Asynchronous online teaching - discussion at #EUMETCAL 2014

Hello from sunny Poland!

EUMETCAL 2014 has just started here are some notes from the discussion on asynchronous (online learning).

EUMETSAT (satellite applications training with IMTR in Kenya) and WMO (training of trainers) recently ran online courses that had no component that required everyone to be in the same "event" at the same time (so asynchronous).

I was involved in both of those (and so an not a neutral observer - if that is possible).

EUMETSAT presented their online course for Africa that as run joint with IMTR. It takes parts of a revised version of the ASMET1 COMET module and makes lessons for each section by having tasks for the participants to compete.

We then discussed what it is like for participants and students in this kind of course and what some of things people might take into consideration in running this kind of event.

Some of the things people mentioned during the discussion were:

• Time to develop the materials and get the first course in place will be more than you think, even when you take this into account. 
• Connection with students is different on line, not harder than classroom, just different - it is mediated though all the contact in forums and assignments.
• Just like in a classroom it is important to welcome and orient people at the beginning of the course
• Classroom, synchronous online, asynchronous online - there is no best there is only good instructional choice
• The participants really value the experience particularly being able to work on something real,  around and in their job, over time, and getting good feedback from peers and instructors. 

I am really proud to have been involved in both of these. With hindsight there are many ways they could have been better, but these courses were good. They were good in a significant part because they were designed with participation in mind. 

I think in a lot of discussion were are bumping into many of the ideas expressed in the Edinburgh University Manifesto for Teaching Online (see http://onlineteachingmanifesto.wordpress.com/).  In particular the role of the teacher and what it means to engage with students. 

Pat also noticed that we are also bumping into ideas of instructors presence. Which is an area of interest in the ODL (Online Distance Learning) community. 

And

some of us tweeting from the conference will use the tag #EUMETCAL

And 

Thanks to Team Poland for their work here - it is great!