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Volume 3 Issue 7July/August 1999

A Team Approach to Developing Online Courses:
Anne Arundel Community College's Online Academy

Mary Wells,
Director of AVCom and Distance Learning
Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, Maryland

Paul Warner,
Instructional Technologist

Stephen Steele,
Professor of Sociology

The Online Academy at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) is not a place, but a vehicle—a way to access the teaching and learning potential of the information superhighway. The Academy was established in spring 1998 to foster the creative development of online courses by using a team approach. The first Academy class represents a cross section of faculty who have a great deal of teaching experience, some computer experience, and a lot of enthusiasm for expanding current concepts of how we teach and learn.

During spring and summer of 1998, we developed courses in topics such as chemistry, nutrition, introduction to computers, programming in C++, geography, and introduction to literature.

How the Team Works
Since developing online courses is a relatively new undertaking (not just at AACC, but throughout higher education), the idea of a team approach makes sense: We can combine our expertise, creative ideas, and computer experience to create products as a team that might not be possible if we work in isolation. The Academy brings together the Webmaster, the Faculty Resource Center, Media Production Services, the resources of the Distance Learning Center, and faculty advisors.

Our activities have included learning about Front Page 98 and WebCT, reviewing existing online courses, and sharing Internet sites about teaching and learning. We have also consulted various vendors who are creating products for delivering online instruction and with colleagues at other community colleges.

Through this process, the Academy's faculty advisors received valuable feedback on the kinds of instructional and technical support needed to efficiently adapt courses to an online format. We became confident that our process for converting traditional lecture classes to online classes has resulted in academically rigorous interactive online courses.

Online Academy Workbook Available
We now have an Online Academy Workbook available to faculty. They can download a flow diagram from the workbook that takes them through each step of developing an online course. (See the Academy Web site at www.aacc.cc.md.us/ola/)

The workbook encourages instructors to consider how the online course will compare with classroom instruction and to identify major elements in their traditional course. In the next step, a grid takes them through three levels of learning: what a student should know, how an instructor wants students to apply that knowledge, and how students will use the knowledge to create some new knowledge product or experience. For every traditional element of classroom instruction, there is an accompanying online resource or several alternatives.

Building the Elements of the Course
Once an instructor identifies the various elements of his or her course material, it is time to convert the elements to distance learning media. Our instructors create a communication system with their online students using a combination of methods including video, electronic and live field trips, fax, email, voice mail, the U.S. Postal Service, and face-to-face interaction.

Finally, each instructor builds the course using software he or she is comfortable working with, then shows the course to colleagues, informal student groups, and others to gather feedback; and then offers the course.

Online Enrollments Doubled
We are extremely pleased with the results. In fall 1998, we had 197 online students compared with 93 in the spring. And our online credit course offerings are doubling each semester. This spring we offered 28 different online courses, covering 11 topics ranging from computer technology to math and sociology. Some of our telecourses now offer an online component, and students correspond with their instructor through e-mail and computer chat sessions.

We think the option of online education will continue to be an attractive one for our students, and expect our Online Academy to continue its vital role in helping faculty make more and more online courses available to our distance learning students.