Creating Distance Learning Courses
Assignment 2
The Instructional Design Process
While all curriculum development is similar in some ways, the processes for developing a distance learning course and its classroom equivalent are different. Instructors often find these differences challenging when they first start out to create a distance learning course. You can better anticipate this challenge by exploring the process more fully before you begin it.
Instructional design for distance learning courses is distinct in at least four important ways. It is:
- mediated - the capabilities and limits of the technology used to develop and deliver the course influence course content and structure;
- collaborative - course development is a joint effort among professionals with diverse skills, including content expertise, instructional design knowledge, technical skills, and administrative acumen;
- formatted - distinct course formats structure content and interactions differently; and
- learner-centered - learners exercise their own initiative in their interactions with the course materials, instructor, and each
Open this online multimedia presentation, then follow along with the audio-visual presentation in class, taking notes as needed. This presentation further describes the four unique aspects of the distance learning instructional design process outlined above. This presentation was created using the free version of a multimedia creation program from Real Networks entitled RealPresenter.
Technical note: In order to view this presentation, your Web browser software (Netscape or Internet Explorer) needs to have multimedia player capability. The computers in general access computer labs on campus have this capability, although for noise control purposes they generally do not have the sound cards required to play audio tracks. Without this sound card, you will be able to see the Powerpoint presentation, but not hear the accompanying audio narrative.
If you are not in a lab, you can test whether your computer is multimedia capable by selecting the presentation link above. An error message will prompt you if your browser lacks the required player. You can download one of the three major media players free from their respective vendors at:
REAL Networks
RealPlayer
Microsoft
Windows
Media Player
Apple
Quicktime Player
Go
on to Lesson 2, Part 2
