2008 PROCEEDINGS - Public Relations Society of America
2008 PROCEEDINGS - Public Relations Society of America
2008 PROCEEDINGS - Public Relations Society of America
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7. What facilities or capabilities are available to assist in the preparation and delivery <strong>of</strong><br />
course materials?<br />
8. What methods will be used to deliver class content?<br />
9. How will student progress be assessed?<br />
10. Do your students have the skills necessary to use the Web and participate in the class?<br />
11. What course delivery platform will you use?<br />
12. Where will the class materials be maintained?<br />
Benefits <strong>of</strong> Online Course Delivery<br />
A review <strong>of</strong> literature has documented that online delivery <strong>of</strong>fers students the flexibility<br />
<strong>of</strong> integrating education with the demands <strong>of</strong> work and family. Students also have greater access<br />
to courses and learning resources. As more schools <strong>of</strong>fer online courses, more people are<br />
choosing to expand their education while they work (Romano, 2006). Plus, Royal (2005)<br />
acknowledged that while challenges result from online teaching, online course delivery provides<br />
“vast opportunities for both students and educators.”<br />
McAlister, Rivera, and Hallahan (2001) concluded that online courses are a “wonderful<br />
opportunity to extend the reach <strong>of</strong> an institution’s programs by better serving current students or<br />
by exploring new markets.” They also pointed out that online courses allow an institution to<br />
connect with people who might not otherwise have an opportunity to further their education.<br />
Clay (1999) found that, at The State University <strong>of</strong> West Georgia, faculty respondents who<br />
previously taught distance courses ranked the “ability to reach new audiences that cannot attend<br />
class on campus” as the top motivating factor that drives their participation in facilitating<br />
distance learning.<br />
The online environment can be a useful place for students to communicate with their<br />
instructor. For example, pr<strong>of</strong>essors can use WebCT to hold online <strong>of</strong>fice hours through a realtime<br />
chat (Grant MacEwan College WebCT Learner Guide).<br />
An Online Discussion <strong>of</strong> Learners<br />
Online learning can sometimes do a better job <strong>of</strong> fostering class discussion than a<br />
traditional learning environment. Online discussions allow students to “reflect before they<br />
speak” and give an opportunity to those who would not speak in a traditional classroom setting to<br />
have their voices heard (Mims, 1999).<br />
It is essential for the discussion to be linked to course goals and students should receive<br />
“explicit orientation” to the discussion before it begins (Chism). Furthermore, the instructor<br />
should be committed to being a “good facilitator.” It can be useful for instructors to limit the<br />
number <strong>of</strong> messages posted, so that students don’t feel overwhelmed by the number <strong>of</strong> messages.<br />
That may mean breaking large classes into separate discussion lists (Chism).<br />
Unfortunately, e-mail, newsgroups, Web conferences and other online communication<br />
technologies are “extremely impoverished forms <strong>of</strong> communication when compared to face-t<strong>of</strong>ace<br />
communication” (Hughes and Hewson, 2001). Thankfully, other elements can be used to<br />
structure communication in online education. Such elements include stylistic elements such as<br />
page layout and character styling; color; graphics; identity and anonymity; time frames and<br />
sequencing; access privileges; and “conditional concealment and revelation <strong>of</strong> information”<br />
(Hughes and Hewson, 2001). In this way, traditional classroom micro-genres such as informal<br />
debates and brainstorming sessions can be better translated to the Web.<br />
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