March 1998 — Features
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Addressing Student Needs: Teaching on the Internet
The handouts required a substantial amount of time to prepare. First of all, they required face validity so that students would want to read them. The copies had to be high-quality documents. It was necessary to design the sequence of handouts so they would dovetail with the readings in the books.
A face-to-face orientation session provided students with a clear understanding of course expectations. For the first class, students from various parts of Florida drove to the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando for a lecture/discussion session and computer/Web demonstration. We wanted to be sure that all students were competent with basic computer skills so they could interact with the instructor and each other, submit research papers, access the course resources and search the World Wide Web.
A discussion of the syllabus, the papers to be written, the timelines and the grading system helped to create an active learning environment via electronic means. It was good for the students to talk with their classmates and form a structure for collaborative learning in the future. Their pictures were taken and posted in the Student Listing along with short biographical statements and their e-mail addresses.
In addition, students interacted with the course designers and technical staff who were present at this first session. These people provided the expertise needed by the students in the event technical problems occurred; and they did occur. Although many students had used e-mail, and were skilled in other ways, they still needed to be guided through the steps involved in taking a course electronically through the World Wide Web.
They required an orientation to the power of the Internet, such as how libraries, governmental databases and academic repositories could be accessed. The Internet offers tremendous potential to eliminate the academic isolation associated with learning at a distance.[2]
The Twelve Canons
In this first class, we discussed the Twelve Canons for Distance Learners. These statements were developed by UCF faculty who teach on the Web:
- Do your homework.
- Be an explorer.
- Help each other and your instructor.
- Acquire technical skills as quickly as possible.
- Take responsibility for your own learning.
- Be patient.
- Write brief messages.
- Do not flame.
- Do not procrastinate.
- Only take credit for your own work.
- Have a life ( besides this course ).
Of course, most of these canons are applicable to learners in traditional courses, but emphasizing them in Internet-based courses gave them special meaning. The phrase, "Do not flame," always requires an explanation because most students in these courses are new to the terminology. It means that students should be careful about strong messages that border on verbal abuse and they should avoid comments that they would not convey to a person in the same room. Within this context, the class orientation also covers "Netiquette" -- the etiquette of the Internet. A detailed commentary is included as part of the course materials.
