Curriculum
The heart of a distance education program is the curriculum distance learners study to pursue their educational goals
Tips & Resources
The curriculum provides the primary instruction. Most distance students spend far more time interacting with the curriculum than they do with their distance teacher. Matching students with the appropriate instructional materials and ensuring that they have ready access to materials can make the difference between a successful distance learning experience and one of frustration.
Evaluate potential distance learning curricula on a variety of factors. Questions to consider include:
- What are the instructional goals for the distance education program and what curricula match those goals?
- For what level of student is the content appropriate?
- Does the curriculum provide basic instruction or does it simply review material assumed to have been learned elsewhere?
- Is the curriculum comprehensive or will other materials be needed to cover the content area?
- What type of instruction is provided? Do students have sufficient opportunities to apply their knowledge?
- Which media are used to deliver instruction? Will your students be able to easily access and utilize the materials?
Start with one curriculum. Beginning with one curriculum makes it easier to learn how to provide distance education and to identify best practices in teaching at a distance. With experience, you can then select from a variety of curricula to best meet each student's needs.
What Works
North Carolina uses video wrap-around to facilitate distance learners. ESL distance students in North Carolina receive extra help studying Crossroads Café at a distance. At the beginning and end of each episode, a video "wrap-around" appears featuring an ESL instructor. The instructor guides student viewing and points out key elements of the episode to help comprehension.