Page 253 - Self-Study Report for Institutional Accreditation

Instructional Development Coordinator (IDC), and the Open and Distance Learning Specialist (ODLIS). This multi-layered approach is intended to assist the smooth delivery of the course.
The e-tutor/group facilitator, also a content expert, reports to the CC and together they maintain the standards of the course through agreed best practices established by PDD and current practices in the discipline. The tutor/group facilitator is the learner’s first point of contact for academic-related matters and is responsible for the learning experiences provided to students. The e-tutor/group facilitator’s duties include identifying the learning issues and concepts that require additional explanation/treatment. The e-tutor/group facilitator is expected to address the learning needs of students through the use of different strategies, for example, WhatsApp groups and Skype sessions.
The PDT works with a select group of CC and e-tutors/group facilitators to promote teaching excellence in the online and distance environments. This is achieved by ensuring that facilitators are prepared to teach in a distance-learning environment, equipped with the necessary tools, and supported in the ongoing development of their online teaching practice. The PDT also supports a culture of professional development (continuous learning) among full-time staff and contracted facilitators. The PDT acts as coach and mentor to new CCs during the delivery of their first CC assignment. Other courses, such as new or revised courses, may also be identified for coaching activities even though the CC may be experienced.
An LSS is assigned to each course. The LSS readies the course space for delivery by uploading content, utilising the prescribed template and ensuring that the online course layout is user friendly. The LSS also provides technical support to CCs and e-tutors in the use of the course delivery platform and instructional delivery tools such as the Moodle Wiki, Turnitin, the ePortfolio tool (Mahara), The UWI online library, the main web-conferencing tool Blackboard Collaborate, now Blackboard
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