This article explores myths in relation to context, strategies and assessment in online learning. Having both recently undertaken and been involved in the processes of developing an online course, I found the article pertinent to my understandings and experiences of such tasks. It as interesting to note that the first problem addressed by the authors was that of team group dynamics in an online forum designated with a collaborative task. My personal experience is that this is where new boundaries in course development and involvement were the most challenging. Establishing ground rules for group orientated tasks can of itself be inherently challenging but moving such requirements to cyberspace creates a whole new set of performance requirements. Problems include team formation, immediacy requirements, international differences in anticipated standards, and cultural and language barriers. Face to face interaction can help to diffuse some of these challenges due to body language deployment, emotional overtones in language and different time constraints in developing rapport. The authors pose some interesting solutions including the role of student as group facilitator and the role of online tools such as chat rooms and synchronous applications, to enhance rapport building within the team. Such an argument for the use of these processes crosses over with the discussion around the role of online learning promoting isolation and lack of community whereby the authors incorporate the requirement of compulsory engagement with such tools in curriculum development. Having had a first hand experience of such requirement sI can now see that they did provide a forum to engage with other students at a level that was conducive to team building capacities.
Qing L, Akins, M. (2005). Sixteen myths about Online Teaching and Learning in a Higher Education: do not believe everything you hear. Paper to be published in TechTrend 2005.
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