Instruction is purposeful interaction to increase a learner’s knowledge or skills in a specific, pre-determined fashion. Simply publishing a webpage with links to other pages or other digital resources does not constitute instruction. Materials developed for web-based instruction must follow established instructional design principles in order to be effective and viable means of education. The following elements are adapted from Gagné’s nine universal steps of instruction and should be included in the instructional design of learning materials.

By Patricia Phillips-Batoma

By Virgil Varvel

The facilitator plays a vital role in developing and maintaining an online program that is effective, smooth, and that will support the realization of the planned learning outcomes. Faculty delivering courses online must be more than transmitters of knowledge; they must become facilitators of learning. Some highly seasoned instructors from the traditional on-ground environment will easily adapt to the online model, while others may find the transition challenging at first. The facilitator in the online environment must possess a unique set of tools to perform effectively.

Online instructors need Basic Skills to form a base for the use of pedagogical competencies

By: Virgil E. Varvel Jr.

Introduction

Everyone has their own “style” for collecting and organizing information into useful knowledge, and the online environment can be particularly well suited to some learning styles and personality needs. For example, introverted students often find it easier to communicate via computer-mediated communication than in face-to-face situations. In addition, the online environment lends itself to a less hierarchical approach to instruction, which meets the leaning needs of people who do not approach new information in a systematic or linear fashion.

Objectives describe what learners will be able to do at the end of instruction, and they provide clear reasons for teaching. When writing objectives be sure to describe the intended result of instruction rather than the process of instruction itself.

Clearly defined learning objectives are useful for instructors, instructional designers and students:

Before designing a lesson for the Internet or for the face-to-face classroom it is vital to have developed objectives. We must know what it is we want the students to do before we can write a lesson to help them achieve those objectives.

Consider the following objectives

Understand the concept of gas pressure.
Know how to solve stoichiometry problems.

In addition to personal experience, the following resources were referred to in the development of my methods and other information in this article.

Allessi, S.M. & Trollip, S.R. (1985). Computer-Based instruction: Methods and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Chapman, B. (1995). Creating script-storyboards for interactive multimedia. Retrieved June 1, 2004 from http://www.ops.ltd.uk/download/white_papers/storyb.doc