WP: Professor starts class late, doesn't show up, or answer cell phone.
Solution: Contingency plan! An instructor and/or process in place to have some faculty member ready to take over. This could even be an existing instructor with expertise in similar subject matter.

WP: The students receive the syllabus at the beginning of the course. As is is set up, students order the textbook through the bookstore. The bookstore did not order enough and students will not receive the books for 2 weeks. The course is 8 weeks long. What do you do?
Solution: Electronic copy of the textbook from the publisher

WP: New edition of text comes out and students can no longer get the one the course was written to.
Solution: Maybe publisher can provide online copy of new one.

WP: Low or over enrollment impacts ability to perform activities, i.e., group work without enough students
Solution: For low enrollment, minimum enrollment specified at registration; for high enrollment, set up second section, hire additional faculty or do overlaod.

WP: IT down frequently enough to cause the student to lose confidence in the course.
Solution: IT must be accountable for what they contracted for; go to a higher level;contract IT support


WP-Support issues for students if your organization has limited tech support services (business hours only).
- our own idea: contract out IT support for all studnets
- input: adjust due dates (always during business hours); use automated testin quizzes, etc.

WP-Too many students for course
- create other sections facilitated when possible by another instructor



WP-Midway through the course, the administration receives numerous complaints from students about an online course.
A-Talk to instructor about complaints (anonymous)...evaluate course...develop remedial plan...develop consequences be a guest in thecourse and recommend.

WP-Difficulty when one instructor developed the course (in their style) and then other instructors are brought in to instruct? New instructors do not understand or agree with or like the course. There is little time or resources to change course.
A-Build in flexibility into template; project options within template; allow for personalizattion.

WP-The instructor has develpon an online course and in the middle of the semester he has a medical problem that won't allow him to finish teh semester. Dept. must come in a finish semester with instructor unfamiliar with course.
A-The only option: find another qualified instructor; transfer students to another secion; handle just like on-ground.

WP-How do you ensure that an on-ground course of 3 units (say 45 student hours) translates to an equal amount of student hours when presented online?
A-Track course statistics? - or - just be accountable for achieving the learning objectives.




1. Instructors who "want to do it themselves." They think what they have is already perfect when in reality, it is terribly deficient. This is made more detrimental for students when the departmental leader also has the same mindset - no knowledge of good instructional design, but they have been teaching in the face-to-face classroom for many years and think that anything they put online is exemplary.

2. Giving exams online without the need for proctors. How do I know who's taking the exam? Requiring students to report to exam centers defeats the 100% online nature of the course.

-decrease the value of exams; set fixed completion times to decrease opportunity for cheating; increase value of assignments

3. Building the team for on-line instructional design

-skills and experience inventory for consideration by manager or project manager
- provide institutional support, appropriate budget

4. I use Voicethread for collaborate, visual online discussions. I struggle with facilitating these discussions, that is, how to "train and coach" students to create a successful dialogue that builds off earlier comments and contributes unique ideas.
5. Want to use class for data collection but also need to have a "quiz" where criteria for only one (or more) question are graded while others are ignored. Confusing? - Yes


6. Having students work in groups for projects.
- and how do you asses participation

7. Interactive health content - functioning of a heart. Also how to include graphics in automatic testing facilities such as in Blackboard
8. Designing a program that requires students to actually read and learn assignments without seeming like programmed instruction.

- for part of the grade communicate to instructor/peer/or/discussion students understanding of assignment requirements or perhaps the resources they will use to complete assignment

9. How do you design a quality course online out of an existing course, when the f2f course model was essentially a "talking head"? The question constantly arises, when you mimic the f2f classroom, are you trying to put a square peg in a round hole? Is it ever wise to try to teach the same way online?

In F2F instructor may intuitively follow good Instructional design. May need to bring ID structure to the forefront to develop successful course

10. Annual, mandatory online form with open-ended questions that won't allow us to grade en masse (because the questions are open-ended).
11. Open-ended math problems where students are able to show their work/problem-solving processes
12. Making on-line courses interactive using hands-on types of application activities
13. Interactive approaches, online team building
14. Media Studies is highly hands-on, equipment-based learning. How could you make a student feel comfortable with the technology on-line?
15. Getting faculty to recognize that teaching online is more than repackaging on ground lecture material.

- Ask instructor to take a good online course before instructing. We ask new instructors to take an online course on course development

16. Balancing the faculty's interest in academic freedom with the University's interest in consistency across sections of online courses

- Create space & time in the course for creativity and emergent curriculum

17. Keeping the interest of game-oriented learners (who are now our youngest professionals) interested in course content that is constrained by a linear course design.

- I f you have an ID team - create games
- virtual interatction/environment - 2nd Life

18. Discussion Board usage in quantitative courses.
19. How do you deal with excuse-makers? Chronic procrastinators?
20. Managing classes that have a large number of students?
21. Faculty member who does not want to spend a satisfactory amount of time reading/contributing to the discussion threads?