By Cassandra Hendry
When business professor Jacques Maurice recorded his first ‘virtual’ lecture in 1999, students in his Certified Management Accountants of Ontario class would open their actual mailboxes every week and pull out . . . a VHS tape.
“It was crazy. But you have to understand that technology has changed so much. That was the peak of technology back then,” he says.
Since then, his recorded lectures have transformed into mailed-out DVDs and finally to streaming video, where Maurice can teach his Carleton students without ever stepping foot in a lecture hall.
His own personal recording studio in his home comes loaded with gear. A video camera, microphone, professional lighting and a camera to capture documents he’s working with make up Maurice’s virtual lecture hall.
For his online business courses, he’ll record himself speaking and put that video in a small corner of the screen, with a large PowerPoint showing the current topic simultaneously.
“It’s a massive amount of time. It’s scary how much time you have to put in at the beginning. But then the payoff comes later on as the course progresses,” Maurice says.
That payoff comes twofold for Maurice: he’s able to teach anywhere as long as he has a strong Internet connection, while his students reap the benefits as well.
He says students can learn from the comfort of their own spaces, which works well for the 10 students currently outside of Ottawa taking his course, including some in Japan. They’re also able to focus more clearly on the material by pausing when they’re tired or rewinding if they don’t understand a term.
“That’s the kind of thing you can’t do in class,” he says.
For those who want more direct contact with their professor, Maurice holds a virtual tutorial every week, where he goes over accounting problems with his students tuning in from around the world.
Currently, Maurice says he’s getting the best results ever since moving his Carleton classes online two years ago. Each class comes with tweaks and changes, but he predicts by January he’ll be exactly where he wants to be.
Maurice says he hopes more professors embrace the changing technologies and join him online. Though not every class can be formatted for a virtual experience, he says, there are a lot that can be.
“The momentum hasn’t occurred yet. I’m still the only one in this faculty who is teaching online. But maybe one day.”
Instructors who are interested in online teaching can take advantage of the EDC’s Certificate in Blended and Online Teaching. The 10-session program will give participants the chance to develop a manageable plan for designing an online course and create an online module for an upcoming course.
Registration for the Fall 2014 cohort is now open. Get more information and book your spot here.