Face-to-Face to Distance Learning Course Conversion Guide: Optimizing Interaction

Introduction

Converting a course designed for face-to-face classroom environments and synchronous communication, to an online asynchronous environment, takes careful planning and preparation. Simply dumping material on a web site or producing video segments of lecture type sessions will not produce optimal learning outcomes (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015). An in-depth guide is beyond the scope of this document, which serves as an overview, with a focus on the role of the instructor in a blended learning environment. This guide will focus on course conversion specific tasks, and does not include common project management elements. While providing a general introduction to the conversion process, this guide will focus on promoting optimal instructor-student and student-student communication.

Development of blended instruction courses must undergo the same process as any course, while starting with a collection of resources you may wish to reuse, and a list of existing learning outcomes. Because the method of delivery is changing however, these resources and outcomes must be examined, to determine if they will remain appropriate and applicable. Learning objectives may require modification, or removal. You may wish to add new objectives, to take advantage of new capabilities the online environment provides.

Abdous & He (2008) describe seven stages for online course development, including many project management requirements. Most of these stages also apply to course conversion. A modified version of their list is shown in Table 1, with the exact activities for some stages being adapted to accommodate existing resources and objectives.

Table 1: Stages of Course Conversion for Blended Delivery

Stage	Activities
Pre-planning	Assessing capacity (infrastructure, instructors, and students). Understanding the foundational resources, restrictions, and abilities of the new blended learning environment.
Planning & Analysis	Reviewing desired learning outcomes, assessment methods, and optimal delivery modes.
Development	Developing the course environment, design, content, assessment instruments, and support materials.
Testing	Beta testing course and support materials and processes. Revising as needed.
Delivery	Launching course. Providing ongoing support for instructor and students, maintaining hardware and updating software. Evaluating results.

Facilitator Guidelines

Because many instructors may not have skills as facilitators in the online learning realm (and with online discussions in particular), it is important to provide them with training and support (Levy, 2003). Ensure that instructors are familiar and comfortable with their role before classes begin. Due to the partly asynchronous nature of the blended learning environment, instructors should provide clear contact information to students, along with times they can be reached.

Face-to-face instruction frequently takes the form of the instructor delivering content to the learners as a one-way presentation of information. With online instruction there is a shift to a facilitator role, where the instructor guides student-student, and student-content interactions. Rather than lecturing, the instructor acts as a coach and mentor (Perreault, Waldman, Alexander, & Zhao, 2002; Simonson et al., 2015; Siragusa, Dixon, & Dixon, 2007). With a blended learning environment students can gain the benefits of both models. Community can be established quickly face-to-face, while more critical and reflective dialogue can occur in the online space (Mathur & Oliver, 2007; Pillay, & Alexander, 2015).

One of the primary tasks for instructors managing an online course is facilitating online discussions, such as those which take place through Web 2.0 tools like threaded discussion boards. Table 3 provides guidelines that instructors can follow when facilitating these types of online discussions. A summary version of this table can be found in Appendix 1: Quick Guide to Facilitating Online Discussions, and used as a checklist. The overall objective is to maintain a positive social presence, while encouraging constructive student-to-student interactions and reflective exploration of the topic.

Table 3: Do's and Don’ts for Facilitating Online Discussions

Do

Provide clear expectations and guidelines for acceptable behaviour right at the start of the course. (Palloff & Pratt, 2000, October; Simonson et al., 2015).

Make an extra effort to be positive and encouraging with initial discussions, when students are the most anxious (Perreault et al., 2002).

Provide a safe space for discussions (Freeman, n.d.; Gilbert & Dabbagh, 2005; Pillay & Alexander, 2015; Simonson et al., 2015).

Act as a coach, or mentor. Provide motivation and positive responses. Help move the conversion along as needed by asking further open ended questions (Rovai, 2007).

Make students feel they are part of a group (Siragusa, et al., 2007).

Provide prompt feedback (Crews & Wilkinson, 2015; Simonson et al., 2015).

Allow time for student reflection conversation (Freeman, n.d.; Rovai, 2007).

Provide structure and scaffolding (Maor, 2003; Yonders 2014).

Wrap up/summarize the discussion at the end of the scheduled time allotted, or once the conversation has run its course (Rovai, 2007).

Don’t

Dominate discussions. Stay in the background while ensuring conversation moves forward and stays on topic (Freeman, n.d.)

Allow conversations to get off-topic (Maor, 2003). Step in as needed to guide the conversation back on track.

Allow a small number of students dominate the conversation (Freeman, n.d.; Moar, 2003; Rovai, 2007). Encourage quieter students to contribute by contacting them privately if needed (Rovai, 2007).

