I suppose it is slightly skirting the scenario but I think Benoit should first ask himself if his Business Writing course is appropriate to be run online. By that I mean, will the learners reap the same benefits (or more) from the online version of his course that they do from the face to face version? Coates, James & Baldwin (2005) mentioned in their article that a lot of educational institutions have been drawn in by the allure of Learning Management Systems as they allow for more efficient regulated teaching. However, it has yet to be fully proven if online mediums positively or negatively affect student learning (Coates, James & Baldwin, 2005). Just because Benoit can put his course online does not mean he should put it online. Benoit must balance the aspirations of the university to reach a larger audience with student expectations and course goals/ desired outcomes.
I do not have experience developing online courses so I am not positive how much time Benoit will need to put his course online. With that said, I think he would have to work through the following steps:
- Determine if Business Writing should be offered online
- Research possible platforms (Moodle and Blackboard Learn)
- Experiment with online technologies
- Alter/develop content for an online medium
- Have a trial run of the course
- Adjust the course based on the trial run
- Go live with the course
References
Coates, H., James, R., & Baldwin, G. (2005). A critical examination of the effects of Learning Management Systems on university teaching and learning. Tertiary Education and Management, 11,(1), 19-36. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11233-004-3567-9
Hi Colleen,
Interesting take on things. I definitely see your logic on this one, and I think if Benoit was a little higher up the food chain it would make sense. I read this more as if the decision had already been made, but looking back, I could be wrong on that one.
Your list is pretty good, but I think that you’d have to add something between experimenting and altering. I would think media and activity selection play a pretty big part in things.
Jason
Good question to ask if the course is a good one to put online. Did the administrator’s make the decision to go online because of student expectations or some other reason? Since it’s a research university the Benoit works for, they could study the difference between the blended delivery model and the new all online course.
Hi Colleen,
I think that you’ve raised a good point here. If, according to Coates, “effective teaching and learning is an essentially adaptive process involving ongoing interaction between students and staff,” perhaps the administrator is responding to student demand for an online offering of the business writing course to better meet their needs.
– Allen.
Thanks everyone for the feedback!
Jason – The scenario does make it sound like the decision was already made but after the Coates reading I really questioned why. I know we have some workshops that would not translate well online.
Parmdip – That is a good point. Perhaps a blended approach would allow Benoit to ease into the online course (and allow him to perhaps shorten his timeline?)
Allen – I think that’s a fair point. Coates did mention that student have a lot of expectations in terms of incorporating technology into the learning experience. Maybe they were responding to pressure. Regardless, they need to balance external pressure with the integrity of the course. I wish we could have received a course description or history in the scenario!