Just when I needed advice in my new job

I am beginning a new job at Boise State University as Distance Education Project and Development Coordinator. Serendipitously, a perfect plan of action was thrown in my pathway. It is detailed in Ko and Rossen’s Teaching Online: A Practical Guide (2004), pp. 19-20. It’s a way to assess an institution’s resources. The questions it poses now top my to do list.

• Does my institution already provide courses online? Yes.
• Which ones? Note to self: first list to get from my boss.
• Who teaches them? The “who” is essential, because these folks will be both my best resources and the core of the learning community I hope to facilitate.
• What platform do they use? I wouldn’t have thought to ask that question, just assuming they all use Windows. But what if some use Macs? Does that present hurdles in a Windows world?
• Who put their courses together, and how long did it take? That’s a process I need to understand, and it prompts all sorts of questions to ask. I think I’ll formulate an interview plan. This is getting exciting.

Ko and Rossen’s next recommendation could have been written just for me. It is so apropos, I am quoting the entire passage.

Once you find out about online courses already being taught at your institution, make an effort to contact the instructors and talk to them at length. Tell them what you plan to do and solicit their reactions. Find out what their experiences have been. Ask about potential pitfalls you ought to avoid.

Information gained in this way is the most valuable you can collect. Not only will you learn first-hand what’s going on, but you may, if you’re lucky, forge a few strategic alliances with some of the technological pioneers. (Ko & Rossen, 2004, p. 20.)

Further reading

• The story of a real online teacher at Penn State
• More great advice for me in my new job