Dee and Michael,
I’ve been teaching in a hybrid International Executive MBA
program for many years. The courses typically begin with a few live sessions
during the students’ 2-week “residential” period. Then we have 6 months of
asynchronous online sessions. I love the online sessions; they proceed to
deeper levels than is possible in the limited time of a live class. My sessions
last for four days, and most students add about one posting per day. In this
program, I have taught introductory financial accounting, introductory cost
accounting, and management control systems. I use slightly different types of assignments
and questions in the introductory courses versus the strictly case-based MCS
course. Like Michael, my students prepare with readings and group assignments.
A few years ago, I tried a similar approach for a couple of weeks
in a live evening MBA program. Although the students told me that they
preferred live sessions, I found that the quality of the discussion was quite
high—same as in my IXMBA courses.
For me, the key to active and high-quality discussions is
setting up separate threads for different topics. I ask questions to start
each thread, and then add comments as needed to prompt consideration of
additional issues. The only downside for me is the time; I spent much more
time on an online session than on an equivalent live session.
Susan
From: For college professors globally, to dialogue about
course design. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Thomas
Michael Power
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2010 7:03 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE : Designing Better Learning Experiences: Updates on Website
+ Question
Hi Dee,
Yes,
indeed. I started teaching online using a combination of a basic website and a
virtual classroom about 10 years ago. Rather early on in online learning, I
realized that developing a full-blown website was prohibitively time-consuming
and simply an exercise in futility since updating it in a timely fashion became
a virtual impossibility. I also realized that teaching online asynchronously
was... well, boring. I missed the spontaneous debating, the back 'n forth,
the warmth of verbal contact that had mad eme become a university professor in
the first place. So I lessened my dependance on asynch and added the synch
classroom and have never looked back. I now teach graduate courses only and I
get the chance to work with highly-motivated students from across the country
and even overseas. They are all present and accounted for, every Tuesday
afternoon from 4:30 to 7:30 PM with a 20-minute break in the middle, just like
on-campus. Students tell me that the much-vaunted 24/7 online
course ends up being 0/0 since, for some reason or another, they say they never
seem to get around to doing the work required in an online course. They say
they feel isolated and unmotivated.
In a
nutshell, I try to run my seminar just as I would on campus. Students do have
some individual work to do before class - reading - but they tend to do it
because they also have a team assignment that requires they do it. The
peer commitment seems to make it all work in that they come to class prepared
to debate, discuss and examine concepts and principles embedded in the readings
and discussed within their teams, in either synch or asynch mode.
I've
added some references below for your perusal.
Michael
@@@@@@@@
Dr. Michael Power
Professor & Programs Director - Educational Technology
Faculty of Education - Université Laval
Founder of www.bold-research.org Research Network
Director of Research www.CNIE-RCIE.ca
Deputy Director (Education) http://geoeduc3d.scg.ulaval.ca/
Member of the
Board of Directors www.cirta.org
Office 1174
2320 rue des Bibliothèques
Université Laval
Quebec City (Québec) G1V 0A6
CANADA
Phone : (418) 656-2131 #5467
Fax: (418) 656-2905
Email: [log in to unmask]
Website
(FR/ENG) : http://www.fse.ulaval.ca/Michael.Power
Major article (ENG): http://jolt.merlot.org/vol4no4/power_1208.htm
New article
(ENG): http://www.jofde.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/649
2008 book (FR): http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120138
2009 book (ENG): http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120161 (09/09)
2010 talk (ENG): http://cider.athabascau.ca/CIDERSessions/sessionarchive
2010 talk
(ENG) http://edtechtalk.com/node/4722
Professional site: www.facebook.com (Thomas Michael
Power)
Instant messaging: www.twitter.com (drmichaelpower)
De
: Dee Fink [[log in to unmask]]
Date d'envoi : 21 juin 2010 21:09
À : [log in to unmask]
Cc : Thomas Michael Power
Objet : Designing Better Learning Experiences: Updates on Website +
Question
Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to alert you that the page on "Design
Forms & Tips" (under "Resource Downloads") has been
re-organized and several new items have been added.
Question:
Does anyone have a "success story" they would like
to share on the listserv? Posting this would allow people to ask
questions about how it works, and what problems they had to overcome.
Michael Powers emailed me a month or two ago, about
an online course which he designed to include both synchronous and asynchronous
activities that seemed to be quite valuable.
Michael: Would you mind
sharing that with people on the listserv?
We would love to also hear "success stories" from
others as well!
Thanks, Dee
--
***********************
L. Dee Fink
234 Foreman Ave.
Norman, OK 73069
Phone/FAX: 405-364-6464
Email: [log in to unmask]
Website: www.finkconsulting.info
**National Project Director: Teaching & Curriculum Improvement (TCI)
Project
**Senior Associate, Dee Fink & Associates Consulting Services
**Author of: Creating Significant Learning Experiences
**Former President of the POD Network in Higher Education (2004-2005)