Kolowich, S. (2009) Learning from online Inside Higher Education, December 7
Well, duh! I’m sure that anyone with instructional design experience who has worked with classroom teachers to develop online courses has heard that this also ends up in improving their classroom teaching as well. However, this is now being formally researched at Purdue University at Calumet.
The real significance of this though is how badly prepared for teaching are university professors. “Most of the professors who teach at the university level have had no experience with pedagogy or instruction in general,” says Janet Buckenmeyer, chair of the instructional technology master’s program at Calumet. “They’re content experts, not teaching experts.”
We all know this, of course, but why does the system continually fail to address this issue? Welcome to the only profession where you need no training for half your work.
Dr. Tony Bates is the author of eleven books in the field of online learning and distance education. He has provided consulting services specializing in training in the planning and management of online learning and distance education, working with over 40 organizations in 25 countries. Tony is a Research Associate with Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network.
