Taking Sociology online

Boosting teacher presence and student engagement through rich media

Abstract

This poster reports an initiative to redesign the teaching of Sociology for the digital age. In 2009, the core of Massey University's Sociology undergraduate major was redesigned to renew the curriculum, clarify student pathways and exploit new digital technology to improve the experience of distance learners. Major goals were to create an engaging and personalised learning environment and to utilise the expertise of a team of staff to broaden the scope and choice of student study. Teacher presence was prioritized as a key element in achieving these goals. The poster reports some of the decisions that led to the design and implementation of extensive rich media materials in efforts to provide a more immediate teacher presence. Qualitative and quantitative student responses to the redesign were gathered via an online survey and these data are helping to inform the delivery and standard for further work that will be ongoing for some years to come.