GetEducated.com | Resources for Online Educators | Principles For Excellence in Online Teaching

Two Canadian university instructors who teach online have drawn upon their own experiences, as well as those of other online teachers, to come up with a list of principles to guide new online instructors and course developers.

Authors Jim Henry and Jeff Meadows of the University of Lethbridge in Alberta say, among other things:

• Technology is a vehicle, not a destination.

• Great online courses are defined by teaching, not technology.

• A great web interface will not save a poor course, but a poor web interface will destroy a potentially great course.

• Excellence comes from ongoing assessment and refinement.

• For teaching online, say Henry and Meadows:

"[It is] not sufficient to be a content expert. Nor
is it sufficient to be 'tech-savvy.' It is not even sufficient to be an
excellent traditional classroom teacher. Because the online world is a
categorically different environment, a particular blend of skills and
knowledge is necessary if success is to be found in this domain."

Read the paper — "Absolutely Riveting Online Course: Nine Principles for
Excellence in Web-Based Teaching" (CANADIAN JOURNAL OF LEARNING AND
TECHNOLOGY, vol. 34, no. 1, Winter 2008) — to learn more.

The Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology [ISSN: 1499-6685],
published by the Canadian Network for Innovation in Education, is a
peer-reviewed journal that welcomes papers on all aspects of
educational technology and learning. For more information, contact
CNIE/RCIE, 260 Dalhousie Street, Suite 204, Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1N
7E4; email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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