The conditions which facilitate and challenge online support staff's services for web-based college courses: a case study
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2005
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Abstract
Online support staff workers perfom1 essential services for equipping instructors and students to participate in web-based courses. However, very few studies have either focused exclusively on this staff, or provided excerpts of their own thoughts about their work. This study describes four support staff workers' services for web-based course delivery at a Western Canadian college, and the conditions that support and challenge the staff in their work. The data collection emerged from personal interviews augmented by two observations and a review of relevant college documents. The study revealed that this staff adds extensive value to online course delivery by laying the groundwork for course participants, maintaining a quality learning environment, and preparing for the future of e-leaming. The study further demonstrated that collaboration, support from others, reliable technology and the intrinsic fulfillment of work benefited the staff immensely. Finally, the study revealed that inadequately shared work, uncertainty over funding, performance of sudden and time-consuming tasks, and confusion over boundaries ofresponsibility were challenging to the staffs efforts.
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Bibliography: p. 100-103
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Citation
McCausland, S. R. (2005). The conditions which facilitate and challenge online support staff's services for web-based college courses: a case study (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/14856