Years ago, when I did my Bachelors of Computer Science, I was with a group of people that (putting it nicely, myself included) have "God" complexes. We were working in the field already and we believe we had the "Real World" ways of doing it. Many of the talks were dominated by this group. There was a small group that rarely got a chance to speak. Did they learn, maybe? But some always had a problem speaking out. They were afraid they were going to get trampled, but some actually said they liked see us debate. Not a very good learning experience for some of these students. In what category do you think you would fall under? Why?

A syllabus is important for any class because it allows the students to navigate easily through the course. Also knowing what they will be learning ahead of time helps them be more prepared and organized for the course. For online learning I think that emails, discussion boards and the web are effective learning tools.

In an online class the course framework is important because it navigates students through the course and provides ease in understanding the course objective. