Thursday, November 19, 2009

Constructing Courses - Development Ideas 3


This is the third Blog in which I am attempting to meet the criteria for Task 3 - Develop Ideas.
Unfortunately for me developing ideas is such an open ended task I have found it very difficult to limit myself and keep it focused.

I have didcussed my program focusing on Course 1 - The Values Base in the following table . In the first column I critically review the current: learning outcomes, course content, learning and teaching activities and assessments. In the second and third column I discuss proposed changes over 2010 and 2011 exploring changes to learning objects and new media and activities I intend to use.

In short, I intend to change the delivery of my program for 2011 from the current compulsory face to face attendance one full day per week to an online delivery format with optional face to face workshops for 2 hours a week. My intention is to make the delivery of my program as flexible as possible. My plan includes everything from researching stakeholder reactions to this proposal, to reviewing my program document, attending moodle training and developing online learning packages. Although I have retained my focus on the big pictured, I have discussed changes for 2010 which will help build towards the implementation of my new program in 2011. For example, I am reducing classroom time from 6 hours to four hours and adding 2 hours of computer labs per day. I think being in a lab with students while I still have them on campus will help iron out some of the problems I might experience with distance teaching. I intend to get students using the lab sessions to prepare for the following weeks class, to experiment with strategies for building relationships using online media and to complete course assessment work. I have discussed these ideas in more depth in the plan linked above, in the previous two blogs and in my flexible learning plan.

An aspect which I have not discussed elsewhere is that in addition to making my course as flexible as possible, I want to replicate in as much as is possible, the warmth and passion and energy of the face to face environment in my online teaching and learning packages. I think the key to this is in taking care not to become to sterile in online presentation style and maintaining a presence through audio's and video's. I want to get really comfortable with using webcam and video media and I'd love to figure out how to have a powerpoint and a video of me talking playing at the same time. I think photo's and also getting the students using webcams will be really important.

Resources and training needs that will be required to implement my program are outlined in the following table . I have not identified costs because there is no special equipment required to implement my changes that I do not already have. I do believe that setting up and implementing my program, both in terms of the changes planned for next year and the more substantial changes planned for 2009 will take considerable time and effort and .2 of my time has been set aside in preparation for this.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Jenny

    Just wondering, where do you have this development picture from? Can I freely use it too?

    J

    ReplyDelete

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Cheers
Jenny