Moving Computer Science Courses Online CCSC:SE 2001 Julia E. Benson Georgia Perimeter College

Issues to Address

Course Suitability Any course CAN go online But not all courses will be equally successful online What makes your course a good candidate for online?

YOU What is YOUR motivation for doing this? YOU have to buy in to make it work. What would make YOU a good online teacher?

Consider Also: Your audience Your budget (time AND money) Note: time is far more valuable than money Your commitment

Communications needs No classroom lecture, so other methods are paramount. Need both: Asynchronous communications Synchronous communications Methods complement, not substitute for, one another

Asynchronous Communications Students will DEPEND on this Bulletin Boards Good for group interaction

Synchronous Communications Telephone Still primary method Instant messaging (IM/ICQ) Spontaneous, good for one-on-one Chat Best for formal interaction Scheduling for participation is a problem

Course Delivery Methods Start with “lower-tech” until you have some experience! Print media Textbook and ancillaries are still needed World Wide Web pages Complement, not replace, textbooks Downloadable files via WWW/FTP Ditto

Are We Ready For Streaming Media? Audio -- maybe Video -- maybe not Consider: Development cost Development time Connection bandwidth

Materials Preparation Some materials should already be ready to go Others will need development Test ALL materials before “going live”

Suggested Materials Web page supplements to textbook Compilations of already-available Web references As many hands-on exercises and projects as you can invent

A Specific CS Materials Issue Software availability Students MUST have LOCAL access to the software you need them to use Clear in requirements Make it easily available Don’t insist on the very latest version of anything!

Online Resources Courseware for management and resources Typically provides communication and storage Tends to be marketed as “turnkey” but it isn’t Tends to be idiosyncratic

Online Resources (cont.) “Build your own” is an option for some things Usually gives you more what you want Unfortunately, YOU maintain it (in your SPARE time!)

Access and Security Courseware provides a certain security for access control Don’t depend on it Accept that course materials will become public Focus on security of assessment materials

Migration Paths Don’t plan to go online in one BIG BANG! Start by placing static materials online for regular courses syllabus assignments references notes

Migration Paths (cont.) Test these materials THOROUGHLY with face-to-face students Insist on feedback Tweak them until they work, then keep a close eye on them

Migration Paths (cont.) Timeline: a year is desirable it still won’t be enough! Six months is do-able IF you are using courseware you already have substantial materials online you have a very good textbook

Migration Paths (cont.) Expect to revise, revise, revise Most revision needs to be between terms

Administrative Considerations TIME and MORE TIME Online courses take MORE TIME than face-to-face Developing materials Communicating with students Grading assignments

What else do YOU need to know?

Resources This presentation My contact information: Department of Business/Computer Science Georgia Perimeter College 2101 Womack Road Dunwoody, GA 30338

Resources (cont.) GPC Distance Learning page WebCT

Thank you!