Interaction between learners and instructional materials

2.3 Interaction between Learners and Instructional Materials

Principle2.31 Provide time and opportunity for learners to practice and master the skills that are necessary to participate in the electronic discussion.

If students (or faculty) do not have the skills and familiarity with the technology being used in a course, the course can become more about the technology than the subject matter. At a minimum a self-assessment should be provided to students. If it is possible to meet in a computer lab before the online portion of a course starts, students can be provided with assistance in becoming familiar with the technology. Whether or not this is possible, courses should start out with low stakes exposure to the technology so that students can become familiar with it without having to worry about content and technology at the same time. Then the stakes can be be slowly raised as the focus can move from the technology to the content.

Principle 2.3.2 Provide all participants with access to online tutorials and support services.

Faculty should not assume that students are aware of the support services available to them. Likewise, students may not know where to find tutorials to help them learn to use the technology. Links to tutorials or other resources can give students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the tools. By including link in the design of a course, students can become aware of resources that available either on-campus or online. The online tutorials might be provided by the institution offering the course, or they could be provided by other institutions. Faculty should check these links periodically to ensure that they are still working and relevant. If students are familiar with the technology, they are more likely to be able to engage the content and less likely to contact the instructor for technology assistance.