Making Contact with Students in Online Learning (Part 2 of 3):

On-Line Course Design with Multi-Media

Dr. Ken L. Haley, Ph.D
Paris Junior College, Paris, TX
E-mail: khaley@paris.cc.tx.us

Many teachers involved in online education have participated in the trial and error approach to transferring materials from the traditional classroom to the online format. Many who have been in education for a while have also taught a new course in the traditional classroom for the first time without fully knowing exactly where the course was going. No problem. We just need to stay a week ahead of the students, right? And we just need a flexible syllabus that allows us to weave and bob as we wind our way through for the first time. I know. I have been there. However, transferring this organize-as-we-go approach to that first online class is likely a bad idea. The online class requires more organization than the traditional class.

Kathryn Alesandrini reports that 78% of the faculty members who develop original course content for online courses have "no professional assistance in developing materials." We, as course developers, are making our own way through this area. With so little assistance, it should be no surprise that things don't always work out as intended. Most people seem to assume that there is little difference between online classes and the traditional classroom. Although the content should be similar, the delivery differs substantially, and we should modify our thinking to take advantage of this delivery system and minimize its limitations.

I have been teaching online for three years now, with an additional twelve years of traditional classroom experience. I have heard some horror stories about first experiences with online courses. For instance, in a session at a recent conference, a man in the midst of his first online course said that he would never teach another one; he did not care how much extra compensation the college provided. He flatly stated that he would resign before teaching another course online. As we talked a bit more, it became apparent that the course was running him when he should have been running the course. I have heard similar statements from others who feel they are spending at least twice as much time managing online classes compared to traditional classes. This does not have to be the norm.

Course organization in the online environment is critical. The old adage of an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure fits the context very well. My own approach has centered on the idea that the course should run itself as much as possible. In short, once the course begins, I do not want to do ANYTHING except grade essays and respond to students. Everything about the course--its organization, its content, its presentations, its evaluation instruments--should be completely finished before the semester begins. Everything should be clearly presented to students in a self-service manner. What I mean here is that I don't want to go online every few days to explain something that should already be addressed, and I certainly do not want to go online every week just to make assignments or present materials. The instructor who tries this approach attempts to mimic the traditional classroom. We need to break that habit. Ralph Waldo Emerson is a good model here: abandon the old and create the new.

The old model in the traditional classroom revolves around time. Traditional instruction has centered around meeting times, usually three hours each week. Instructors then parcel out course information based on those time segments. Each week brings a new set of assignments and expectations, usually based on time, that are due the next meeting, or the next week. This approach assumes we move all students along at the same rate. It requires the weekly intervention of the instructor for organization and goals, even when a good syllabus exists. When we transfer this model to the online environment, several issues arise.

First, why should we expect all students to progress at the same rate? Some students are taking only three hours, and others are taking 20. Some work full time, while others do not work at all. Some have odd schedules, like two weeks on and two weeks off. Some must travel for extended periods during the semester, perhaps unable to work substantially on the course for a couple of weeks at a time. These online courses should be perfect answers to these problems if we can get away from the expectations based on time and go instead to expectations based on goals and objectives. We need to begin by asking what the students should accomplish in the course. The objectives will likely be similar to that same course in the traditional classroom, but we need to focus on these objectives first instead of on a week-to-week schedule. As Landis has said, "Concepts, rather than time, are the organizational elements in on-line communication" (qtd. in Alesandrini).

My first thought when beginning a new online course centers on deciding what I want students to accomplish. Since I am an English teacher, I usually begin by deciding how many essays they should write. I then decide on the number of exams they should take. Since these are usually very similar to those given in the traditional classroom, this part of the organization is quick. I then only need to fill in the blanks to get us to those essays and exams. The course is organized around objectives and goals, not time.

Most of us still live within a semester system. While a few schools have moved away from the traditional semester altogether for these online courses, most of us will have to adapt to the traditional system. The key here is to allow as much flexibility as is reasonably possible within that semester system.

