2008 Teaching and Learning Symposium

Extending Our Reach: Rapid Course Development & Online Course Delivery Using Web Conferencing

UW Extension is developing new online delivery methods which allow for rapid delivery of course materials that parallel live, classroom sessions. This new delivery uses a conferencing platform such as Adobe Connect to present instructor materials to online students who can engage with the instructor and students remotely through live chat. The remote students can hear the instructor through voice-over-ip or telephone conference bridge and feel as though they are an active part of the classroom environment. Additional advantages to using this approach are that

1. courses can be archived to the benefit of both classroom and online students;
2. development costs are considerably less and
3. course development is far more dynamic than other online course development since the instructor initiates all change in course materials.

This poster session will present several topics involving this technology:

• Pilot study in a Computational Linguistics degree course
• Hybrid classroom/online delivery model
• New rapid delivery to remote audiences
• Discussion of this new learning environment as an equal learning experience to classroom delivery
• An instructor checklist to prepare for this approach
• Potential pitfalls
• Student reactions

Dr. Erik Bansleben will present the technological innovations, the overall approach in online delivery, and how this approach is being used and piloted for different Certificate and Degree programs at UW Extension. Dr. Emily Bender will present her experiences as a faculty member in the pilot study as the Director of the Computational Linguistics Masters Program and address firsthand feedback received about the ease and effectiveness of the approach.

Index of Symposium Presenters