Download Teaching Online: Some of the Issues

Some of the Issues of
Teaching Online
Client Expectations
 24/7/365
 Instant gratification
 Tech support
Response Time
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24-48 hours
My target - under 8 hours
"Easier to keep up than to catch up...”
Plan to give yourself some regular down
time...
Non-Traditional Work Hours
 Evenings, weekends and holidays are often
the busiest times
 Crunch times can get very hectic end of August, etc.
 Plan to spend a lot of time in front of the
computer!
Archive All Incoming &
Outgoing Messages
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May need to document or replace lost files
Propriety issues - cover your back...
Address "but you said"... issues
Plagiarism issues
The Instructor's "Voice”
 All you have is text...
 Look for ways to personalize comments
 Proper grammar & spellchecking is
absolutely necessary
 Instructors represent FPU/CPD to the
broader community
SPAM Filtering
 If your e-mail address is publicly accessible
you will eventually get massive amounts of
spam
 E-mail software like Eudora Pro with
Bayesian filtering is recommended
Virus Protection
 Since you are in so many e-mail address
books, you will also get exposed to every
virus that exploits Outlook address book
 Regular virus definition updates and regular
virus scanning are a given when teaching
online
Teaching Online:
Lessons Learned...
Site Design
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Keep it Simple
Most web users have an 8 second attention span...
Glitz and glitter just slow down the load time
Limit the use of graphics
Use simple, consistent navigation elements
Text links work just a well as graphics and are
much faster
Site Design
 Design for the lowest common denominator
 Compatibility testing is critical
 Test your site on multiple platforms and
with multiple ISP's
 Make sure it works on AOL
ISP’s & Web Hosting
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Reliability
Redundancy
Portability
Privacy
Reliabilty
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Get your own domain name
Remember to renew it!
Use a top-tier web hosting service provider
Avoid budget hosting services you get what you pay for...
 Look for 99.9% uptime
with redundant web connections
Redundancy
 Provide course site mirrors
on multiple servers
 Outsource - your local ISP is fine for a
backup site but not for your primary site.
 Look for hosting services
that provide daily backups
 Perform regular backups
on your end as well
Portability
 Design a self-contained site that can be
easily moved from one server to another
 Use an ISP with nationwide coverage
& access numbers
Privacy
 If you use third party providers for listserve,
web boards or blogs, be sure to check their
privacy policies
 Password Protection of content, listserve
and web board postings?
 Robot exclusion protocols (robots.txt)
Benefits of
Online Courses
Online Course Benefits
 Online courses are increasingly in demand
with our core audience as well as with
emerging markets (ASCI etc.)
 It is much easier to update and revise course
content
 Materials duplication costs are minimal printing cost is moved to the clients
Online Course Benefits
 "Alpha geeks" are often a bellwether of emerging
trends
 Course participants can become part of the
development / revision process and often suggest
other resources that can be added to your existing
content
 You can become a significant change agent with
influence in classrooms and schools all over the
country
Online Course Benefits
 Higher than average course completion rates
 TEC 908 - 95% completion rate over past 4 years
 TEC 912 - 90% completion rate over past 4 years
 Wonderful opportunity to work with a highly
motivated group of educators from all over the
country/world