CONDICIONES TÉCNICAS Y OPERATIVAS PARA LA UTILIZACIÓN DE LOS DISPOSITIVOS

For an OTCL to be useful, it needs to be applicable and relevant to the user. These are the two dimensions related to the usefulness factor. This section discusses these two dimensions.

Applicability

Applicability refers to the need for an OTCL to support the tasks that faculty would be engaged in while using this tool. Participants commented that they would not use an OTCL unless it is applicable to support their needs in teaching. Dr. Smith stated that she typically would not use resources unless she absolutely needs to look for specific information. Similarly, Dr. Campbell wanted information to be provided at the time it could help her. Participants’ need for applicability requires that an OTCL be applicable to professors with various needs in multiple situations. The following sections present faculty perceptions of the audience and situations that an OTCL should support.

Audience of an OTCL

Participants in the study believed that an OTCL could be useful for faculty with different needs. Dr. Davis stated that the tool could be helpful for two types of faculty. It could help someone get started on online teaching or improve the effectiveness of instructors who were already teaching online. Ms. Nelson emphasized the use of the tool for the first type of faculty. She said that, if the instructors are “forced” to teach online and are “terrified by the whole situation,” it would be good for them to have the tool so

that they could see what potential pitfalls may exist, what others have tried and what techniques have worked. Dr. Davis belongs to the second type. He only used Web technologies to post course materials. He believed that this tool could help him expand his teaching from lectures and presentations to group projects and discussions. Similarly, Dr. Randal stated that the tool would be most useful for someone who has some

experience in teaching and who is willing to try new things to improve their teaching. An OTCL should be applicable to both novice and experienced online instructors. Moreover, it should meet the needs of professors who take a proactive or reactive

approach to using resources. For example, as a more reactive type of person, Ms. Nelson stated that she would not use an OTCL unless she runs into a problem. Then, she would be “forced” to use it. When the need for an OTCL does emerge, she would review the relevant information in the tool and then work on her own issue. She would go back and forth many times until she resolves her problems. Dr. Robinson seems to be a more proactive person. Although she stated that she would probably use an OTCL when she bumps into a problem, she tended to browse all the related information thoroughly once she was in the tool. Chapter 6 will provide more details of these two approaches.

Situations for Using an OTCL

Participants identified two major situations in which they would use an OTCL. One is during course design and another is during course delivery. For example, Dr. Robinson said she would use this tool to identify the possibilities for course design, and when she runs into problems during course delivery, the tool would help her “brainstorm solutions,” just like “a person next door.” Likewise, Dr. Smith mentioned that she would use an OTCL at the beginning of the semester while she is putting together her syllabus

and lesson plans. She would also use it when she is modifying lesson plans throughout the semester. Ms. Nelson provided a more detailed description of the two situations. She would review the courses in the tool and design her own course. Then, she would come back to the tool to see the potential pitfalls and revise her course in order to avoid the problems. She would repeat the cycle a couple of times during her course development. During course delivery, if problems come up or things fail to work, she would come back to the tool to see whether she has missed anything.

Relevance

Relevance, a dimension closely related to applicability, means having resources that can be readily adapted and implemented in fulfilling faculty tasks. Dr. Randal said that “usefulness means that I will be able to adapt it to my need,” and “if I start reading something and I don’t see how it can be applied, I really lose interest pretty quickly.” Other professors concurred. Dr. Smith and Dr. Davis emphasized the importance of accessing information on how to implement something in their situations. Dr. Smith stated, “it is one thing to hear what other people have been doing, and some of the things they face, but how you actually transfer that into your course may be something that is beneficial.” Professors’ need for relevant resources requires that an OTCL provide access to multiple types of content. The next section presents faculty perceptions of the relevant resources that they would need in an OTCL.

Relevant Resources in an OTCL

An OTCL was intended to assist professors with pedagogical issues in online teaching. However, many participants liked this tool because they thought it has the potential to serve as a gateway to all the resources relevant to their online teaching. Dr.

Campbell envisioned that the strength of the an OTCL is that it is a “one-stop shop,” where all the information related to online teaching is at one location, which could eliminate the need for faculty to search different tools. Faculty would need resources related to not only pedagogical issues, but also content and technological issues. For example, Dr. Campbell wanted to find out from an OTCL the topics other schools covered in similar courses, the text books they used, and the expectations they had for students so that she could “make sure the students who go through our programs get the same out of the course.” Similarly, Dr. Robinson loved the idea that the tool could support content sharing. She mentioned that she was always sharing syllabi with colleagues throughout the country. In addition, many participants wanted the tool to provide technological assistance to them. This theme will be elaborated in chapters 6 and 7.