The Impact of Open Source

Chinese Studies: Video Lectures with Harvard Faculty - China: Traditions and Transformations
URL: http://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative/china-history

Does the course appear to be carefully pre-planned and designed for a distance learning environment? How so?
The Chinese Studies: Video Lectures with Harvard Faculty; China: Traditions and Transformations was very overwhelming for me. I believe that this course lacked planning for delivery in a distance-learning environment. From the beginning, the technology, which should have been used, was not present. In the first video, there was a problem with the DVD, which leads me to believe that it was developed for a face-to-face setting rather than online. The slides presented as resources were very poorly designed. They were plain and boring. They were not enticing or pleasing to the eye. This type of resource does not motivate the audience but rather loses the audience. There were too many pictures. The speaker was not engaging during the lesson. It seem that this course was a face to face course that was dumped onto the Web (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012).

 Does the course follow the recommendations for online instruction as listed in your course textbook?
I believe it did not. According to Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek (2012), it is important that designers “organize the course and make the organization and requirements clear to student” (p. 134). I feel this course lacked organization and focus. Not only the course but also the facilitator. The courses; however, was presented online, therefore, some of the recommendations were followed but he course was not designed for online learning.

Did the course designer implement course activities that maximize active learning for the students? Be sure to state which Open Course you selected and provide the URL.
According to Dr. George Piskurich (2012), part of the designing stage for the course, is to figure out how you are going to teach the course and what activities will be implemented based on the objectives of the program. I believe this course was not designed as such. There were several samples/stories shared by the presenter while delivering the content and there were slides included as supporting content for the course; however, the course was boring and lengthy and it lacked activities to engage the learner in the course. The delivery via online required for the learner to have access and the knowledge to use the internet; therefore, some consideration was given to technology.

References
Harvard Extension School. (2012-13). Chinese Studies: Video Lectures with Harvard Faculty - China: Traditions and Transformations. Retrieved October 4, 2012, from: http://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative/china-history

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and Learning at a Distance; Foundations of Distance Education (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.