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Developing Educational Materials for the World Wide Web
Week 10 - Online Education
We have reached our final week! I have enjoyed working with the students in this class. I am amazed at the progress you have made and your thoughtfulness in responding to the assignments I have posted. I hope you are able to look at web design and educational content in an entirely new way--and that your own web pages will be among the best out on the web!
This week we will be considering online education, its growth, availability, and how it may enhance or even replace existing educational offerings.
One of the exciting things about the world wide web is that educators can avail themselves of an ever-widening reservoir of encyclopedic and curriculum resources, web-based lesson plans and virtual photographic tours for their students. They can also pursue their own training and education, from single classes to complete advanced distance education degrees in subjects that would not be accessible otherwise.
Web-Based Training (WBT) is becoming common, from Cisco networking for high schoolers to graduate degrees for educators to corporate instruction to technical military training. Learning can be tailored to whatever instruction is needed; there is no traveling, the resources are up-to-date and nearly limitless, classes are comparable in cost to local and regional college and university offerings, and most aspects of traditional learning are present. Research, writing, and collaborative efforts are all part of WBT. Although face-to-face communication is not possible, with its attendant body language and verbal clarification, communication by bulletin board, net forum and email can compensate for verbalizing by allowing asynchronous and permanent records of all communications.
Not all is positive, however. There is resistance on the part of some professionals, colleges and universities to having a web presence. The concerns have to do with proper accreditation, making sure the student is the one doing the work, perceptions of distance learning by employers, and the rigor of the course.
Read the following articles on distance learning: (The second is very long, so just skim it for information interesting to you.)
Perceptions of Distance Learning http://distancelearn.about.com/education/distancelearn/library/weekly/aa111600a.htm
http://www.users.csbsju.edu/~tcreed/techno3.html#cautionsThe links listed below are examples of web-based training and distance education information sources as well as actual classroom, certificate and degree offerings.
Assignment & Activities
1. Email me your views on the trend to an increase in online education--where you think it is leading, whether you think the trend is good, and who will benefit from it.
2. Include your evaluation of any online classes you have taken, or if you plan to take any online classes in the future, and why.
Developing Educational Materials for the World Wide Web
EOU Malheur County Center (541) 889-7468 or (541) 889-6222
