WORLDCOMP'07 Tutorial

Every day, more and more instructors are moving into the world of online education. Some do so willingly, others come kicking and screaming. Some come with full support (education, training, resources, release time), others come empty handed. Regardless, simply taking what you do in the classroom, even if you do it well, and moving it online is most likely doomed to failure. Making a successful transition to teaching online doesn’t necessarily require a new set of skills, but it does require some modification to existing skills. This tutorial will explore the similarities and the differences between the conventional classroom and the online classroom, proceeding from an experiential point of view.

This tutorial will:

This tutorial is aimed at those with little or no online teaching experience. A single tutorial session is obviously not going to turn you into an expert. Rather, it will introduce you to the basic terminology, concepts, approaches, and all kinds of things that you should consider as you venture into the world of online education.

Dr. Mike Nelson is the School of Technology Graduate Program Director for International College. He received a B.S. degree with a double major in mathematics and computer science from Southeast Missouri State University, an M.S. in Computer Science from the Florida Institute of Technology, and then received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Central Florida. Dr. Nelson served for four years as a military professor of computer science at the Naval Postgraduate School, and then taught computer science for four years at the University of Texas – Pan American. He has been with International College since 1999, teaching computer information technology and information technology management. He also chairs the Institute for the Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP) C++ Test Council.

He had his arm twisted to teach an online service course (ISM5021, Management Information Systems) for the International College MBA program in the January 2000 term. After agreeing to “give it a try,” he decided that it wasn’t too bad and that he would like to teach another online course “sometime.” His online duties grew rapidly to about half of his teaching load, and he now teaches almost exclusively online.

He has learned much under fire, but has also researched the area along the way. He developed an online course on online education (EDU6120, Theory and Methods of Online Instruction for Adult Learners) that is required of all new faculty members at International College before they can teach online for the college. This course is also being incorporated into the education concentration of the college’s new Master of Professional Studies degree.

Dr. Nelson has over 75 professional publications to his credit. These include technically oriented publications in software development, artificial intelligence, robotics, security, and Mars habitat development. These also include educationally oriented publications in degree program development, incorporating third-party certifications into undergraduate degree programs, and of course online education.

As the School of Technology Graduate Program Director for International College, Dr. Nelson has designed and implemented two graduate degrees. The Master of Science in Computer Information Technology (MCT) program started off with about 40% of the courses available online, and that has now grown to about 70%. The Master of Information Systems Management (MIS) program has been available in an all online format since its inception and will have its third group of graduates in June of this year.

Dr. Michael L. Nelson
School of Technology Graduate Program Director
International College
Ft Myers, FL 33912
239-482-0019, fax: 239-482-1714
mnelson@internationalcollege.edu