Coordination and Teacher Development in an Online Learning Environment

Authors

  • Pauline Ernest Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
  • Joseph Hopkins Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v23i3.551-568

Keywords:

Asynchronous Online Learning, Coordination, Distance-learning Development, English for Special Purposes, Teacher

Abstract

This paper shares some of the experiences in online coordination and teacher development which have emerged in the English Language Department at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. The advantages and disadvantages of coordination in an asynchronous computer-mediated environment form the backdrop to those issues which we consider to be vital, both for the success of online language courses and in the training and support of online instructors. Among the issues discussed are the course coordinators' role in developing awareness of the specific needs of the online learner, encouraging teacher reflection and the construction of knowledge on new pedagogical approaches inherent in online learning, and promoting a sense of community among online teachers. Specific examples of coordinating activities developed within the English Department will be examined, such as face-to-face meetings, training of new teachers, reference documents for teachers, coordinators' feedback on teachers' work in the classroom, and online discussions of pedagogical issues. These all play their part in helping educators to deliver online courses "to learn from the experience of others and to encourage and evaluate educational innovation" (Gooley & Lockwood, 2001, p. 12).

Author Biographies

  • Pauline Ernest, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

    Pauline Ernest is coordinator of English at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. She has been involved in teaching for 30 years and has worked in countries such as the UK, Cuba, Mexico, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. She has been a TEFL teacher at the Escola d’Idiomes Moderns (Universitat de Barcelona) and also Director of Studies at a trilingual school in Barcelona, where she coordinated the English language and literature programs from the primary to secondary level. At present, her interests include e-learning, teacher development and classroom management, poetry translation, and the development of strategies for incorporating literary texts into the language classroom.

  • Joseph Hopkins, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

    Joseph Hopkins is a coordinator of the English language program at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. He has been involved in language teaching for over 15 years, both in the US and Spain. His main interests are in language teaching management, curriculum development, the use of asynchronous computer-mediated communication in language learning, and web-based language learning in general.

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Published

2013-01-14

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 3 (2006)

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Ernest, P., & Hopkins, J. (2013). Coordination and Teacher Development in an Online Learning Environment. CALICO Journal, 23(3), 551-568. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v23i3.551-568