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Interview with Shawn Wright Name: Shawn B. Wright Division: MSE What Courses do you teach online? Biology 239 Microbiology Biology 123 Introductory Biology for Health Science Majors Biology 124L Intro. Biology Laboratory_____ In addition to your online courses, have you used distance learning to enhance your face-to-face courses? All of my courses have an online component. I have begun to list all of them as WE (web enhanced) courses.
This includes Biology 239, Biology 123, Biology 124L, Biology 239L, Biology 201/201L, Biology 202/202L. What do you like to do when you’re not teaching? (Hobbies)
As an online instructor, what role do you see distance learning playing in the future education of students? I have seen that this mode of delivery is extremely important for some of my students. Their very busy lives leave them little time for the typical structured lecture class. Online instruction gives them flexibility.
For my classes I have found that I am able to provide my online students with an increased coverage of many of the topics discussed in class. Since I do not have to “take time” for the class discussion I can extend my lecture presentation of the materials to be covered. I can take more time to develop and explain a concept.
Working with Peter Hurley and his staff I have been able to produce many videos of my lecture materials and the students seem to find this material both interesting and understandable….the video component in particular is very helpful ….at least that is what my student report.
I find that I can provide my students with enhanced evaluation and assessment tools when I present materials in an online format. I have dramatically increased the number of “quiz” opportunities for the students. The more often they practice analyzing and answering questions the better they can understand the materials. If you could change one thing about your online courses, what would it be and why? I would like to provide my students with fast internet access. This seems to be a key impediment for many.
I want to start working on providing a set of audio only lectures for download to an IPOD or MP3 player…..I think many would find this helpful.
I would like to develop a more careful screening process of my students ….I want to make sure they have the right preparation for taking this type of self-motivated course.
I would like to have fewer students in my lectures so I could focus my efforts on a smaller group. Present our classes have an enrollment of 36 for lectures and 24 for labs. Knowing what you now know about online instruction, what advice would you give to brand new instructors? Anticipate that this type of course will require much more time…especially during the first or second semester that you present the class.
Develop techniques to help more your students through the course materials in a timely manner. Many students still work with the “just in time” mindset. I struggle with finding ways to help my students stay focused and up to date with their work.
Don’t be surprised if students are more demanding in the online environment. Be prepared to develop a thickened skin…..I have had some students that have been quite insulting and more argumentative due to the correspondence nature of the course. Knowing what you now know about online instruction, what advise would you give other “seasoned” online instructors? By seasoned I am assuming you mean people who have been in the class room for many years but never online? Well some of the advice given above would be the same. But I would emphasize the enormous potential for the varied delivery of materials in the WEB environment. Many of us already use videos, animations, PowerPoint materials in class. The online environment expands those possibilities. As I mentioned before the primary benefit I see is that I can cover topics in a more thorough manner in the online courses. Students can view and review my presentations until they are satisfied they have the understanding they desire.
To take a look at one of Shawn's online courses, choose the link below and login using dlvisitor as the username and password. Return to DL Newsletter - November 2006
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