How to Make a Course Your Own:

Teaching Standardized Courses

Susan S. Ko, PhD, Executive DirectorCenter for Teaching and Learning, University of Maryland University CollegeSloan ALN conference, October 29, 2009

Standardized online course—conforming to a model for instruction, and utilizing identical content in all sections of a course with limited or no variation.

Defining Term

• Broad range: From common syllabus elements that must be included in all sections of a course with the remainder up to instructor, to completely reproduced content with little or no instructor input after initial creation

• Existed with f2f courses and in previous distance ed modes—but easier to replicate all parts of a course online

Further Defining

How many of you teach (or belong to an institution where instructors teach)a course that has some standardized elements?

How many of you teach (or belong to an institution where instructors teach) a course that is predominantly standardized?

Quick Survey

Negative Perceptions

The “canned course”-- No fresh material, no input from teaching instructor, low quality, no flexibility, no opportunity to use one’s expertise, must conform to an implicit style or approach to teaching and learning

Institutional rationale?

•Desire to serve more students with less expense and time for course development•Expectations of online students for more expert use of technology, professional look and feel of course•Allows for efficient team approach to development•Desire for consistent learning outcomes, especially in courses on which later courses depend

Advantages for instructor

•Don’t have to spend as much time preparing the online classroom as opposed to preparing to teach •May be able to teach wider range of courses, not only those for which have highest level of expertise•Have advantage of multimedia rich content and expertise of instructional designers•Can focus on teaching the course

Possible difficulties to overcome

• Poor fit between the approach and style of instruction and one’s own manner of teaching • Lack of creativity lessens engagement• Loss of interest because contribute little or nothing to content• Loss of interest in repeating same course semester after semester• Disagreement with ideas and assumptions in the course content

Course development with a team

Team typically consists of some or all of thefollowing:•Subject matter expert--SME (could be faculty)•Faculty reviewers•Curriculum specialist •Instructional designer •Technology specialists•Editors

Credit: http://thegoldguys.blogspot.com

If faculty serving as SME

• Remind the team you have teaching expertise, not only subject matter expertise• Be flexible—there is more than one way to accomplish the same objective•May reflect your style of teaching, but have a thought to those who will follow you in teaching the content• Ask designers for concrete examples that demonstrate approaches proposed• Have reasonable expectations of the team in regard to tasks

If you are instructional designer

• Don’t belabor writing of objectives and avoid technical jargon• Interview the instructor to find out what the preferred approaches and assignments are and why• Show, rather than tell—offer examples• Assume the instructor has teaching expertise that you can tap• Share responsibility for the course, clarify your role and expected tasks

If didn’t help create the course…Faculty who will teach the course should

•Find out the rules—what can be changed, what can be added?• Become thoroughly familiar with the course content and approaches used•Don’t teach it if you really can’t do it in good faith !• Look to learning objectives and integration, total effect, if adding to content, assignments, resources, etc.

but are teaching it…

Pay attention to•Announcements, discussion area and assignment feedback—these are also important for establishing presence•Focus on interaction with students and facilitation of student-student interaction•Resources to bring that enrich or add perspective without undermining existing content If find errors or have new ideas, contact administrator and offer your suggestions!

Questions?

Contact me at sko@umuc.edu

More on this topic in forthcoming 3rd edition of Ko and Rossen, Teaching Online: A Practical Guidefrom Routledge in March 2010