Put people down. Critique ideas, not the person who has them.

Ask for citations if not required for overall program goals and learning objectives (Crews & Wilkinson, 2015). This has been shown to reduce discussion depth and reduce meaningful learning in some cases.

In addition to discussion management, course facilitators must communicate deadlines and schedule information, and provide updates on progress every week or two (Simonson et al., 2015). Expectations for submissions and participation should be made clear (Palloff, & Pratt, 2000, October). In addition to a course syllabus, assignment or project requirements should be communicated again when appropriate. Assessment rubrics should be provided if used, as these have been shown to consistently improve depth of discussion and learning outcomes (Gilbert & Dabbagh, 2005). In some cases it may also be beneficial to co-construct rubrics or assessment instruments with learners.

Facilitator Resources

Here are further resources with valuable information regarding the role of the facilitator in an online course, and how to develop courses that promote effective learner interaction and communication.

• Six Factors to Consider when Planning Online Distance Learning Programs in Higher Education
• The 7 Steps of eLearning Course Preparation Process
• Facilitating online discussions effectively
• How to structure online discussions for meaningful discourse: a case study
• Using discussions in online courses:  The importance of interactivity
• Streamlining the online course development process by using project management tools
• Making the transition: Helping teachers to teach online

The full guideline documentis available as a PDF (629KB)

References

Abdous, M, & He, W. (2008). Streamlining the online course development process by using project management tools. The Quarterly Review of Distance Education 9(2), p. 181–188.

Cooper, S. (2016). Choosing a learning management system: 9 things to consider if you’re new to the LMS world. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/choosing-a-learning-management-system-9-things-consider-youre-new-lms-world

Clark, D. (1999). Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains. Retrieved from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

Crews, T. B., & Wilkinson, K. (2015). Online quality course design vs. quality teaching: Aligning quality matters standards to principles for good teaching. The Journal of Research in Business Education, 57(1), 47.

Freeman, J. (n.d.) Using discussions in online courses:  The importance of interactivity. Retrieved from https://academics.utep.edu/Portals/844/nofo/Using%20Discussions%20in%20Online%20Courses.pdf

Gilbert, P. K., & Dabbagh, N. (2005). How to structure online discussions for meaningful discourse: A case study. British Journal of Educational Technology, 36(1), 5–18.

Levy, S. (2003). Six factors to consider when planning online distance learning programs in higher education. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, (6)1. State University of West Georgia, Distance Education Center. Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring61/levy61.htm

Maor, D. (2003). The teacher’s role in developing interaction and reflection in an online learning community. Educational Media International, 40(1–2), 127–138. https://doi.org/10.1080/0952398032000092170

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2013). Designing effective instruction (7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Mathur, R., Oliver, L. (2007). Developing an international distance education program: A blended learning approach. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 10(4)
University of West Georgia, Distance Education Center. Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/winter104/mathur104.html

Palloff, R. M. & Pratt, K. (2000, October). Making the transition: Helping teachers to teach online. Paper presented at EDUCASE, Orlando, FL. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3dd1/bab45517e01cf9a4ad8c924781b23156b792.pdf

Pillay, R., & Alexander, L. (2015). The continuing pedagogical value of discussion forums in open and distance learning and face-to-face contexts. Progressio, 37(1), 33–53.

Rovai, A. P. (2007). Facilitating online discussions effectively. The Internet and Higher Education, 10(1), 77–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2006.10.001

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (6th ed.) Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Siragusa, L., Dixon, K. C., & Dixon, R. (2007). Designing quality e-learning environments in higher education. Proceedings Ascilite Singapore, 923–935.

Wright, C. R., Lopes, V., Montgomerie, T. C., Reju, S. A., & Schmoller, S. (2014). Selecting a learning management system: Advice from an Academic Perspective. EDUCAUSE Review. Available at: http://er.educause.edu/articles/2014/4/selecting-a-learning-management-system-advice-from-an-academic-perspective

Appendix 1: Quick Guide to Facilitating Online Discussions

Facilitator Checklist for Online Discussions

Do
	Provide clear expectations and guidelines for acceptable behaviour
	Make an extra effort for initial discussions when students are most anxious
	Provide a safe space for discussions
	Act as a coach or mentor- Provide motivation and positive responses
	Make students feel they are part of a group
	Provide prompt feedback
	Allow time for student reflection on the conversation
	Provide structure and scaffolding
	Wrap up/summarize discussion when time is up, or conversation has run its course
Don’t
	Dominate discussions
	Allow a small number of students dominate the conversation
	Allow conversations to get off-topic
	Ask for citations if not required for overall program goals and learning objectives
	Put people down, critique ideas, not people