Implementation
Managing, maintaining and running the elearning material belongs to the implementation. The chosen teaching form (blended, synchronous, asynchronous) will determine most of the questions, however you should consider in any case:
- Who will provide administration and maintenance?
- Is all the necessary technology available?
- Have you got a back-up plan if the technology fails?
- Do the learners need any printed material?
- What further support do the learners need?
- Do the learners have access to the material anytime, anywhere?
- How long should you provide the access to the material after the learning period?
- Do the learners need any online tuition/consultation? If so, how often and how long?
- Deadline of handing in tasks?
- Deadline of marking?
If more than one teacher will use the material, you need to give them some information, too:
- To give a demonstration on the LMS (as they are tailored to a particular course)
- To standardize the administration
- To standardize the principles to the marking of tests and tasks
- To pass existing lesson plans
- To pass every sort of documentation what can be used.
Teaching with elearning
The teacher’s role in elearning is a consultant-tutor, not a lecturer. Learners are not passive mushrooms, but creative with initiative, taking over some roles from the teacher. Activities are in foreground. The teacher organises the form of activities, and provides the conditions and tools according to the prior knowlegde, demands and needs of students.
Instead of giving lectures the tasks of a teacher:
- Organizing and instructing according the teaching method (chosen strategy and theory)
- Providing activities
- Directing the progress of students according to the objectives
- Giving information and knowledge when the students need them
- Making the process of learning easier
Sometimes the conditions of developing an elearning material is not ideal (time, budget, tools, co-workers), but looking for excuses leads nowhere. We have to do our best to adjust the material to the opportunities.
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