Many of us have grown up with the traditional 16-week semester for college classes. Because of this, when I began, I organized the course into 16 lessons. This also proves helpful to administrators who may wish to compare the online course to its traditional equivalent. However, set up the course first, and then chop it up into 16 segments. In other words, don't let the number of weeks or classes determine the content and organization. Decide on that first, and then divide it up, so it more or less fits the schedule. For example, my summer courses have the same 16 lessons as the regular semester courses, even though we have far fewer weeks. Again, don't think in terms of time, unless there is some aspect of the course that absolutely requires a set period of time. How often have we varied the content of a traditional course when it was offered in the summer because our meeting organization changed? Certainly nothing magical exists regarding the 16-lesson schedule, either. I have since abandoned it as well in some classes. The number of lessons could just as well be ten or twenty-five.

However, students still seem to find it helpful to have "time clues" built into the course schedule. Time indicators help the students pace the course, and it gives them a good sense of how they are doing relative to the time frame of the semester. This is not a problem. My time schedule built into the semester time frame is a "suggested" schedule to a large degree. Students have due dates, but they are encouraged to work ahead when they can. They also have a grace period of at least a week for due dates. There should be some date beyond which assignments may not be accepted, of course, but the old rigid idea of having all papers due on the same day and only on that day is antiquated. This old approach allows time to run the course, instead of goals and objectives. In fact, in summer sessions, even though I have a suggested time schedule in the course, I have no restrictions on progress. Students may work as fast as they wish with the only stipulation being that I want to grade and return one assignment before they turn in the next. This stipulation is not to slow progress but to allow students to learn from their previous mistakes as they progress through the course.

Exams can take on this same flexible schedule. If security is an issue, the exams can be limited to a secure testing area and be protected by a password administered by the testing center. Rather than having one day for exams, my approach has been to have a window of accessibility, perhaps two weeks or even a bit more in the regular semester. Any time during this period the student can make an appointment and take the exam. Thus far, this system has worked well. Students are able to fit exams around work schedules and family obligations. It is a more student-centered approach, and it fits the hectic lifestyles of many students. Again, everything is set up from the beginning. From day one, the student can see the test dates and begin planning, if needed. The syllabus provides all the information the student needs.

For my classes, the syllabus is the guide for the course. Let me emphasize this: I am not the guide--the syllabus is the guide. If I were the guide, I would have to continually intervene in the daily working of the course, and this would soon be unworkable. I suspect this is a major part of the problem in many online courses. If they are not set up properly from the beginning, the instructor is soon overwhelmed by demands from the class. The course begins to dominate the instructor, and the instructor will feel the course is running him or her ragged. We need to take a lesson from the petroleum industry here: self-service is the key. Set up everything so that the student can access the materials and instructions as needed. I can then become a grader, an advisor, and a cheerleader. Most of the teaching has already been built into the course.

Concerning the syllabus, one lesson segment from an American literature class appears below for illustration. The entry does not have to be long, but it must be clear and concise. Everything the student needs to know should appear in the entry.

Nov 21, 2002
Objectives or Goals	The students will read selections from the poetry of Emily Dickinson and demonstrate an understanding of her poetry by making discussion postings and by taking a quiz.
Topics	The poetry of Emily Dickinson
Readings	Read Dickinson pp. 955-956. Read the following poems by Dickinson (see table of contents): "Success Is Counted Sweetest," "I Like a Look of Agony," "I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain," "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church," "Much Madness Is Divinest Sense," "I Like to See It Lap the Miles," "The Brain--Is Wider Than the Sky," "Because I Could Not Stop for Death," "A Narrow Fellow in the Grass," "Tell All the Truth but Tell It Slant," "There Is No Frigate like a Book," "As Imperceptibly as Grief," "Apparently with No Surprise." Also read the biographical introduction.
Assignments	View the presentation on Dickinson (4.41). Read the poems listed above and make your discussion posting. Take the quiz over Dickinson. Also write a 350 word explication over either "There Is No Frigate like a Book," or "As Imperceptibly as Grief." Send this in as an email attachment here in WebCT.

