This seems to be the week for interesting education articles. I’m just discovering an older article Educause published: The Myth about Online Course Development “A Faculty Member Can Individually Develop and Deliver an Effective Online Course.”
Developing and delivering effective online courses requires pedagogy and technology expertise possessed by few faculty. Consider pedagogy, for example. Good pedagogy implies that the instructor can develop targeted learning objectives. Online instruction is more than a series of readings posted to a Web site; it requires deliberate instructional design that hinges on linking learning objectives to specific learning activities and measurable outcomes. Few faculty have had formal education or training in instructional design or learning theory. To expect them to master the instructional design needed to put a well-designed course online is probably unrealistic. A more effective model is to pair a faculty member with an instructional designer so that each brings unique skills to the course-creation process.
The article is by Diana G. Oblinger and Brian L. Hawkins, both from Educause.