Online Learning &Teaching (OLT)

Introduction

The OLT section of the website provides a resource to help you understand issues behind implementing your course design for online learning and teaching. This section spans several pages which you can access by using links in the navigation menu on the left. From the navigation menu, you can link to the Solutions page. Or you can link to this page the Q&A section of this page. The Keywords page includes terms and phrases (search strings) that may be useful in getting further information. These can be used in conjunction with other keywords related to your specific topic or discipline. The search strings on that page are linked to search results pages that will update automatically when new resources are added. There are also four pages of OLT Resources detailed below.

The OLT section deals with a subject matter that is in a constant state of change. In the past, most educators subscribed to a view that it is the pedagogy that should drive the use of technology. The main premise on which this belief is based is no doubt accurate - successful use of technology hinges on good understanding of the processes of course and instructional design, and is commonly associated with some form of learning-focused teaching philosophy. A meta-analysis of technology integration (Schmid et al., 2009), for example, indicates that effect sizes pertaining to computer technology used as “support for cognition” were significantly greater than those related to computer use for “presentation of content.”

However, we have to acknowledge today that the relationship between technology and pedagogy is more complex and can be conceptualised as bi-directional or iterative. New online applications and tools appear almost daily and create opportunities for exciting innovative course design and teaching ideas. Web 2.0, for example, has changed the way students locate and access information, interact with each other and create new knowledge. In line with this new philosophy of active participation, we invite you to contribute to the OLT site by submitting your own questions about online teaching and learning, and by sharing your successes and lessons to be learnt. At this stage to do this is to email Irina Elgort, but we are also working on interactive options which will be available soon.

Schmid, R. F., Bernard, R. M., Borokhovski, E., Tamim, R., Abrami, P. C., Wade, C. A., . . . Lowerison, G. (2009). Technology’s effect on achievement in higher education: A Stage I meta-analysis of classroom applications. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 21(2), 95–109.

Designing online courses

The purpose of the OLT section is to support your exploration of issues and possibilities involved in teaching your course online. It stems from the the process of course design and aims to help you to achieve the learning objectives you have set out in that. That process involves understanding the needs of your learners and designing materials and activities that help them to achieve the intended outcomes. We will call that instructional design.

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What is Instructional Design?

Instructional design is a systematic process based on theories of learning which supports effective and efficient teaching and learning. It is used to assess students' learning needs based on identified learning outcomes and to design and develop a strategy of arrangement, presentation and sequencing of learning activities and resources in order to deliver a specific course of instruction. Successful instructional design practices also incorporate reflection and evaluation of the outcomes of the instruction, in order to adjust the design and delivery.

Who is involved in Instructional Design?

The process ideally involves more than one person. It can include a content expert (Subject Matter Expert – SME), an educational expert, a graphic designer, a technical developer and an evaluation expert.  These are often cross-over roles.

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Resource/information links about designing online courses

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Your Q&A

This section uses a problem / solution approach as the basis for presenting information and links to sites to help you understand and use instructional design for your online courses.  Our aim is to provide links that remain usable, so rather than linking to particular articles we prefer to link to sites that may lead you to resources to help you solve your particular problem. 

Here are some questions that relate to concepts or issues of online learning. Click on the question you are interested in to link to comments and links to sites that may provide explanation (and in some cases solutions) to your questions.

This section can become more dynamic with your help. We would like to know your ideas and issues. Please contact Irina if you have any questions or ideas we have not covered here.

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Resources

We have prepared pages of suggested resources, categorised into sections so you can find what you are looking more easily. There are four pages of resources that you can access via the main navigation bar for this section:

Educational sites - is a list that links to other higher learning organisations' online learning and teaching pages.

Useful websites - includes sites with a variety of related information as well as a list of repositories where you can get digital resources.

Journals - lists some major journals about online learning that are accessible either directly online or through the VUW library.

Other Resources - contains links to e-books, to recommended books, lists authors writing about related subjects, and links to tools and networking sites.

Please note that we are also available to work with you on a one-on-one basis. Contact Irina Elgort at UTDC.

Please send your questions and / or comments to Irina Elgort@vuw.ac.nz

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