Does the course appear to be carefully pre-planned and designed for a distance-learning environment?
For my open course site, I chose the Stanford University online open course site (http://itunes.stanford.edu/) “Developing Apps for the iOS”. This program begins with a video presentation to the class that reviews the content that is going to be covered throughout the course. The instructor gives a very thorough presentation for the syllabus and expectation for the course. He also addresses how the course is going to be covered during the online training and how the learning is going to be divided into segments. The presentation does a very good job of combining video along with PPT presentations to describe the topics discussed in class. The course did a very good job of providing a “correspondence study guide that would direct the learner to look at, listen to, or view various media, in addition to assigning more traditional readings.” (Simonson, Smaldino, Michael, & Susan, 2012, p. 96) The instructor “used audiotapes to guide the distant learner through a series of learning events” (Simonson, Smaldino, Michael, & Susan, 2012) and he provided visuals to assist the learner in their understanding.
I feel for the experienced distance-learner this course did a very good job of informing the learner of their expectations and providing an outline of the program. However, for the novice or new learner I do feel the opening introduction did fail in providing a complete understanding of distance learning and the expectations that are associated with online learning.
Another issue with this online education is that it requires the learner to have access to iTunes. Although we are a society that has fully accepted the invention of the iPod, iPad and technology, not everyone has caught on to this phase.
One final comment about the initial presentation, there is too much one-way interaction. This course appears to be a face-to-face course that was recorded and then converted into a distance-learning course. It did not allow for any interaction between myself (the distance learner) and the class nor the instructor. I was just watching a prerecorded video of a live class.
I do not feel a thorough evaluation was conducted when creating this course. I do not believe the understood the concept of distance learning. “For successful learning to take place it is vital to determine what works and what needs to be improved.” (Simonson, Smaldino, Michael, & Susan, 2012, p. 153) The designers of this course did not take the time to evaluate how the course needed to be altered in order to meet the needs of the distance-learner. “Evaluation leads to revision of instruction, and revision of instruction helps secure the final outcome of helping students learn.” (Simonson, Smaldino, Michael, & Susan, 2012, p. 153)
Does the course follow the recommendations for online instruction as listed in your course textbook? Did the course designer implement course activities that maximize active learning for the student?
I chose this course in particular because of my inexperience with the development and creation of apps. I was curious to discover and learn what was involved with this process. After watching the first video for the course I cannot say that I understand the process any more than I did before I began the first presentation. I was never asked what level of experience or interaction I have had with iOS and the creation of apps. “Knowing the students and their interests or needs will help the instructor plan useful learning experiences to ensure transfer of learning.” (Simonson, Smaldino, Michael, & Susan, 2012, p. 157) The form of instruction chosen did not allow for an exchange of ideas between the instructor and the students. The instructor did not consider that “courses previously taught in traditional classrooms may need to be retooled” (Simonson, Smaldino, Michael, & Susan, 2012, p. 153) for the needs of online instruction.
The instructor did not provide the learners with some basic essential information to the course. There was no form of communication established for contacting the instructor. And, there was no calendar or syllabus provided with due dates on assignments
There was no consideration to the learner and the needs of the learner in this course. “By knowing more about students, the instructor can develop supporting materials to individualize instruction.” (Simonson, Smaldino, Michael, & Susan, 2012, p. 155) There was no consideration to interactivity, with the learner, to the presentation. “It is important to remember that no matter which technological formats are used in distance education, the trend is to reduce the amount of information delivered and to increase the interactive value of the learning experience.” (Simonson, Smaldino, Michael, & Susan, 2012, p. 157)
Reference
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Michael, A., & Susan, Z. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance, foundation of distance education (Vol. 5). Boston, MA: Pearson. Retrieved 09 11, 2012
