Design and Evaluation of a Creative Online Course

by

Michelle Alvarez

Assistant Professor

University of Southern Indiana

8600 University Blvd.

HP 2145

Evansville IN 47712 USA

malvarez@usi.edu

 

Dana Willett

Manager, Media Production

Instructional Technology

University of Southern Indiana

8600 University Boulevard

Evansville, IN  47712

Phone: (812) 464-1888

Email: dwillett@usi.edu 

 

Kimberly Davis

Graduate Assistant, MSW Student

University of Southern Indiana

8600 University Blvd.

Evansville, IN 47712

Phone: (812) 461-5243

Fax: (812) 465 - 1116

email: kdawn10@aol.com

Keywords

Virtual Guest Speaker, Online course syllabus, CD-Rom Development

Abstract

This presentation addresses techniques for creating an enjoyable online course. Topics will include: creation of a syllabus, asynchronous learning, student web page design, development of an interactive CD, course design evaluation, and content analysis of student feedback on techniques presented . A roundtable presentation web site will be created on Blackboard for participants.

Proposal

Topics Covered

This roundtable discussion will be on the topic of the development of an online school social work graduate course. After a lengthy review of the relevant literature, the authors adopted techniques for the creation of an enjoyable distance education course. Within this presentation the following topic areas will be addressed: creation of a  syllabus, asynchronous learning-use of virtual guest speakers, student web page design, piloting use of an interactive CD, use of a formative and summative committee for course design evaluation and content analysis of student feedback on techniques presented.

Intended Audience

While the majority of persons attracted to this roundtable may be professional educators, it is intended for anyone interested in creating or further developing an online course. This could include business persons interested in new training techniques, persons who would like to create online tutorials, or students.

To benefit from this roundtable, no previous knowledge is required, although a basic knowledge of the Internet and Microsoft products would be helpful. Any technical procedures discussed will be thoroughly explained, and handouts will be included to further demonstrate techniques or tips discussed by the presenters.

Learning Goal

Goal: Present to attendees the application of current research to the design of an online course and share tips and techniques both suggested by the research and used by the presenters.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  1. Describe the process the speakers utilized to develop an online course.
  2. Discuss the creation of interactivity in course assignments.
  3. Assess the value of using virtual guest speakers on the course discussion board.
  4. Document the process of creating a CD-ROM for course use.
  5. Develop online course syllabi utilizing samples available from the presenters and accessible on the Internet.

Format

The presentation will be offered in the form of an interactive discussion and hands-on-demonstration. A roundtable presentation web site will be created on Blackboard to ensure participants have a resource to consult following the presentation.

Type of Technology

The type of technology discussed will be distance education via the Internet, creation of a CD-ROM, and use of a course web site and related tools. Other technological topics such as hardware/software requirements and technological support will be included.

Presenter Experience

The presenters include an assistant professor of Social Work, the Manager of Media Productions from the university, and a second year Masters of Social Work student. The presenters have recently undertaken a substantial literature review of scholarly work related to distance education, as well as distance education in the social services. By the time of the conference, the presenters will have taught two web-enhanced courses, and one online course and will have begun the second offering of the online course. The primary presenter has extensive knowledge of distance education, as the doctoral program in which the presenter is enrolled is offered in a distance education format. The primary presenter has also been a participant in a university sponsored online teaching institute (Summer 2001). The second presenter has been developing multimedia teaching tools for faculty over the past two years.  He currently oversees two web servers, one of which hosts Blackboard software.