting technology issues than investigating the content.

2. Know the strengths/weakness of your online tools. Be prepared to use these tools in a variety of ways/combinations to better accommodate participants' needs.

Here's an example: when I first started facilitating online courses, I thought that the online chats would solidify my communities by giving participants a chance to discuss issues in "real time." My first experiences as a chat facilitator were rather challenging. I entered the chatting arena with fairly structured agendas (consisting of 3-4 questions or discussion points). I learned pretty quickly, of course, that the chats moved too rapidly to explore issues in any depth. In addition, a single chat typically produced a cadre of side discussions.

I tried hard to keep participants on task, but "the tide of the online chat" always took over. I had to revise my assumptions about the chatting function and what I could/could not accomplish in that forum. Ultimately, I invited participants to use online chats to connect informally and to air questions, comments, etc. that I subsequently posted on the discussion board (thereby, encouraging more in-depth commentary).

3. At the beginning of every course, clarify how much and what kind of access participants will have to you/the facilitator. Among other things, estimate response times - let them know how long it will take you to respond to email, written work, bulletin board posts, etc. If circumstances change during the course, send up a flare.

Once, while facilitating an online course, I got sick and dropped offline for a few days. I forgot to tell participants that I was unwell and would likely be away from the computer. The upshot of this oversight was that I "lost" a couple of people. When my class did not hear from me for several days, they (I later learned through course reviews) became frustrated and lost momentum. They were no longer sure of my consistency as a facilitator. All this to say that too much communication is far better than too little.

Jennifer

Jennifer Elmore, M.S.Ed.
Education Consultant

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