A Designer’s Log Case Studies in Instructional Design- P42 pdf

A D ES IG NE R' S LOG 192 but it’s up to the student to adapt. If after  years of university studies, they are [still] not ready to work autonomously, they might not be in the right place. Whatever method [sic] is used, there will be dead wood. If the model works for the majority of students, so be it. is model does not promote facilitating the student in his work. It requires the student’s full involvement. Our students are often criticised [by my colleagues] in that they have diculty functioning on their own, in conducting research, in nding answers. Any model that requires students to work, that forces them to reect, is good. e student must learn to operate autonomously. Our students are already graduates. e courses are therefore graduate level. ey already have at least  years of university.” On working in teams: “In the beginning, I wasn’t very keen on their working in teams. Some work harder than others. I am still not convinced of the merits of this approach from an assessment point of view. On the other hand, I like the fact that they discuss subject matter as a group. It’s good to see them discussing in groups. So long as there are no marks involved, ne. ose who are lazy or unprepared for discussions will be left aside. I believe in formative assessment for teams and in summative assessment for individuals.” On teamwork in their profession: “Yes, they must work hand-in-hand with their colleagues. Part of their work is done as a team, but in the end, they also have to bear individual responsibility for their work. In terms of planning, yes, it’s done in teams. ey are marked on their level of planning ability. Teamwork prepares them for learning how to plan well. Organizing/planning team assignments should be part of their training.” On the design process: “It was a new experience for me to work with an instructional designer. Enriching and interesting. e fact that you can sit with someone specialized in design… you asked me questions that no one had ever asked me before. No one had ever asked me these types of questions. Why do that? Why emphasize this aspect? … I would do it without asking myself why… So I’ve improved some things and I enjoy that.” 193 CAS E STU DY 9 On a major problem encountered: “It was the change in clientele [sic]. at changed everything. Developing material for a certain clientele, putting time into it, then changing everything… it was like working backwards. We should have designed the course for our regular students, and then adapt the material as needed for other students. Creating a customized course takes too much time. We may have to build  or  versions of the course without a guarantee that the clientele will be there. Some courses do not change, such as a history course, but in my area of study, the course must be adapted to specic needs… such as using relevant case studies for students.” On workload: “It was hard going to design this course. We would meet for an hour and a half to three hours every week. at’s practically a full course load. e horizontal course plan helped and ended up producing a better course. I often refer back to it,… but associating an objective to content and activities is demanding. It is long and sometimes frustrating to realize that we have activities for which there are no objectives. […] Preparing this course is like giving a course. I reserved half a day every week for this work.” On problems with reading material: “e students have hundreds of pages to read, between , and , pages per term. On campus, they get their texts from the ‘reserve’ [in the library] and then photocopy them. With an online course, everything would have to be put online and that’s the problem. Re-entering and reformatting data is a huge job but if we don’t do it, there is a copyright issue linked to format. e texts themselves exist and are public domain. Also, some texts are only available from publishers but the new ones are available online. is makes it easier. But student attitudes also need to change… most of the students want hard copies.” On future course designing: “As for the course itself, I would have designed it as a regular course like I oer on campus.” On working at a distance: “Screen-sharing is denitely a plus. I really like working directly on the text like that.” A D ES IG NE R' S LOG 194 On teaching online with the synchronous platform: “I really liked the direct contact with the students. [e synchronous platform] is far better than videoconferencing but I do like being able to see to whom I am speaking. I fear that online learning is becoming too mechanical. With a [web] camera on the computer, it would really enhance the visual aspect.” On accessibility to online courses and the interest in oering them: “For students in remote areas or far away, yes, I would accept to do this [teach online]. If there are no other solutions and if the bursary system isn’t abolished, yes, to increase access, I would oer my courses online. [But] we have to make sure that all of the tools and documents are available online, especially since the on-campus students have access to their professors and a full library. But if there are no other means, if the quality is there, and if they have access to the necessary means for their learning, yes, online learning would be OK.” On the professor’s role: “e professor provides the framework for training and must complete it with resources. e professor assists with the method, but the students must complete it by conducting their own research. No professor can say that he/she covers all the material. at is why we have libraries, computer labs, etc. If a student is led to believe that contact with the professor in class is enough, then s-he’s being led astray.” On the future of faculty: “I hope that this virtual world doesn’t replace the professor. Some students need the contact but I believe we can adopt a hybrid approach whereby the student comes to class and also uses distance education tools. I wouldn’t want the process to become dehumanized, where the professor goes to his oce and spends the day typing on his computer.” On technology and face to face teaching: “An approach is needed that responds to two types of students. In terms of my on-campus students, I wouldn’t want them to stop coming to class… I wouldn’t want to lose this contact that we have together. But for a student in, say, Nunavut, it would be absurd to make him come here to learn. Some aspects (in my eld of study) have already integrated ICT. ere is no reason to prevent the 195 CAS E STU DY 9 virtual from replacing the face-to-face, but I would be very disappointed as a professor to never see a student again, or have a student ever see me. In the classroom, with  or  students in front of me, I can tell if the one way in the back of the class has understood me or not. I can immediately tell this by his reaction. He may not want to ask questions for all sorts of reasons. rough eye-to-eye contact, students who may have a question but may not want to ask it are visible. Eye-to-eye contact is so important that I take the time to look at their faces, to make sure they have understood me. With online teaching, how can we manage that? I would not want face-to-face contact to disappear. It would be better to nd a happy medium, between face-to-face and online learning.” . done in teams. ey are marked on their level of planning ability. Teamwork prepares them for learning how to plan well. Organizing/planning team assignments should be part of their training.” On. that online learning is becoming too mechanical. With a [web] camera on the computer, it would really enhance the visual aspect.” On accessibility to online courses and the interest in oering. courses online. [But] we have to make sure that all of the tools and documents are available online, especially since the on-campus students have access to their professors and a full library. But