Abstract:

Perhaps the first and most important step that an educator, and for that matter an institution dedicated to the dissemination of knowledge, is to reflect on the importance of theory as a foundation to develop high quality, feasible and sustainable online delivery. As a matter of fact, whether we engage in explicit discussions about it or not, the core of the theoretical approach for educators is the consideration of learning as a liberating experience that enhances critical and creative thinking. As a consequence, we are continuously pondering the extent to which our practice, and the delivery systems that we create and constantly renew, allow students to connect meaningfully with the world and to enrich their lives enable them to develop their full human potential.

The aim of this presentation is to provide an overview of the process of transforming a traditional classroom based course into an effective online learning experience. It will first identify and describe and analyze the resources, procedures and time considerations that are required for the development of high quality online learning experience. It will then describe one specific example of development of one course as an example of a successful experience. The article will pay particular attention to issues of quality and assessment as a central element of sound design for the production of online courses. To place this individualized efforts in perspective, the article explore how a successful and sustainable effort must be explicitly and organically explored in the context of institutional and programmatic efforts.

Keywords:

Online Instruction, Institutional Support, Quality Matters Standards.