U of I Online Breakout Session Reports

Breakout Session:  Issues Raised by the Teaching at an Internet Distance Seminar Report   University of Illinois Online Retreat February 22, 2000 Ray Schroeder (UIS) and Linda Smith (UIUC), facilitators In 1998-1999 sixteen University of Illinois faculty members from a range of departments on all three campuses participated in a faculty seminar exploring online pedagogy, or "teaching at an Internet distance".  Their final report (http://www.vpaa.uillinois.edu/tid/report/tid_report.html) included a number of recommendations for faculty and administrators interested in developing quality online courses and degree programs.  The breakout session provided an opportunity for U of I faculty and administrators with online experience to respond to these recommendations by exploring a number of discussion questions. Most emphatically, those present felt that the University of Illinois should be committed to delivering the highest quality courses and degree programs online and that an important part of that is quality teaching.  While acknowledging that not all on-campus teachers and courses are equally effective, this should not be an excuse for being satisfied with the online equivalent of large lecture courses taught by uninspiring teachers.  While having the goal of quality teaching in courses and programs is desirable in itself, this particularly makes sense in the distance education marketplace.  The U of I "brand" should be associated with high quality, thereby differentiating it from some of the other institutions competing for the students who seek to enroll in online courses and degree programs. Many on-campus faculty members are making use of Internet technology in teaching their on-campus classes to supplement face-to-face contact.  Others are delivering online classes aimed at on-campus students.  In some instances, both the students and the faculty member find the online mode preferable to face-to-face for the delivery of certain classes.  So, it would seem appropriate to focus on the online teaching and learning dimensions rather than just the aspect of being "at an Internet distance".   Another consideration is that degree programs that are accredited will need to strive for comparable levels of quality, regardless of mode of delivery. While those who have had experience with online teaching are generally enthusiastic, the participants in this session recognized that we are still learning how to redesign courses to teach most effectively online.  This process is likely to continue for some time into the future, especially with the changing nature of the associated technologies and inter-institutional competitive environment. In addition we need to be aware of problems that may arise as teaching in this mode becomes more widespread.  Participants in the breakout session were quite concerned about the risk of teacher "burnout".   This is especially likely in situations where students expect teacher response at any time during the week.  At the same time, there is the risk of students becoming overwhelmed by the demands to read and make sense of large numbers of messages as well as the normal reading load for a course. Breakout session participants agreed that online course design lends itself particularly well to active learning strategies.  Some students may find this change from the passive style to be disconcerting.  As a result, they may drop out of the class or express dissatisfaction.  These negative expressions may be due to the active learning aspect of course design rather than to the delivery technology per se.  In particular, students who have only experienced the traditional lecture mode of delivery may be less satisfied with a course where the instructor moves from "sage on the stage" to "guide on the side", regardless of the mode of delivery.  But, the participants in this discussion group also felt that faculty must be sensitive to the differences in learning style of their online students.  Online faculty members should consider the possibility of accommodating different styles in their design of online courses, even though many faculty members do not necessarily do so adequately in the traditional classroom. Although the report makes a number of specific recommendations (class size, type of degree program best suited to online learning), the group recognized that factors contributing to success will vary depending on the subject matter to be taught and the background of the students.  In particular courses and programs seem to work best when students see this as an opportunity rather than a requirement to learn in this way. The discussion illustrated that U of I faculty members across a range of disciplines are gaining valuable experience in online course and program design.  Finding ways to share that experience more systematically may be one key to expanding quality online course and program offerings. It is also clear from the discussion that faculty members differ in their attitude toward ownership of their materials--whether to share widely or treat it as proprietary.  Norms for this may vary by discipline. Another unresolved issue that may vary by discipline is the question of who should be teaching online.  Without adequate support and encouragement, full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty may not pursue online teaching and learning and such programs may increasingly be staffed with adjunct faculty members who do not necessarily bring a research perspective to their teaching. Key points raised by participants: Do NOT compromise quality in online offerings Online at U of I is more than just “at a distance” Includes online for on-campus students Transforming face-to-face classes to online classes is not yet an automatic process We are still learning how to re-design courses for online Beware of potential burnout among teachers and students Students accustomed to passive learning may be challenged by the active learning nature of many online classes This may result in lower retention and lower satisfaction among students Also may result in greater learning among students  Faculty members may want to consider accommodating a range of learning styles Online learning works best when students see it as an opportunity rather than a requirement U of I online faculty members are gaining valuable experience in this emerging field, we might do well to find a way to promote sharing from and among these experienced online teachers Faculty members differ on their view of ownership of online courses Without adequate support, full time tenured faculty members may abandon online teaching, leaving it to adjunct faculty members who may not bring the same approach to their teaching