1.    How long does it take to create an online course?
2.    What are some of the features Blackboard?
3.    What do I need to do in planning for students in the online environment?
4.    What specific activities can students do online?
5.    What exactly do students do?
6.   Who are the students?
7.    What can I expect of students?
8.    What specific benefits are there for faculty who teach online?
9.    Can I develop a course without committing myself to teaching it?
10.  Can I put material owned by someone else in my course?
11.  How much experience with computers and online teaching do I need before I teach an online course?
12.  How do I know that someone else is not doing the work of the student officially enrolled in my course?
13.  How do I manage online communication with my students?
14.  How do I exchange assignments with my students?
15.  Are there other online assessment tools that I can use besides exams?
16.  What steps do I need to take to teach or to develop an online course?
17.  How do I go about teaching a course that someone else developed?
18.  I have experience from other universities, must I take BCC's professional development training?
19.  I completed my professional development training this term, how soon can I teach?
20.  If I want to talk to someone about online instruction, who should I contact?

2.  What are some of the features Blackboard?
Blackboard contains forms and tools that allow you to:

• Manage online discussions, including private small group discussions;

• Exchange written assignments, tests, and evaluations privately with your students.

• Create and organize mini-lectures and other course materials;

• Create hypertext within course materials, as well as to other Internet sites;

• Evaluate, track, and grade students' work.

3.  What do I need to do in planning for students in the online environment?
First, make sure any media you require (software, video, CD ROM, or reprinted articles) are available through the bookstore or available online. Second, plan your course for a student with a medium or low end computer, working with a relatively slow modem. If your course requires more than a minimum computer, make sure that your published course description includes your requirements - a sound card, a CD ROM drive, a high speed connection, etc. Third, consider carefully how you evaluate students. Timed multiple choice tests, for example can't be proctored in this environment. Nor can you observe students in person to ascertain certain skills. Working in this environment may require design of new evaluation methods.


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4.  What specific activities can students do online?
Students can:

• Engage in discussions established by the professor.

• Submit assignments of any kind, including word processed documents, graphics and other program files such as Lotus 123 worksheets.

• Participate in private, small group collaborations.

• Create links to web sites in their written work.

5.  What exactly do students do?
Students will do many of the same things they do in a traditional classroom -- read texts, take notes, answer questions, write papers, and have discussions. They may also do field observations, watch videos or use computer software. The difference is that their discussions are conducted through asynchronous computer conferencing. Using this feature, students can work together on case studies, group projects, class reports and any number of activities.

6.  Who are the students?
They are basically anyone your campus allows to enroll in your course. In a networked environment, students may be working from their home, from their campus, from their work site or "on the road." They may be as close as your same building, or half way around the world. Many will be working adults, but some will be traditional-aged campus students.


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7.  What can I expect of students?
Expect students to log on regularly and participate in any activity you design that can be done online and asynchronously.

8.  What specific benefits are there for faculty who teach online?
The flexibility, the convenience, (particularly during the summer), and the potential for additional earnings are among the many benefits experienced by faculty who choose to teach online. Faculty also enjoy the new and different ways of interacting with their students, the availability of quality online resources, the chance to explore new and different teaching and learning methods, and the advantage of staying competitive in the academic marketplace.

9.  Can I develop a course without committing myself to teaching it?

Yes! But Instruction Technology would have to ensure beforehand that qualified instructors are available to teach it.


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11.  How much experience with computers and online teaching do I need before I teach an online course?

The skills necessary to manage an online course are minimal: extensive technical expertise is not required, but you should be familiar with computers and be able to navigate the internet. If you can browse the Web, enter a Web address, locate and open files on your computer, and enter text into Web-based forms, you should not have any trouble teaching an online course.

12.  How do I know that someone else is not doing the work of the student officially enrolled in my course?
BCC suggests that you use the same evaluation methods for assignments and projects as you would for out of class assignments that your students submit to a traditional class. Some online instructors also use the Testing Center on Central Campus.

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13.  How do I manage online communication with my students?

E-mail, Discussion Board, and real time Chat are all available for easy use in your course.

14.  How do I exchange assignments with my students?
Blackboard includes an Assignment Tool that allows the exchange of assignments between you and your students. Students can also submit assignments as e-mail attachments. Thanks to these tools, students will not need to use regular mail to get assignments to you, or hand deliver them.

15.  Are there other online assessment tools that I can use besides exams?

YES, whatever you as a teacher can do in a traditional classroom, you can also do online! Blackboard allows you to assign individual projects and presentations, group projects and presentations, reports, book reviews, term papers, discussion participation, to name a few.

16.  What steps do I need to take to teach or to develop an online course?

The first step to teach or develop an online course would be to contact Instructional Technology at 954-201-6567. Second step would be completing professional development and the third step would be to sign a contract.

17.  How do I go about teaching a course that someone else has developed?

First step would be to contact Instructional Technology at 954-201-6567. Second step would be to complete professional development to become an on line facilitator. Instructional Technology would then identify what courses were available to facilitate. Finally, faculty member would sign the contract before teaching the course.

18.  I have experience from other universities, is it mandatory that I take professional development training @ BCC?

YES. Professional Development is required from all faculty who intend to facilitate or develop an online course at BCC.

19.  I completed my professional development training this term, how soon can I teach?

The next semester when a suitable course is identified for the faculty member.

20.  If I want to talk to someone about online instruction, who should I contact?
Please contact Michele Marshall, Director of Flexible Learning 954-201-6567 with any and all questions you may have about teaching online!

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