An Investigation of Design Constraints in the Process of Converting Face-to-face course into Online Course

ABSTRACT

Due to the spread of COVID-19, universities have postponed opening of classes and decided to provide online courses instead of face-to-face course to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Many professors are asked to convert their existing face-to-face courses to into online courses. There has been a demand for converting face-to-face courses to into online courses. In the process, professors are voicing the difficulty of converting courses. Despite the ever-increasing demand for converting face-to-face course into online course, it is hard to find a study that explored course format change. The purpose of this study is to identify design constraints that professors face in the process of converting existing face-to-face courses to online. This study chose a case study as a methodology and the subjects of the study are four professors who have experience converting face-to-face courses into online. Professor interviews and course materials were collected as data and analyzed using comparative analysis methods. As a result of study, the identified design constraints are 1) the necessity to redesign the course structure, 2) the nonconformity of existing teaching strategies, 3) the low level of online learning readiness of professors and learners, 4) the limited understanding and support of universities for online courses, and 5) the difficulty of designing out of class activities. Designing online courses is a much more complex design activity than simply adding new communication tool to existing face-to-face course. This study proposes the role of a university and a professor for a successful course format change.