Pedagogical Issues: Adapting A Large, Lecture-Based Course To The Web

AT LARGE RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES, A COMMON APPROACH FOR TEACHING HUNDREDS OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT ONE TIME IS THE TRADITIONAL, LARGE LECTURE-BASED COURSE. TRENDS INDICATE THAT OVER THE NEXT DECADE THERE WILL BE AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF LARGE, ON- CAMPUS COURSES BEING OFFERED AS WELL AS LARGER ENROLLMENTS IN COURSES CURRENTLY OFFERED. AS UNIVERSITIES SEARCH FOR ALTERNATIVE MEANS TO ACCOMMODATE MORE STUDENTS AND THEIR LEARNING NEEDS, WEB-BASED INSTRUCTION PROVIDES AN ATTRACTIVE DELIVERY MODE FOR TEACHING LARGE, ON-CAMPUS COURSES. THE FIRST QUESTION WE MUST ASK IS WHETHER WEB-BASED INSTRUCTION CAN BE DESIGNED AND DEVELOPED TO PROVIDE QUALITY EDUCATION FOR THE TRADITIONAL, ON-CAMPUS STUDENT. YET, WITH THE PROMISE OF ACCESSIBILITY, INTERACTIVITY AND EASE OF USE, WEB-BASE DELIVERY MODES OFFER VIABLE SOLUTIONS FOR MEETING THE INSTRUCTIONAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS. THIS TEXT IDENTIFIES THE PROCEDURAL ISSUES TO CONSIDER WHEN ADAPTING A LARGE, LECTURE-BASED COURSE TO A WEB- BASED ENVIRONMENT AND IDENTIFIES PEDAGOGICAL ISSUES THAT INSTRUCTORS NEED TO CONSIDER.

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Dr. Maureen Ellis is an Assistant Professor in the Business and Information Technologies Education Department at East Carolina University, located in Greenville, NC.