FET 8601 Online Teaching: Strategies and Tactics

STAFFING:

RATIONALE:

The emergence of the `virtual classroom', `virtual school', or `virtual university' has the potential to change the way education and training are offered across all sectors. Technology has the potential to be a powerful tool for supporting the kinds of learning tasks that teachers have always encouraged learners to undertake. The assumption underlying this view is that the adoption of online strategies and tactics provides interactive teaching/learning environments that, up until now, have been the preserve of 'face-to-face' contexts. The opportunities for quality interaction (teacher/student; student/student and student/content) created by technologies used in online environments has made this possible. This course provides insights into strategies and tactics utilised in online teaching/learning contexts which extend the debate surrounding the role that online learning plays in education at all levels and in different contexts. This course is aimed at those who wish to understand the nature of online teaching and learning, and how they might apply that understanding to their particular education/training context. NOTES: 1. This course (FET8601) is available through INTERNET DELIVERY ONLY. There are NO print materials for this course. 2. For details of the technical requirements and accessing Internet study materials, please consult the following URL: http://usqconnect.usq.edu.au. 3 Students enrolling in this course are required to have first-hand knowledge of and access to an actual instructional situation.

SYNOPSIS:

This course will focus on principles, procedures and practices that constitute the strategies and tactics that are beginning to emerge as defining features of online teaching and learning. While it will introduce students to a range of strategies and tactics, it will present these in a way that will assist students to formulate and challenge ideas about personal online pedagogies in relation to pedagogical frameworks that exist in particular educational settings. The 'strategies/tactics' theme is used throughout the course. In the first instance, a pedagogical framework is provided to focus the initial discussion on the nature of online strategies and tactics and to examine the emerging changes in roles and responsibilities for both teachers and learners working in online settings. The second phase of the course draws upon an established pedagogical framework to analyse how different levels of abstraction and conceptualisation within the learning process require quite different perspectives on the selection of courseware for online teaching and learning. It will be demonstrated that acknowledgement of such differences in selecting courseware can enhance the effectiveness and appropriateness of specific online strategies and tactics. The pedagogical frameworks will be used to argue that where learning technology is interpreted solely as 'computer-based delivery' of learning materials, then such an interpretation obscures the need to generate different strategies and tactics for different content areas, different target groups and different contexts. The final phase of the course focuses on the development and analysis of an emerging set of principles and procedures that captures the essence of online teaching and learning. These are embedded in a constructivist position that acknowledges the potential contribution of both 'individual constructivism' and 'social constructivism' in online teaching and learning. IMPORTANT NOTE: Working with Children: State law in Queensland requires that all adults (including university students, pre-service educators, trainers, vocational teachers, industry educators) working with children under the age of 18, in the state of Queensland*, obtain approval before commencing such work. Many education courses include a practical component (professional experience, project work, research, assessment etc..) that may require engagement with children under the age of 18. It is your responsibility to ensure that you possess a current suitability card (Blue Card) before commencing any practical components of this course. DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH CHILDREN UNDER 18 UNLESS YOU POSSESS A CURRENT 'BLUE CARD'. For further information: http://www.childcomm.qld.gov.au/employment/bluecard/informationSheets.html. *If you are undertaking practical experience outside the state of Queensland, Australia you should check local requirements.

OBJECTIVES:

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1. analyse the differences between 'online teaching and learning', and teaching and learning in other contexts, specifically as such differences relate to 'strategies and tactics'
2. formulate a position that exemplifies a 'personal online pedagogy', through the selection and evaluation of strategies and tactics for specific situations and context
3. use emerging principles and practices underlying online teaching and learning to evaluate the effectiveness and appropriateness of various online approaches for specific contexts.

TOPICS:

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed:

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

There are no prescribed texts in this course.

REFERENCE MATERIALS:

All recommended reference materials are referred to in the Online materials.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS:

ASSESSMENT DETAILS:

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without (prior) approval of the examiner then a penalty of 1% of the total marks available for the assignment will apply for each working day late.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   There is no examination in this course.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   As there are no examinations in this course, there will be no deferred or supplementary examinations.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

1. Students enrolling in WEB courses MUST have ongoing convenient and reliable access to the Internet in order to access course materials and participate in activities that will affect assessment. The levels of equipment required may change from time to time, with the most recent specification listed at http://www.usq.edu.au/currentstudents/computingstandards/default.htm. You can check whether your computer system meets these requirements from USQAssist (http://usqassist.usq.edu.au/).
2. IMPORTANT NOTE: Working with Children: State law in Queensland requires that all adults (including university students, pre-service educators, trainers, vocational teachers, industry educators) working with children under the age of 18, in the state of Queensland*, obtain approval before commencing such work. Many education courses include a practical component (professional experience, project work, research, assessment etc..) that may require engagement with children under the age of 18. It is your responsibility to ensure that you possess a current suitability card (Blue Card) before commencing any practical components of this course. DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH CHILDREN UNDER 18 UNLESS YOU POSSESS A CURRENT 'BLUE CARD'. For further information: http://www.childcomm.qld.gov.au/employment/bluecard/informationSheets.html. *If you are undertaking practical experience outside the state of Queensland, Australia you should check local requirements.