Documentation:MECH Online Teaching/ERT
This section defines emergency remote teaching within the context of online and blended courses.
Online learning
Online learning can be broadly defined as “the interaction of a learner with content and/or people via the Internet for the purpose of learning” (Means et al.)
Blended course
A blended course is one where 30-79% of the content is delivered online (Allen and Seaman).
Online course
An online course is one where at least 80% of the content is delivered online (Allen and Seaman). It normally takes 6-9 months to develop one online course, with instructors needing typically 2-3 offerings before becoming comfortable delivering it (Hodges et al.)
Emergency remote teaching
Emergency remote teaching (ERT) is a temporary change to fully online delivery mode for a course that would otherwise be offered in person or using a blended model, with the intention to return to in-person or blended delivery once the circumstances allow (Hodges et al.) The primary objective of ERT is “to provide temporary access to instruction and instructional supports in a manner that is quick to set up and is reliably available during an emergency or crisis” rather than to re-create the system of learner support (instructional, co-curricular and social) that established online programs have built over the years (Hodges et al.) Courses delivered as ERT are meant to be emergency rather than long-term solutions (Hodges et al.)
Emergency remote teaching requires faculty to “take control of the course design, development and implementation process” and consider “delivery modes, methods, and media” (Hodges et al.) These tasks fall primarily on course instructors because the offices that normally support these activities may be operating at or beyond capacity during the disruption (Hodges et al.)
References
Allen, Elaine, and Jeff Seaman. Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States. 2013, https://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/changingcourse.pdf.
Bernard, Robert M., et al. “A Meta-Analysis of Three Types of Interaction Treatments in Distance Education.” Review of Educational Research, vol. 79, no. 3, Sage Publications, Sept. 2009, pp. 1243–89.
Hodges, Charles, et al. “The Difference Between Emergency Remote Teaching and Online Learning.” Educause Review, 2020, https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning.
Means, Barbara, et al. Learning Online. Routledge, 2014.