Course description
Providing training and courses online is nearly as old as the web itself, but as with any innovation, some instructors have been early adopters while others have watched the development with both interest and skepticism. As publishing and managing content on the web has become easier, and as providing online training and courses has become increasingly more popular, many have begun exploring ways to offer their learning opportunities online. A common perspective is that moving instruction online is primarily about designing and sequencing instructional content. This is wrong. Rich content is already out there. Changes on the web in the last decade – toward a more open, social and interconnected space – have necessitated the rethinking of what it means to make the transition to online teaching and learning. The unprecedented changes occurring on the web are disrupting the normal practice of teaching and learning. E-Learning is not about content…it is about connecting people. New theories are emerging regarding teaching and learning online. We will explore these theories and the new practice of eLearning in this course.
Course learning outcomes
By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
- Use the theoretical knowledge provided by the main e-learning philosophies to suggest a design for a typical e-learning scenario;
- Demonstrate knowledge/awareness and ability to critically evaluate some of the eLearning issues of the day;
- Evaluate the various development tools, e-learning technologies, and assess their effectiveness vis-a-vis specific e-learning requirements and implement them in real-life scenarios.
- Identify the theoretical constructs and philosophical orientations that support knowledge construction in networked environments.
- Describe how the internet is changing how and where learning is occurring.
- Articulate ways in which a philosophy of eLearning practice could be translated into content and practice developed for adult learners in various settings and contexts.
- Describe the specific affordances as well as levels and types of interactivity offered by various forms of web-based activities by contrasting eLearning with traditional face-to-face delivery of instruction.
- Identify design elements, instructor and student roles, community building strategies, and the role of feedback and assessment in creating an online community of learning that supports learner-centered instruction.
Course content
· Understanding e-learning
· Advocacy of e-learning
· E-learning strategy: development
· E-learning strategy: suppliers and resources
· E-learning strategy: learning design issues
· E-learning strategy: measurement and results
· Learning more about e-learning
Course reading Materials
· Delivering E-Learning: A complete strategy for design and assessment. (2009) By Kenneth Fee. Kogan Page Ltd. ISBN - 10 0749453974 ISBN - 13 978 0749453978.
· E-Learning by Design (2nd ed). (2012). By William Horton. Pfeiffer. ISBN - 978-0-470-90002-4.
· The E-Learning Handbook (2008). Saul Carliner, Patti Shank (Eds). ISBN978-0-7879-7831-0.
· Anderson, T. (Ed.) (2008). Theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed). Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: Athabasca University Press. Available http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120146 (Free PDF Tab)
· Harasim, Linda (2012). Learning Theory and Online Technologies, New York: Routledge. (Optional)
Kop, R. & Hill, A. (2008, October). Connectivism: Learning theory of the future of vestige of the past? International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 9(3).