The Oceanographic Center

Nova Southeastern University

Best Practices in Distance Learning

________________________________________________________________

The Oceanographic Center at Nova Southeastern University is committed to providing high-quality effective formal education by a distance-learning format, in addition to its regular in-house graduate courses and programs. The technical considerations inherent in distance learning are secondary to the overall commitment to high-quality, current and effective scholarship and teaching, regardless of whether teaching and learning takes place in a classroom or “at a distance”. To quote the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, “the important issues are not technical but curriculum-driven and pedagogical”.

Nevertheless, there are some particular needs and challenges with distance teaching. By definition, the Oceanographic Center’s distance learning courses and programs are formal educational processes in which the majority of instruction occurs when student and instructor are not in the same place.

The majority of distance-learning courses at Nova Southeastern University employ the World Wide Web, and particularly the course management and delivery system WebCT. An Oceanographic Center template for WebCT has been designed by the I-Zone so that students taking more than one e-learning course through the Oceanographic Center will quickly become familiar with the graphic look and navigation of online course materials. Faculty orientation and training programs and disks in WebCT are readily available.

WebCT is the favored method of distance course delivery at NSU and is the usual “base” for related course components; however, distance-learning courses may also employ a blend of:

• Print text (subject to copyright considerations)
• Interactive audio and/or video conferencing (if appropriate and feasible, given time and distance constraints).
• Computer conferencing and electronic mail
• Pre-recorded video tape (again, recognizing international constraints with regard to delivery and access).
• Fax

In addition to the normal required accredited components of effective formal course design and delivery (e.g. clearly defined and relevant course objectives, learning activities and assessment procedure), distance learning instructors are required to:

· Ensure timely and consistent feedback to students.

· Create ways for students feeling “connected” to their instructor and to other students in their class.

· Exhibit proper standards in grammar and language, especially for an international audience.

· Consider the appropriateness of materials for learners from a diversity of cultural backgrounds, ages, and experiences.

· Anticipate that students may be in different time zones and may have differing abilities to access the learning materials (e.g. not all will be on high speed networks and able to download complex graphics and audio-visual materials.)

Course learning materials and delivery should be:

• Reliable, straightforward and easy to access and use.
• Readily updateable by the instructor.
• Designed in such a way that any supplementary multimedia resources are complementary, rather than obtuse or distracting.
• Provide links to relevant and accessible documents.
• Designed subject to copyright law.
• Sensitive to individual student’s bandwidth constraints.

The international reach of our distance learning courses and both bandwidth and time zone constraints favor asynchronous rather than synchronous (“real time”, live “chat”) communication. While instructors may choose to incorporate “chat” components and even site visits, these must be elective components rather than mandatory.

It is the individual instructor’s responsibility to:

• Inform the Distance Learning Coordinator, Jane Dougan, of their interest in planning and preparing a distance course. Jane may be reached by email to "Jane Dougan" <douganj barney nova fred edu>,
• Complete and forward the preparatory course preparation template 2-3 months ahead of the planned course start date.

• Have main course materials prepared at least three-four weeks ahead of the start date of term for review by the distance learning coordinator and the Dean of the Oceanographic Center.
• Contact students with clear instructions regarding how they will access their course materials.
• Post student marks on WebStar before the deadline dates.

It is the distance learning coordinator’s responsibility to:

• Inform instructors of contact details for students registered in their courses.
• Inform instructors of the CRN for their courses so that they may access them directly on WebStar.
• Inform instructors of deadline dates for final term grades to be posted on WebStar.
• Distribute course evaluation forms to students and report findings to course instructors.
• Distribute course teaching evaluation forms to distance learning instructors.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________