13 December, 2009

Inaugural Post




My name is Justin Scoggin and I am a teacher trainer at Universidad Casa Grande in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Through this blog I aim to chronicle and reflect on the process of training University teachers to design and deliver online classes. Some of them have previously given their classes on site and are learning to redesign them for online delivery while others will be giving their classes for the first time online. 

The training program consists of five 7-week modules.  
  • The first module introduces teachers to relevant web 2.0 tools, 
  • the second to Moodle and syllabus design,
  • the third  to activity design,
  • the fourth to assessment strategies, both of activities and of entire courses,
  • and the fifth module introduces teachers to basic facilitating strategies.
The first module began in November 2009 and the last module is scheduled to finish in July of 2010.

3 comments:

Irma Illonka said...

One thing that I would like to share as part of a reflection of this very first online course is that it might be helpful to get a
"lab session". What do I mean?, well, a session in which all the candidates for the course could show their abilities with computers. That will give you a general backgroung not only with things they are capable of doing, but the technical components that will be needed to develope along the academic content.
Lots of frustration is felt when you know what you want to say, but you don´t know how to handle tech.
Makes me wonder about my course: a survey to all students before first class, or during it??? will that be helpful?, for whom?
I am still thinking about it.

Unknown said...

Irma - I totally agree. In fact, I think we are planning for a large amount of lab time for incoming online students. This will also be a nice time to help students develop specific skills that will help them be successful online students.

Kira said...

I think tha a grading system ike the one mentioned by Lisa Lane, could help us have a framework in terms of time and effort. Probably having that kind of deadlines should help us organize our time and schedule our tasks in a more concrete way.