Mid-South Instructional Technology Conference
Teaching, Learning, & Technology
Transforming the Learning Environment
April 4-6, 2004
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Sanghoon Park |
Abstract
The numerous changes of faculty's role in adapting Web-based course into new type of teaching method has been required the fundamental transformation in terms of faculty's mindset and practical teaching process. In this study, the faculty's changed role as course facilitator is suggested as an alternative way to amplify the effectiveness of web-based course. Along with this suggestion, this paper will identify competencies of faculty as a facilitator for managing Web-based course in higher education in effective way.
Description
Over 1.4 million distance learning students enrolled in the United States during the 1998-1999 academic years (Department of Education 1999). Blackboard and WebCT that integrates various features such as e-mail, bulletin boards, chat rooms, easy creation of an on-line syllabus, on-line assessment that facilitate distance learning has been incorporated as an useful tool to minimize the limitation of traditional classroom learning process. In addition, numerous previous studies have noted the benefits of implementing web based course into higher education setting. Sullivan categorized those benefits into four web based learning process and compared it with classroom course in terms of synchronous and asynchronous aspects (Sullivan, 2000). This remarkable shift of learning environment into using Web-based course in higher education also has required many changes in the role of faculties. The new roles have challenged faculty to know how to facilitate effectively web-based course.
Concerning the necessity of facilitator in the Web-based course, several studies have suggested that facilitator should be included as an important factor in the Web-based instruction (Poter, 1997; Moore & Kearsley, 1996; Freeman, 1997). Poter (1997) pointed out using the concept of "tutor" that the new role as a facilitator would help them achieve the instructional goals by supporting teaching and learning in the virtual space. Moore and Kearsley (1996) insisted that the role as a facilitator would achieve active interactions between them and students. However, most faculties are tending to incorporate web to teach students with same mindset they used to have in classroom teaching situation. Furthermore, there have been no identified roles comprehensively for faculties to work as a facilitator in managing the Web-based course. Kimball (1998) suggests that faculty need to start with a completely new mindset about managing the teaching and learning process to successfully change the role as a course facilitator. This presentation will provide the roles of faculty as a facilitator for managing Web-based course by comparing the feature of Web-based learning with that of classroom learning.