Online Teaching at the UofL 2019
The U of L has seen a steady increase of online course offerings in the last ten years that culminated in the enrolment of almost 1,500 students in 63 courses and sections in the academic year of 2017-18. In 2019, that number is expected to grow further when more educators on our campus will be starting to teach out fresh in that modality.
Until now, there is no framework in place in our university that supports instructors and students alike in their experience of “good” online teaching and learning. More often than not, the reality is that educators get assigned to design and conduct an online course without much assistance from the department or other instances on the campus. Being a content expert, who is versatile and effective in a face-to-face environment, does not automatically feel equipped to translate the experiences s/ he can create for a ‘physical’ classroom into sound online teaching.
How to create valuable online teaching and learning experiences?
If we look across the Globe, digital teaching has become part of a very lively discussion that tries to capture in scholarship, research and practice the pedagogical and methodical implications of the digital age we are living in (Anderson, 2008 Bates, 2015; Breen, 2018; Maurer, 2017; Süss et. al, 2010; Swertz 2005). Digital enthusiasts like Tony Bates have been advocating for more proactive approaches in the Higher Education landscape to create adequate support networks for instructors and learners alike. Bates (2018) identifies five key factors that drive online learning, namely student demand, the pedagogical approaches, technology, external politics and institutional planning; the latter of which can have an inhibiting effect on the growth of online learning if managed without direction and agency. As a wider-campus community we need answers to the following questions:
What is the vision and direction for teaching and learning?
What are the institutional priorities? In particular, where does online learning and digital technology ‘fit’ within the broader teaching goals of the university? For instance, can blended or hybrid learning be used as a means of developing some of the core skills required by students?
The Academic Plan provides us with no clear answers yet. It merely states an intent to “develop an institutional flexible learning strategy and the necessary support to facilitate teaching and learning initiatives such as online learning, SCALE-UP and flipped classroom pedagogies” (Academic Plan 2018-22 2.4 Program Delivery Priorities).
Bates is not alone in his argument for an institution-wide discussion of the goals and the definition of a strategic vision relating to online learning. He cites Kim (2018) outlining four models demonstrating the scope in which policies for online learning differ. In Bates and Kim’s view, the discussion about the best model should then be followed by a decision. While faculty and students need to be involved on the program level, “the Board and the institutional executive team need to support a move to greater use of online learning, and they all need to be on the same page about this.” (Bates, 2013).
If you or your department are considering to offer (more) online course as part of your programs, please help the campus articulate a future direction and to secure adequate support for that direction to be taken.