A detailed syllabus takes a bit more time to construct, but we must remember that we will not be sitting there with the student when he or she logs in at 2 a.m. to work on the course. This is set up for self-service, and a little extra time here will save many questions later in the course. Those who may wish to view more of the syllabus can follow the link below and then choose "Internet Courses" when my home page comes up: http:/www.paris.cc.tx.us/users/khaley/

Under the "Assignments" section of the sample syllabus entry above, the entry points students to a presentation on Dickinson. This presentation appears on a CD sent out with the course; again, we try to promote a self-service approach to course content. We wanted to provide as much information as we reasonably could up front, so the student has what he or she needs to master the objectives. The presentation is a movie clip of me commenting on some aspects of Dickinson and her poetry. These clips are relatively short, around five minutes or so, and they specifically point to some basic concept related to the reading. To some degree, these short presentations take the place of the introductory part of a class whenever we begin a new author. They also contribute to the more personal aspect of the course, since the students have an opportunity so see and hear the instructor. This is also important.

The movie clips are not embedded in the course. Instead, as mentioned above, the computer technology staff and I burn them to CD and send them out with the other course materials. We did this because of space limitations and prolonged download times with transmission over regular phone lines. The CDs work very well. This sounds like it could be an expensive and time consuming process--making movie clips, editing them, and burning them to CD--and while it can be, it does not have to be. The movie clip does not need to be broadcast quality. With that in mind, the equipment needed can be minimal. We found an inexpensive but adequate editing program in VideoWave for less than $100.00, and we found an adequate digital camcorder at Sears on clearance for about $350.00. Most instructors already have a capable computer in the office, and many of these already have CD burners. If a CD burner is not installed, one can be added at minimal cost--less than $100.00. If your office computer does not have a FireWire capture card, and if your camcorder uses one, this will also need to be added for perhaps another $100.00 or so. Some of these cards can be very expensive, but, again, you do not need to buy quality you will not use. We were in the video business for about $700.00, using the computer already in my office, and we produced a good product. All the editing can be done on the office computer.

Those who have visited video shows or stores specializing in this sort of equipment know that it can get expensive. If the budget money is there, and someone wants to spend it for an expensive system, then fine--but you don't need it. The main point is that there is no need to spend money for quality that will never be used. We have no intentions of broadcasting any of this. We are not making a feature film or a documentary. The consumer-level equipment is now good enough to serve the purpose, so why not use it? Remember the size of the image that comes up with something like Windows MediaPlayer is just a few inches square. If we go to the full-screen option, the picture loses some quality, but it is still fine for our purposes. An analog camcorder can also be used, with a program such as Dazzle, to transfer it to digital format, but the inexpensive digital camcorder is worth the money. It simplifies the process. Those who would like to view one of these short clips, may click on the following link. (Download times will be excessive unless you are using a high-speed connection.) Dickinson 4.41, Realism 4.52.

Regarding the camcorder, many options are available. Go digital instead of analog. The model we have (a Panasonic) uses a tape to store the digital signal. This allows for an unlimited amount of storage, since one tape can be replaced with another while recording. We have found two options very important on the camera. First, it should have an external microphone jack. All the cameras will have internal microphones, but you should get one that also has the external jack. This will allow the use of a remote microphone. We added an external wireless microphone and have been very pleased with the results. With the internal microphone, it becomes difficult to film and record someone at a distance. The internal microphone, of course, stays in the camera, so if the person being filmed is 20 feet away, the voice quality will suffer substantially. We wanted to do some outdoor filming with trees in the background, so an external microphone was essential. We found an Azden wireless microphone for less than $200.00, and it has worked very well. An external microphone jack cannot be added to the camcorder later, at least not efficiently, so get one initially.

We have also found the FireWire connection on the camcorder to be very useful. A FireWire connection will allow a much faster rate of information transfer, and the editing programs will usually allow camcorder control from the computer screen. Once things are set up, I can play, rewind, etc. without touching the camera. Everything operates from the computer screen and becomes much more efficient when doing substantial amounts of work. FireWire connections have become fairly common now and are common on many camcorders.

