When technology bites back: A case report describing an instructor's experience with online teaching

Journal of Physical Therapy Education, Spring 2003 by Hayward, Lorna M

This method [discussion thread] of communication is working better for me, and I feel that it is helping me to see how others view the article. It helps me to better analyze the articles we discuss in the small groups and recitation. I do feel that even with only one thread being posted that there was some redundancy, but with such a small succinct article, that it is hard to expect everyone to come up with completely original ideas. However, there are many people that do find new angles to look at, and these are always interesting. (Student reflection 10/12/01)

DISCUSSION

Although I was an experienced instructor, this was my first time teaching PTII1405 in a Web-assisted format. As a result, I was initially unprepared for the types of problems that disrupt online instruction and how to effectively manage student expectations. Saphier and Gower described how skilled teachers "anticipate trouble spots-incidents that will break momentum"31(p39) during instruction and step in before things go awry. They stated that anticipation skills require teachers to problem solve and sometimes react "spontaneously and intuitively" to deal with obstacles and subsequently manage classroom activities.31(p39) for me, the infrastructure problems and resultant student reactions were reminiscent of the chaos accompanying a first-year teaching experience. Unfortunately, first-year instructors operate in the survival mode and are often incapable of focusing on student learning. For me, even when elements in the classroom went unexpectedly awry, unlike a first-year teacher, a major concern was how to quickly manage the situation and refocus my energy on student learning needs and outcomes.15

Researchers in medical education maintain that learning from experience requires reflection to modify thinking and improve teaching.32'33 The "cycle of reflective practice" afforded me with a systematic mechanism for reflecting on and problem solving about the difficulties I experienced while teaching ITH1405 (Figure).24(p31) The infrastructure failure was the "incident" or catalyst for initiating the reflective process. Gathering data from students and peers at multiple points during the term provided me with a system for thinking about an incident, problem solving a solution, effectuating the change, and then examining the impact of that change. The cycle of reflective practice worked like a summative evaluation process to illustrate where iterative adjustments could be made to a course in action.

The data revealed that infrastructure problems required extra time for students to complete online assignments and retrieve course materials. When the system failed, the workload for both the student and the instructor was magnified. In addition, due to lack of experience, I overestimated the number and type of assignments that may have been appropriate for an online learning situation. Upon reflection, I decided to remedy the problem by reducing the number of online assignments required. Technical problems and system downtime should be expected with online learning.13 Therefore, it may be useful to limit the number of online requirements assigned during the first run of a Web-assisted course.