U-SAY

02 August 2009

From Cameron Nichol
I refer to the article, US: I'll never teach online again, by Elayne Clift and her statement that online teaching is not for her.

Expecting a university lecturer, whose experience of teaching and learning is based on a traditional face to face lecture/tutorial model, to step in and teach online is like expecting your plumber to wire your house.

It is a specialised skill and it requires a different approach to and an understanding of learning. Yes, it does take more time (and money) particularly to set up.

To do the job the person has to let go of being a lecturer (and baggage that goes with it) and become a facilitator. You have to let go of comparisions with your previous role and focus on the tools and strategies of your new job.

For the facilitator, online learning is more about strategy, maintenance and intervention and less about content and delivery.

Cameron Nichol
Manager: eLearning & Educational Design.
Department of accounting and finance,
Monash University,
Melbourne.

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