Experiences In Teaching An Online Course In Information Technology

Virginia Tech initiated a Master of Information Technology degree program in Fall 1998 and began online delivery of the program in Fall 2000.One of the first of three online courses offered in Fall 2000 was "Fundamentals of Computer Systems" which was developed and taught by the authors of this paper.The online version of the course was offered on a standard semester schedule and had due dates approximately every week, but was otherwise asynchronous.The initial and ongoing development and management of the course follows a model that is different than the traditional single-faculty instructor course model.There are five roles in this model: (1) course developers or content experts, (2) instructional designers, (2) course supervisor or "instructor of record," (3) distance learning instructors, and (5) technical support personnel.In this paper, the authors share their experiences as course developers, course supervisor, and learning leaders for the "Fundamentals of Computer Systems" course.The paper discusses the course objectives, course design and delivery mechanisms, teaching and learning experiences, and "lessons learned" from the first offering of the course. I. IntroductionTo address workforce needs and to meet the growing demand for advanced course work in information technology (IT), Virginia Tech began a Master of Information Technology (MIT) degree and certificate program in 1998.1,2 The program is unique, at least for our university, in several key features.• This single degree program is offered jointly by five departments in three colleges, specifically the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering, the Department of Computer Science in the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Department of Accounting and Information Systems, the Department of Management Science and Information Technology and the Department of Management in the Pamplin College of Business.Representatives from these departments are members of a steering committee that sets policy, monitors course offerings, makes admission decisions, etc.• The program format is modular.Students are required to complete 30 semester hours of course work, including four common foundation courses and three two-course modules in specialization areas such as networking, software development, and business information systems.As shown in Figure 1, one of the foundation courses is "Fundamentals of Computer Systems," which is the subject of this paper.