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ERIC Number: ED459674
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 2001-Nov
Pages: 7
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Confronting Design Problems in Developing On-Line Courses in Higher Education.
Roberson, Thelma; Klotz, Jack
This paper outlines design problems and other instructional delivery issues that need to be addressed by potential on-line program designers, and it suggests some possible solutions to these problems. The first issue was transforming a traditional, three-credit course in a developing student-centered curriculum into a course delivered through WebCT format. WebCT was the method of choice because the university had committed resources to this format. It was necessary to train instructors to use WebCT, to plan for a team effort, and then to develop a syllabus. Technology delivery strategies were chosen, including chat rooms, Internet bulletin boards, and communication through e-mail correspondence. Other options were not selected because of practical constraints in the course situation. In the actual delivery of the course, a number of issues had to be considered: (1) students' technological capacity to function as online learners; (2) technological support for students and instructors; (3) time zone and international server problems; (4) the compatibility of America Online with WebCT; (5) firewall protection that sometimes blocked the chat function; and (6) other technological problems. The paper concludes that overall addressing these issues will help in the development of an online course that satisfies both student and instructor needs. (SLD)
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-South Educational Research Association (30th, Little Rock, AR, November 14-16, 2001).