Developing an interactive online demonstration course to inform and encourage potential learners in choosing an online course of study.

摘要

This project chronicles the imagining, inventing, designing and implementing of a two-week Internet-based course, created to provide novice online learners with the experience of participating in an online course. For two weeks in May, 2005, six learners gathered in one place on the World Wide Web and helped the researcher envision a broader picture of what online education can offer novice learners, who may not know what sort of coursework is available online, how to access online learning and the questions to ask to find their own answers.; This project investigates the questions and concerns potential online learners have prior to investigating or beginning an online learning experience. Three main themes emerged from this project---instructional design, learner motivation and course expectations. These themes are discussed in detail and the implications of these themes on the design of online courses and programs are considered.