Introduction
Assessment
Cheating
Chunking
Lowest common
denominator
Copyright
E-packs
Interaction
Goals
Faculty development
Content preparation

Introduction

Welcome to the Faculty Primer for the Web-based Classroom. The pages that follow give you an overall view of developing a web-based course, whether you are migrating a seat-based course or developing a new course. It is our intent to provide you with techniques, tips, tricks, and ideas to assist in the development and implementation of online course materials, whether the intent is to augment a campus-based course or to teach a course totally online.

The Faculty Primer is divided into sections that deal with a number of areas in online course development. Each section contains information on areas of concern and ideas on how to properly prepare for online delivery. For example, the section on assessment deals with a number of ways for assessing knowledge online, while the section on faculty development talks of how to properly prepare faculty for teaching in the online environment. Other sections offer similar ways of dealing with issues involving copyright, content conversion, use of technology, and other areas critical to the success of an online course. Each section include a number of suggested resources for further study.

Just as a primer is used in the classroom to introduce a subject, this site is best used as a starting point for faculty making their initial plunge into the online classroom environment. The Faculty Primer for the Web-based Classroom will be regularly updated as new areas are identified and as more current and relevant information for current sections becomes available. The most important element driving the content of these pages is the feedback received by the users of this site. Please let us know what areas were helpful and which areas need to be expanded or improved upon. With your help and guidance, it is hoped that this site will become a dynamic and worthwhile tool for both distance learning veterans and rookies who are developing materials and teaching courses in the online environment.