Institute of Teaching and Learning
Deakin University
Teaching at Deakin increasingly involves blending online and offline modes to take advantage of the best features of both.
Using a strategic approach to teaching online at Deakin involves considering how DSO technologies can help you achieve your teaching and learning aims in the most effective, efficient and appealing ways.
If you are preparing a unit to teach either wholly or partly online, a systematic approach will help you design, deliver and manage your learning materials, communications, assessment and so on to achieve the best learning outcomes. A sequence of activities is provided to step you through this process.
Students deal and interact with information differently online, compared to when they are reading or listening to lectures. A strategic approach to providing learning materials online involves acknowledging these differences and structuring materials so that students can work through them flexibly but efficiently.
Communication is a central part of teaching and learning, and online communication options are now wide open. A strategic approach involves selecting the best technology for the kind of communication you need to support your learning approach and activities.
Computer-based assessment introduces many efficiencies, including self-testing with instant feedback, online assignment submission and plagiarism detection. Online tools can be used to assess the full range of learning outcomes, whether they be simple knowledge/comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis or evaluation.
Online group work has often been unpopular with students – for good reason. However, group work presents the opportunity for important learning outcomes, and it can be managed effectively online.
The way a site is organised and the way it looks can make a big difference to how efficiently students use it, and how much they enjoy their learning. Usability and accessibility are important principles to understand and apply in web-based learning environments.
