On-line Professional Development |
Are you interested in setting up a similar Course? Some general comments ...
1. The Course consists of a number of 'Modules'.
Each Module is completed in approximately one hour.
2. A hard-copy booklet is provided so that the subject can work away from the computer.
3. There is a time-limit for completion of the Course (approximately one school term - ie
ten weeks).
4. There is direct communication between the Subject and the 'Mentor' (via email). (Part
of the aim is to break down any feelings of isolation for 'remote' teachers.)
5. You MAY cut-and-paste my material to construct your own. I don't mind if yours is a
direct copy of what I have done. By working together in developing this sort of material
we will hopefully come up with something really valuable.
6. The Form/email technique took a while to get right. Other approaches use CGI. You will
find that some ISPs won't allow CGI. I suggest you stick with the 'plain text' approach I
have used.
7. I have approached the appropriate bodies to obtain endorsement for this type of
Professional Development. Hopefully I will have some news in that regard in the next few
months.
Some Educational Design Issues:
1. The material is broken up into small, digestible "modules".
Anything more than an hour is probably a waste of time.
2. The "quizzes" are 'open-ended'. There is considerable debate about the
validity of 'multiple-choice' tests. I happen to agree that they are basically useless for
indicating whether someone actually understands the material. I recommend
open-ended, rather than multiple-choice quizzes.
3. Diagrams and pictures should be used to break up large blocks of (boring) text.
4. No external URLs are provided. The subject is expected to do the work of finding other
related material themselves.
5. The subject is expected to research aspects of the material by referring to other
Internet sites. This fosters reinforcement of the concepts presented while providing a
different perspective of the content.