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Educator's Voice

Volume 5, Issue 5
May 12, 2004

Too Many Choices?

It is commonly thought that having a lot of choices about things -- e.g., about what you can do in creating an online course -- is a good thing. But, after a half-dozen years of helping instructors think about and create online courses, I find that this is not necessarily the case.

As was recently pointed out in a fascinating book that I have been reading, "The Paradox of Choice," by Swarthmore professor Barry Schwartz (2004), if one has an overload of choices, it can paradoxically produce a great deal of doubt and indecision. It may lead to excessively high expectations -- particularly if you are prone to think that limitless choices "ought" to make "perfect" choices possible. It can also foster a lot of self-blame for any and all failures. When you have many choices, you can easily get caught up with excessive concerns about the opportunity costs in making a particular choice -- and not making one of the many alternative choices. This can be compounded by worry about anticipated regrets about not having chosen "wisely." Furthermore, this sort of apprehension can be exacerbated by the awareness of, and reference to, what some of one's colleagues might be doing/have done with their choices. In sum, having lots of choices can lead to more stress and psychic pain than may be typically appreciated or be worth.

Let me be clear. I do think that offering a wide range of options for a population of users/instructors who have a wide range of wants, needs and abilities is generally positive. However, some attention needs to be given to the messages and expectations that develop amongst or are provided to many instructors who may readily become overwhelmed by the choices offered to them. It seems crucial that those new to developing and teaching online know that:

• It's okay to think small. You do not have to take advantage of every tool and every feature that's available. You can choose to use just a few of the basics in getting started. Many instructors begin with a good reading list, some lecture notes, threaded discussions, and a Webliography^SM. Images, PowerPoint slide shows, and online assessments often come later. Multimedia arrives even later.
• You can also think developmentally. Allow yourself to get started gradually in the environment, to learn and use more features and tools over time. Know that with experience you will come to appreciate and adapt to the differences between face-to-face and online environments more fully.
• Perfectionism can creep in very easily. Aim for a "reasonably good job" and know that you will continue to get better with practice. Keep in mind that the pursuit of perfection will more often than not undermine the building of online developing and teaching skills, not to mention the sustained effort and satisfaction with these new endeavors.
• Be grateful for the little things. As you observe what goes on in the online environment, it's worth taking the time, regularly, to appreciate some important aspects. Many online students are getting access to life-changing educational experiences that they did not have before. Some less assertive students are having the opportunity to express themselves like never before. You are perhaps relating to some students more deeply than you ever anticipated.
• Watch out for social comparisons. It helps to look at others' work to get a feel for future directions to go in; however, somehow trying to grade yourself based on comparisons to their performance is not likely to help you out. Like learning to walk or read or ride a bike or almost anything else really important, if you "keep pluggin" you will become more proficient -- without a doubt!
• Keep your expectations in check. When it comes to choices, set limits, arbitrary though it might be, on the number of options you are considering and the time you are investing in making your decisions. In all probability, you'll come up with a reasonable selection. And the sky will not fall. Honestly!

Finally, if you find yourself getting frustrated and/or "stuck," we encourage you to look into our "iSupport" service, e-mail and phone support that is available to faculty. If you have questions about this, please contact iSupport@eCollege.com.

       --Edward H. Ladon, Ph.D.

TIP

Picture Yourself Using HTML -- A Little Goes a Long Way

Here is an explanation of each "attribute" within an HTML "image tag." By adding attribute within your image tag, you can change the wrapping of your text. This will change the look and feel of your course tremendously. Give it a try!

To add an image (let's say a "finance chart") to a Content Item in your course, you simply click on the image (the little picture) icon in the Visual Editor toolbar, and then choose your image from the File Manager (images will be in the File Manager if you've already uploaded them to your course). The HTML code in the background will look something like this:

<IMG alt=Finance Chart src="/ec/Courses/CRS-eFX793-1257645/finance_ chart.gif" >

Here's the breakdown of each "attribute" within this "image tag":

"<IMG"

- This tells the browser you are adding an image. Notice the ">" at the end of the string of code above. This "closes" or "ends" the image tag.

"alt=Finance Chart"

- This is an alternative description of your image that can inform visually impaired students who can't see the image.

"src="/ec/Courses/CRS-eFX793-1257645/"

- This provides the browser with a path for finding your source (the source in this case is your image, which resides in the File Manager).

"finance_ chart.gif"

- This is the name of your image.

Note: Most of this is done for you by the Visual Editor. Now you know what it means. But, here is the empowering part. "Attributes" within the "image tag" will change the wrapping of your text and, consequently, the entire layout of your page.

Take the original image tag:

<IMG alt=Finance Chart src="/ec/Courses/CRS-eFX793-1257645/finance_ chart.gif" >

And make it look like this by adding more attribute tags:

<IMG alt=Finance Chart hspace=10 src="/ec/Courses/CRS-eFX793-1257645/finance_ chart.gif" align=left vspace=10>

Aligning left will cause the text to start at the right of and at the top of the image. You can also align the image to the right of your text or in the center of the screen.

align=left
align=right
align=center

The spacer attribute tags will add invisible space (padding) around your image. (I always add at least 10 pixels around my images.)

hspace=10 (horizontal spacing)
vspace=10 (vertical spacing)

The great part of Web-based publishing is that you, too, can be a graphic designer. Instructional Designers will refer to these graphic design techniques as ways of increasing "readability" or "usability" of a course -- techniques that can make all the difference for a student who is navigating your content.

       --Steve Bordonaro, M.Ed.