From 'chalk and talk' to online offerings: keeping pace with technology in e...

an article by by Brett JL Landry, Dinah Payne and M Scott Koger in International Journal of Management in Education Volume 2 Number 3 (2008)

Abstract
The educational system in the USA and around the world is changing as technology changes. Partially as a result of these changes in technology, there are a myriad of reasons for educational institutions of all kinds to offer less "traditional" types of classes: online offerings. The decision to offer online classes rather than the more traditional classes can spring from a number of factors, including professors' and students' time constraints, the participants' physical location and even competition from the growing industry of "online education". The decision of individual schools and professors to offer online classes can be influenced by any or all of these and other reasons. However, the decision to offer online courses by some instructors is easy. Some may have previously participated in online or other forms of distance education classes. Others have participated in Web Enhanced Instruction (WEI) using Blackboard, eCollege or WebCT. But for some instructors, it is a daunting task to go from "chalk and talk" to an online offering. This paper is meant to serve as a template for online course offerings. It will define the basic conceptual building blocks of online offerings. Additionally, this paper outlines the steps needed for the transformation from traditional to online course offerings and the associated issues.