Those who chose to use video clips must remember that these must be kept short if they are to appear on CD. In something like American literature, my approach has been to provide an introductory clip for nearly every writer. Since the CD would not have room for extended commentary on each piece of writing, key concepts and ideas should be addressed. What does the student need to know in order to better understand this writer? Once this is addressed, the student should be fairly well prepared to begin the assignment. Also, most of the editing programs will allow text to be added to the picture. Scrolling text can help address the needs of hearing-impaired students, and it also provides double reinforcement for those who can both hear and see the message.

Those who wish to venture into this or other related areas should make friends with the technical staff. Those of us who are not primarily "techies" will likely need a bit of help and guidance along the way. The process is not extremely complicated, but those who work with computers every day can save a frustrated faculty member a lot of time. Mary Holbrook and her staff at PJC--Keith Coco, Roy Edmonson, and Elaine Anderson (also Jason Davis, when he was still with us)--have been essential to getting these multi-media projects underway. Since we do not have anyone dedicated exclusively to course development, our tech staff must wear many hats, but they have found time to solve problems I might never have solved on my own. Thank God for their input.

While developing the online course, remember Power Point. Power Point has been around for a while, and it is still a very good delivery system. Some do not always use its full potential, however, and I have found some very good applications for the on-line environment. In addition, some new compression programs promise to remedy some of the space problems related to embedding audio into these files.

Embedding audio into the presentation allows the students to see and hear the same presentation that may have been used in class. Many already use these presentations as purely visual components in the traditional classroom, providing dialogue in person as the presentation progresses. The program will allow a reasonable amount of dialogue to be recorded directly into the computer with nothing more than a little headset/microphone. The process is very simple. This certainly gives the presentation a more personal approach, and it allows the student at least a small amount of virtual contact with the instructor--assuming the instructor has done the recording. This personal point of reference is worth some effort, even if the voice of the instructor may not be so grand as that of a television announcer. Simply slow down and talk to the students.

In addition to the usual text in Power Point, the program allows for importing images. These can be photos, digital or not, or anything else one might wish to scan into the program. Using this feature, along with embedded audio, allows for a very effective presentation. As an example, I scanned some pages from The New England Primer and added audio explaining some aspects of what appeared visually. Most students have never seen anything from this earliest of American textbooks and certainly aren't aware of its importance. Our text at the time did not cover the book very well, either, so Power Point provided a perfect area for development. The entire process of scanning, recording, and inserting text took two or three hours, as I recall. We now have an effective presentation over an area that needed further development. Supplementing the standard course materials like this can make for a very successful and balanced course. To view this presentation as an example, follow the link: New England Primer PP, Stopping by Woods PP.

Finally, leave room in course development for some "direct" contact with students. Chat rooms can be very effective. Asynchronous discussion postings can also be used to advantage. Simply responding with a few personal words to exams and quizzes can be very helpful. Let students know the instructor is there and he or she cares. Maintain a firm policy of flexibility, all within reason, of course.

We are all learning in this environment. When we learn, we sometimes make mistakes, but as long as we learn from the mistakes, we have progressed. We should not be afraid to try something different simply because it is different. We only progress by taking some risks. Great people have generally known this, and they often see their mistakes as steps in the process of attaining a goal. Those of us in distance education should adopt the same attitude. We need to learn from those around us, but we also need to venture out at times. This may be a nearly perfect environment for those willing to be innovative.

Works Cited

Alesandrini, Kathryn. "Virtual Constructivism in Distance Learning." USDLA Journal. 16.1 (2002): http://www.uslda.org/html/journal/JAN02_Issue/article03.html

Landis, M. "A Comparison of Interaction in AV-based and Internet-based Distance Courses." Educational Technology & Society. 4:2 (2001).

Academic Exchange Extra invites reader responses to any writings in this issue--especially articles advancing the scholarly debate of issues raised.

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