Reflections on designing and producing an internet-based course

Autor: Robert Muffoletto
Rok vydání: 1997
Předmět:
Zdroj: TechTrends. 42:50-53
ISSN: 1559-7075
8756-3894
DOI: 10.1007/bf02771945
Popis: M y purpose in writing this essay is to provide the reader with a window from which to view my reflections concerning the design and development of a distance educat ion environment. I have elected to use a reflective and journal is t ic style over a technical one in order to bring to the surface my subjectivity. It is my in tent ion to provide an introspect ion ra the r t h a n an objective report. Over the last two years I have become familiar with the World Wide Web and Web site design. In addit ion to teaching technology classes, I have been involved with the design and development of a comm u n i t y network CedarNet (www.cedarnet.org), t h u s part icipat ing in d iscuss ion and experimentat ion on Web site development at the univers i ty and in my communi ty . As a result , I s ta r ted to develop a growing awareness of developments on the Interne t and the possibilities for emerging teaching and learning environments . I also shared an interes t in seeing the uses of the Internet , and c o m m u n i t y ne tworks as a public space for the public good. As I began to explore various product ion tools I s tar ted to piece together some ideas abou t a virtual classroom and the design of a course for delivery over the Internet . While doing so I realized that , as a teacher and ins t ruc t ional designer, I first had to experience the design and production, and later the delivery, of the class in order to contempla te its implicat ions and possibilities. This essay addresses a n u m b e r of my reflect ions on a higher educa t ion course t ha t was designed and produced for delivery over the Internet . In the pas t I have designed courses for delivery in traditional classroom settings, over interactive video sys tems (Iowa's fiber optic network), and mos t recently over the Internet . I have learned tha t each form offers different opportuni t ies and chal lenges for teaching and learning. Each ins t ruc t ional design (form) is cons t ruc ted bo th by the par t ic ipants (teachers and learners) and by the delivery or dist r ibut ion system. Both have an effect on the curr iculum. In this sense, I believe t ha t form does inf luence conten t . Form, as a c o n s t r u c t e d social subject, is no t a neu t ra l object, b u t is woven with historical, ideological, and epistemological threads , Des ign ing , p r o d u c i n g , a n d d i s s e m i n a t i n g courses over the In terne t offers teachers and studen t s cha l lenges and possibi l i t ies t h a t are not present in t radi t ional modes of delivery. We, as professionals in the field, need to consider who benefits from classes over the Internet , and whose interests are being served. For example, there is cur ren t ly a lot of interest in d is tance educat ion programs, vir tual c lassrooms and universities. We need to ask whe the r these in teres ts are fueled by the expanding marketplace, or if they are a resul t of the shift ing and expanding interactive technologies, or if they exist because we m a y now address issues concerning equity and s tuden t voice in a m a n n e r tha t was before impossible. We need to consider whose possibilities are being recognized and addressed, and whose are not.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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