(406)REDESIGN VERSUS REPLICATION: A CONTEMPORARY DILEMMAFOR ONLINE LEARNING

摘要

A contemporary dilemma emerging in online environments involves ever-increasing requests fromstudents for synchronous activities which replicate the traditional face-to-face classroom. This resultsin problematic facets when contextualized within the foundational approaches for online pedagogy.The pedagogy of teaching in a face-to-face environment is different than that of online approaches;not all activities used in a face-to-face class are adaptable to an online class. In addition, the value ofonline flexibility can be lost when students are required to attend live lectures and discussions. It alsoincreases the amount of time and effort for faculty to not only create live lectures but to maintain theasynchronous portions of the course as well. More is not necessarily better;;specifically, according toGrandzol & Grandzol [1], “increased levels of interaction, measured by time spent, actually decreasecourse completion rates. This result is counter to prevailing curriculum design theory and suggestsincreased interaction may actually diminish desired program reputation and growth.” Successfulfaculty will be those providing challenging learning activities in an online environment that enhanceunderstanding of problems within contexts and cultures that are discipline specific while meeting thestudent need for 'connection'. Clearly, occasional synchronous activities can enhance the value of anycourse, however, it must be purposefully placed. Paced and prudent synchronous activities combinedwith the inherent flexibility to accommodate learner schedules delivered from a constructivist approachcan provide an optimal level of interaction and connection. This presentation will highlight bestpractices that can be easily replicated to meet students' need for 'connection' while maintainingpedagogic integrity for online learning.