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Course development issues in online education.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

Institutions seeking to attract students to online programs should closely monitor the course development process to ensure quality standards are being met. This case study delves into this process using a systems approach to transactional distance education. A survey of faculty, instructional support personnel, and administrators at a university in the infancy of its online program delivery reveals an interesting difference of opinion among those involved in the course development process.

Higher education is faced with increasing demands from students and corporations to provide online-delivered degrees and programs. Along with creating anywhere-anytime access for these students, colleges and universities must recognize and concentrate on a variety of demands that come with providing online education (Pendergast & Kapitzke, 2003; Schenk, Frank, & Schenk, 2003).

Students in higher education are demanding academic programs that are convenient and accessible, and institutions, not wanting to be left behind in the marketplace, find themselves embracing online technologies because it is "the new thing." And in their efforts to convert campus-based programs, may overlook quality in the course development phase. Research to date has identified several critical issues that institutions should resolve before implementing a distance education program, including the identification of effective teaching methods and pedagogy, ensuring adequate access, communicating course and technology expectations, and providing the necessary infrastructure support to students and faculty (Buchanan, 2003; Kirby, 1999; Mauldin, 2001). In trying to meet these demands, institutions should strive to develop clear, articulated objectives and continually assess the effectiveness of their efforts, because efforts that are not grounded in sound educational practice or learning effectiveness will not produce a quality product (Knapp et al., 2001). Drawn from a study researching quality inputs of distance education programs (institutional support, course development, the teaching/learning process, course structure, student support, faculty support and evaluation and assessment), this article focuses specifically on the importance of the course development process.

Course Development

Institutions should approach online course development with the same academic standards that they use for their on-campus courses (Inglis, Ling, & Joosten, 2002); in fact, courses should retain the same curriculum standards and assessments as their campus counterparts. A review of the literature supports several critical guidelines for quality...

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