Course Creation Issues in Distance Education

Context:
In this selection the author describes problems that may arise when teams work together to create courses and suggests ways to avoid them.

Source:
Kelly, M. 1994. "Course Creation Issues in Distance Education." In R. Garrison and D. Shale, eds., Education at a Distance: From Issues to Practice. Malabar, FL: Kreiger Publishing, pp. 93–94.

Copyright:
Reprinted by permission from Robert E. Krieger Publishing Company.

Working In Teams

One possible course development model uses teams to plan course creation and prepare learning materials. This model implies role diversification where the team consists of teachers and a number of non-teaching professionals as well. There are advantages in working this way in that the workload is divided among several staff members and the course can be enhanced both by the sharing of expertise and by jointly developing ideas for teaching it. Pitfalls as well must be considered before deciding to adopt a team approach.

Where teams are institutionalized such as at the British Open University, they are claimed to provide opportunities for staff development, to enhance the quality of materials produced and in general to foster a collegial atmosphere. On the other hand, not all teams function well; it is time consuming and sometimes exhausting and not all teachers feel comfortable with the team approach.

Conditions exist where a team approach will clearly not work, for instance, if commitment to this approach is lacking amongst the members of the team. This commitment means a willingness to attend meetings regularly, to abide by decisions made by the group, to collaborate with others, to meet deadlines and to accept the comments made on one's work by other team members. Teams create the additional problem of who actually owns the final outcome and who has responsibility for the course and its students.

Whereas working in teams in face-to-face teaching is fairly straightforward because teachers agree on the structure of the course, allocate responsibility for lectures and assignment marking and proceed in a fairly independent manner from then on, working in a team to prepare a distance education course requires close liaison and consultation among team members. The following suggestions may prove helpful in ensuring a successful outcome.

1. At the outset elect a chairperson who will agree to assume responsibility for:
• calling regular meetings of the team and monitoring progress
• monitoring the student workload imposed by the team as a whole
• preparing a course overview for student use
• submission of materials on time to the production unit
• negotiating with other units such as the printing office
• ensuring that all books have been ordered
2. Team members should agree what responsibilities they will take on in preparing resource materials and in subsequent revisions.
3. An evaluation questionnaire may need to be designed which allows the course to be evaluated separately from the overall course.