Matthew Mansour

 Introduce yourself to 1 person sitting close to you and tell them….  Who you are  Your Expertise & Background  Why you are here  Don’t Forget ME!!!

 …taken an online course  …taught an online course  …developed an online course

 Learning Paradigm shift  By 2011 university students will not remember life before computers.

 Years of experience  Wisdom ◦ Trials & Tribulations  Tons of Best Practices

 Recognize the shift  Push Traditional Instructors to Put courses online with no formal training. ◦ Poor quality ◦ Talking heads ◦ Static powerpoint ◦ Reading assignments & Discussions

 Discuss what e-learning is  Meet our teams  “Experience Research”  Discuss best and worst practices

 Online Books?

 Discussion Boards

 Fancy Design Software?

 Is e-Learning as effective as traditional face to face courses?

 It depends on… ◦ Instructor/Course Design ◦ Learners

 Are Traditional Courses Always effective?

 What was your favorite face to face class?  What made this class stand out?

 …taken a BAD online course In your groups discuss what specifically made this course “BAD” _______________________

 Don’t give clear instructions / navigational directions in the course  Don’t communicate with the students ◦ Don’t participate in discussions ◦ Don’t return or voice mail  Wait until the very end of the course to return graded assignments

 Put folders inside of folders inside of folders  Don’t Chunk  Assume they will read ◦ Post important information in only one place

 Use fancy media that requires plug-ins ◦ Don’t tell students upfront ◦ Let them try to figure it out on their own ◦ (Long download times)

 …taken a GREAT online course In your groups discuss what specifically made this course “GREAT” _______________________

 Clear Navigation  Clear Expectations  Interaction ◦ Instructor-student ◦ Student-student ◦ Student-Content  Timely Communication

 Clearly outline your expectations ◦ How and where to put/find assignments ◦ Something TANGIBLE  Clearly outline student expectations ◦ “All assignments will be returned by…” ◦ “ will be returned within 36 hours”

 Communicate with students ◦ Return and voice mail promptly  The number one issue at MQ when lecturers and teachers receive feedback in there Teacher Evaluations is “ my teacher did not communicate or respond in a timely manner”

 Put the students in charge of their own learning ◦ “Idolgogy”  Use appropriate Multimedia to address various learning styles ◦ “Disnegogy”

 Foster networking within the class ◦ Don’t let them think they are alone  Engage the students in interaction ◦ Play games ◦ Create Scenarios

 “CHUNK” material ◦ No more than 1 hr at a time  Post important items in multiple locations

From Campus Technology Magazine:  “As with any learning environment, the most worthwhile student experiences emerge when students can interact with their educators.” (Villano, 2008) From the Online publication:  “…research shows that loneliness…drives away a lot of online students.” (Terrell, 2008)

Ease of Use Communication Interaction-Engagement TIMELY Feedback Clear Expectations Clear Navigation

 Horton, William. E-Learning By Design Workshop, Training 2006 Conference. Orlando, Fla.      Villano, M (January 2008). 13 Tips for Virtual World Teaching. Campus Technology, 21(5),  Terrell, S (2008).Consider Learner Characteristics, Learning Conditions in Course Design. Online ?, 8.  teaching/ teaching/  Quality Matters FIPSE Grant project online: