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On-line courses: recommendations for teachers.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the problems that learners faced while dealing with instructor-related issues when taking on-line courses. In this study, fifteen graduate students enrolled in 5 on-line graduate courses using course management software. The findings showed that lack of feedback from the instructors, their unfamiliarity with the teaching tools, and poor organization of course materials were the three major problems hindering learners' on-line learning experiences.

Introduction

The rapid development of Internet technology has made a significant impact on how instruction is delivered in higher education (HE). Most colleges and universities are eager to offer some form of Web-based instruction in order to utilize the advantages of this technology. Accordingly, faculty members are expected to create teaching materials in an on-line format and demonstrate satisfactory teaching skills in that learning environment. Thus, it is essential for on-line instructors to develop appropriate Internet skills in order to understand the relationships between users, technologies, practices, and tools (Koehler & Mishra, 2005).

When online instruction does not produce acceptable results, researchers have found that inadequate training of the instructors is one of the main factors contributing to that failure. (Fly, 1998; Galusha; 1998). Kerr's research (2005) also indicated that the confidence and preparedness of teachers and the motivation of students are the most influential elements affecting on-line learning outcomes. Instructors, therefore, need to engage with this new format of teaching to a greater extent in order to enable students to become comfortable and effective in the on-line learning environment. Lee and Busch (2005) suggested that training workshops are strongly needed to help instructors develop the skills of the online environment, to employ the technologies, design courses and teaching strategies, and to more fully comprehend the merits of on-line instruction.

In essence, learning involves two types of interactions--interaction with learning content and interaction with other people (Berge, 1995). On-line instructors, especially, need to pay attention to these features, that is, designing content with appropriate interactivity and promoting communication and collaboration among learners. Miller (2001) asserted that students have not embraced this new medium of instruction to the extent that it was originally hoped because instructors have not been fully aware of the importance of these two issues when designing online courses. This has affected success with the method and the drop-out rate is higher than that of traditional classrooms (Kim, 2004). Although related studies have pointed out that on-line learners' self-regulated learning skills play an important role in determining the effectiveness of on-line instruction, the most vital element is the instructors' involvement in conducting interactions (McMahon & Oliver, 2001; Kim, 2004; Ellis & Calvo, 2006)....

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