Teaching Online
Distributed Education (DE) is learning and teaching that includes choices from a variety of learning technologies. DE means extending student learning outside of the classroom. For faculty, DE can vary from having students listen to a radio program, to a fully online course, to some hybrid of the two. With DE, the possibilities are endless.
Creating an Online Presence
Whether you want a website to support your courses, or are interested in using the tools in Desire2Learn, the Distributed Education Team can support your efforts. Come talk to us about what you have in mind and we will advise you regarding the most appropriate tools.
Advantages of Distributed Education
Faculty can:
- provide access to multi-media learning materials that are not always available in more traditional courses and programs;
- create discussions with other students via email and electronic bulletin boards to extend the learning outside of the classroom;
- often allow students to choose their own study times;
- extend classroom discussions allowing all students (not just the more vocal or confident) to take part in discussions.
- reach a diverse range of students who might not be able to attend a classroom setting.
- have the opportunity to enjoy learning about, and with, technology
DE at Camosun
Camosun faculty are using the full spectrum of distributed opportunities from having a course website that supplements a traditional face-to-face course to implementing a hybrid model with some class activities that are completely online to teaching in a fully online environment.
Sample websites that supplement courses:
Sample hybrid use:
- Nursing 330 faculty use WebCT and the discussion board to hold small group case study discussions
- Robin McQueen teaches Strategic Human Resource Management. This Business 221 course is delivered in class and online. The in class learning is focused on concepts and theory and leads to online discussion using bulletin boards and chatrooms. The online classroom is case based as learners analyze articles and cases. This hybrid course uses WebCT to provide the online classroom.
- Ray Bigauskas is creating an English 092 hybrid course that will provide his students with added access and flexibility (meeting only four times during the semester) while still having face-to-face faculty and student interactions.
- The Broadcast Journalism advanced degree that will be offered for the first time starting May 05 is designed as a hybrid course with two weeks initially online, then a ten week face-to-face component followed by another four weeks online. This program was designed as a hybrid course to allow greater flexibility and cost-effectiveness for learners.
Most fully online courses are hosted through BCCampus and available to students throughout the province. Check CAMLINK for course availability and orientation times and location.
The BCCampus online development fund provides funding to BC public post secondary institutions to increase the number of online courses, programs, technologies and services available to British Columbia students.