For instance, by moving a great deal of the content online, maybe you can free up
more time for interaction with students, in large or smaller groups, either in class or
online, and at the same time reduce the number of lectures to large classes. Some
instructors have redesigned large lecture classes of 200 students, by breaking down
the class into 10 groups, moving much of the lecture material online, and then the
instructor spends at least one week with each of the 10 groups in online discussion,
interaction and group activities, thus getting more interaction with all the students.
Considering using new technologies or an alternative delivery method will give
you you an opportunity to rethink your teaching, perhaps to be able to tackle some of the limitations of classroom teaching, and to renew your approach to teaching. One way to help you rethink how you want to teach is to think of how you could build a rich learning environment for the course (see Appendix l).
Using technology or moving part or all of your course online opens up a range of
possibilities for teaching that may not be possible in the confines of a scheduled three credit weekly semester of lectures (see_ Chapter 4). It may mean not doing everything online, but focusing the campus experience on what can only be done on campus.
Alternatively, it may enable you to totally rethink the curriculum, to exploit some of
the benefits of online learning, such as getting students to find, analyse and apply
information for themselves.
The problem with just moving lectures online is that it fails to take account of a key requirement for most online learners: flexibility. When students are studying online, their needs are different from when they are in class. Restricted‘office hours' when the instructor is available for students do not provide the flexibility of contact that students need when working online. Students tend to work in smaller chunks of time when studying online, in several short bursts, and rarely more than an hour without a break. Online work then needs to be broken up into manageable‘chunks.' A synchronous web cast may be scheduled at times when online students are working.
More importantly, online learning allows us to deliver content or information in ways
that lead to better learning than through a one hour lecture.
