Learning to teach online is a valuable opportunity for faculty to improve their curriculum and their teaching methods, as some University of Montana faculty members learned recently.
School of Social Work is blending traditional, face-to-face, courses with online courses as part of the new 2+2 Bachelor’s of Social Work program. The first two years of the program are spent in the physical classroom, while the last two years are completed online as the student works in the field.
Online courses allow faculty to reach students across the state. Assistant Professor James Caringi says there are additional benefits. “It also challenges us to look at our pedagogy and the connection between teaching and learning.” It’s an opportunity for teachers to improve their teaching methods, both online and offline.
Caringi found himself asking, “What is the connection between what I want to teach and what the student will learn?” The course development process changed the way he thinks about his in-class teaching as well.
Many teachers think their subject has to be taught face-to-face. In reality, almost any subject can be taught online, and taught well.
“Many of the same tenets of a good classroom experience transfer well to a blended program-just the tools to deliver the class are different,” said Adjunct Assistant Professor Charlie Wellenstein. “It has made me think about making my classroom more efficient.”
Teaching online is not as difficult as it may seem, despite the upfront work involved. Having weekly learning units organized before class begins is one big benefit. “This made for a smoother transition week to week,” said Assistant Professor Tondy Baumgartner.
Organizing everything beforehand also makes it easier to see the relationship between assignments and course objectives. “Developing an online course made me rethink activities that could inform the curriculum, but it also pointed out that I had assessment activities which truly informed the curriculum,” said Baumgartner.
Classroom instruction and curriculum will be better organized and more effectively delivered through the online course development process, said Professor Ryan Tolleson Knee. “The training [Extended Learning Services] provides is the best professional development opportunity faculty have available to them.”
“I think all of us believe we are better teachers because of the online class we took and the classes we are teaching,” said Assistant Professor Mary-Ann Bowman.
Online courses have no time constraints, allowing students to delve deeper and engage with the material. In the past, Assistant Professor Danielle Wozniak has had to ask students not to contribute in order to finish the lesson. “This is antithetical to learning,” said Wozniak.
Free of time constraints, teachers can develop cutting-edge, exciting learning activities that improve the learning experience.
Faculty shouldn’t be intimidated by online learning, said Wozniak. “The first time I went scuba diving, I was thrilled and delighted and astonished at the incredible life underwater. That is how I feel about distance education. Being on land is wonderful and amazing and full of surprises. But you should know that a whole different world exists underwater that will also surprise and delight and challenge you.”