Jim Henry lists Nine principles for excellence in web-based teaching. Henry starts out with the comments that many of those teaching online would far rather not be – and often don’t feel they have the expertise to do so.
The principles listed are:
- The online world is a medium unto itself.
- In the online world content is a verb.
- Technology is a vehicle, not a destination.
- Great online courses are defined by teaching, not technology.
- Sense of community and social presence are essential to online excellence
- Excellence requires multiple areas of expertise.
- A great web interface will not save a poor course; but a poor web interface will destroy a potentially great course.
- Excellence comes from ongoing assessment and refinement.
- Sometimes the little extras go a long way.
It’s a list that many in the eLearning world would agree with – but good to see it all in the same place… (and I can’t help thinking that WebCT etc aren’t exactly brilliant at Web interfaces…)
Via Stephen Downes: (As always, his comments re worth reading)