Teamwork and Roles

The Team
Providing instruction to students at a distance is not the responsibility of the instructor alone. In the distance education framework, teamwork becomes important in the development and dissemination of instructional materials. Instructional designers, television-production specialists, computer specialists, and other technical support personnel provide expertise in particular areas in which the instructor does not have experience.

As has been mentioned in previous sections, it's best to get assistance when developing a distance education course. Hear Ron Thomas, an IFAS Communication Services instructional designer, describe the various roles that make up a distance education course development team.  Watch Video
Instructor
The first member of the "basic" distance education team is you, the instructor. You are the expert in the subject-matter area, not necessarily an expert in the technology used to deliver instruction. However, it's a good idea for you to understand the workings of the distance education technology used in the course. Such skills will make you more comfortable when you interact with students through the technology. (That's what these training materials are for!)
Dr. Dave Clark had several concerns about teaching a videoconferencing course.  Watch Video

Clark overcame some of his concerns and became comfortable with the technology.  Hear more.

Dr. John Zenger learned the importance of focusing on the content and letting others on the team handle technology concerns.  Watch Video

Dr. Dori Comer discusses how storyboarding helped her develop Web-based modules for her course.  Watch Video
Instructional designer
The distance education instructional designer knows or can find out the distance education resources available in an academic institution, knows how certain technologies and media work, and serves as an intermediary between the instructor and the educational technology specialists. Sometimes the instructional designer is the educational technologist. 
In this video clip, Ron Thomas explains how an instructional designer helps the instructor with course development. Watch Video

Dr. Elaine Turner emphasizes the need for instructional design support  Watch Video

Dr. Dave Clark's advice is, "Don't panic."  Watch Video
Educational technologist
Educational technologists, such as computer specialists and educational television producers, have the production expertise to assist in the development of the program or course. Because of their professional backgrounds, they understand the specific instructional design needs dictated by the requirements of the media.
One way to build camaraderie with team members is to find out what they do. In preparing for a videoconferencing course, Dr. Marshall Breeze suggests taking a backstage tour.  Hear why.

Breeze also suggests getting to know the director for your videoconferencing sessions, which helps make the technology more seamless.  Hear more.
Support staff and site facilitators
These people are the backbone for any successful distance education program. Support staff ensures that the little details are taken care of, so a distance education course can run smoothly and successfully. Staff members handle such tasks as student registration, materials duplication and distribution, securing copyright clearances, facilities scheduling, and textbook ordering. Contact instructional designers in IFAS Communication Services (ICS) to determine the person responsible for ensuring that each of these areas is addressed.

Site facilitators assist the instructor from the various "receive" sites across the state or country. Site facilitators don't necessarily need to be knowledgeable about the subject matter for the class they are facilitating _ but it helps. Instead, they should be able to handle technical problems that may arise at the sites and be well-versed in interactive strategies to involve the students as much as possible in the course activities. Each videoconference site has a site facilitator who sets up the classroom. You also may arrange for someone at a distant site to serve as a co-instructor to answer students' questions off-site. Again, contact the ICS instructional designers for guidance. 



Now that you've learned about the various members who might help develop a distance education course, who will be your team members?

Make a list of the team members on your distance education course. If you're not sure where to start, contact IFAS Communication Services and talk with an instructional designer. (Print a .pdf of this section's questions)
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