Instructional Design
 The major differences between
face-to-face teaching and teleteaching relate to planning, delivery, and
logistics. A good UM-ITV course includes the following steps:
When you make the
transition from the traditional classroom to teaching via distance technology,
you will find yourself playing a new role. Due to the highly technical nature
of this delivery mode, distance education requires team effort. You will
join a team which includes communication technicians and other support personnel.
As in any other collaborative activity, planning and communicating with
other team members are keys to success.
Create a plan that describes
how you will accomplish these steps and provide a written summary to your
team members. Be sure to take into account the extra lead time needed
to produce or adapt materials for distance education as well as the logistical
considerations of managing supporting materials
and exams at a distance.
ASSESS THE LEARNERS
 Think
about your typical students and their learning environments. Are they
full-time students or working parents? How might the profile of your typical
student change as your course becomes available to other campuses? What
about students' access to libraries or to e-mail? Each site receiving
your class or program will have a slightly different situation. Increased
access to University of Minnesota courses and programs via technology
will very likely mean increasing numbers of part-time adult learners.
How might this change affect your teaching strategy?
In describing students, be sure to include:
- Skill/knowledge prerequisites
- Motivation
- Age
- Education level
- Preferred learning style
- Location, distribution
- Available learning resources
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SPECIFY OUTCOMES AND CONTENT
This is a critical step. A
clear statement of desired outcomes and a detailed content outline form
the foundation for all of the remaining steps in planning and carrying
out your course or program. Your outline should include a list of the
topics you will cover in each session. Under each topic heading, list
the specific items to be covered. Be sure to give each member of your
planning team a copy. The outcomes list and content outline are the main
documents you will use when meeting with UM-ITV staff to discuss your
needs. They also form the basis for other components of your course or
program. For example, outcome statements turn into benefit statements
in promoting your course or program; they form a road map for your remote-site
facilitators and become the benchmarks for assessing learner performance.
The content outline also provides the basis for your syllabus.
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MODULARIZE CONTENT
When preparing your content
outline you need to consider modularizing your course content. Presenting
content material in modules is a method of pacing
a class. When adults sit in front of a television screen their usual attention
span is between 10 and 15 minutes long. By breaking class content into
10 to 15 minute modules you are not trying to fight the way students have
been preconditioned by the television medium. For example, if you have
45 minutes of content that needs to be delivered during a class period,
it's better to deliver the content in modules and use one of several interactive
strategies between the content modules to re-engage the viewer - your
student.
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DESIGN YOUR INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
When your content outline
is complete, visit your electronic classroom and, if possible, the classrooms
that will receive your class. Each classroom has a slightly different
layout, and technology requirements make the seating arrangements relatively
inflexible. Most instructional techniques (e.g.,. case studies, interviews,
panel discussions, role-playing) can be adapted to distance education.
However, you will need to plan ahead for any special physical arrangements.
A planning spreadsheet, one for each session, is a useful tool for communicating
your instructional strategy to the rest of your planning team. Use one
column to list topic items from your content outline. The next column
should list the time you plan to allot for that item. Additional columns
can be used to list required media support, printed materials, guest presenters,
videotapes, etc. Your design for classroom interaction requires special
attention in a distance education environment. See a list of Teaching
Tips for some techniques that other distance educators have used to
establish rapport and facilitate interaction.
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DEVELOP A SYLLABUS AND SUPPORTING MATERIALS
Syllabi, textbooks, and other
course materials must be sent to the remote sites well in advance of the
first class presentation, so begin your planning of support materials
early. Distributing materials to several sites is easier with preplanning
and good communication with key contact people at each site. Each site
has its own policy for distributing materials at the remote sites, but
support staff can assist you.
Your syllabus should be as
detailed as possible and include the anticipated course schedule, assignments
and due dates, expectations, and other requirements. Clearly state in
the syllabus how and when you can be reached out of class. Also include
information for students on what they should do if a question arises,
such as who to call or what to do if there's a problem or how to make
up a missed class.
The electronic classroom is
equipped to allow you to use a wide variety of supporting
materials. All of the following can be used successfully with UM-ITV:
- Graphics from books and
journals if they are not too detailed.
- Computer graphics
- Videotapes (use 1/2" VHS
format)
- Photographic slides (horizontal
format)
- Three-dimensional objects
- Handouts
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ASSESS THE RESULTS AND MODIFY THE DESIGN
As in any educational experience,
you will want to evaluate your own work and get feedback from participants
in order to improve your course or program. The electronic classroom brings
new elements into the equation--for example, a multi-site "classroom",
a wider diversity of students, and an unfamiliar technology. Use both
ongoing and summative evaluations for the best help in creating a better
course.
Some ideas for collecting evaluation data as your course proceeds:
- E-mail, fax, or postcards.
Provide methods for students to share their concerns or respond to your
questions. Make sure students have your e-mail address and provide stamped
and addressed postcards.
- Allot class time. Use
a few minutes at the beginning or end of the session to address students'
questions, clarify terms or assignments, set appointments, etc.
- Phone-in office hours.
Check with your department about identifying a line for telephone office
hours. Be sure to welcome calls at other times. A summative evaluation
helps you assess the overall effectiveness of your course or program
and provides a baseline for revising it or designing a new one.
Consider including the following items:
- List three weaknesses of
the course.
- List three strengths of
the course.
- If you were teaching the
course, what would you have done differently?
- What did you think would
be covered in this course that was not?
- Would you recommend this
course to a friend? Why or why not?
- What would you recommend
to a friend who was planning to take this course?
- Demographics (age, full-time
or part-time student, graduate or undergraduate, etc.)
Be sure to take time at the end of your
course or program to evaluate the experience yourself. Would you teach on
UM-ITV again? Why or why not? How well did your distance education team
operate as a team? What could be done to improve the system for you and
your students?
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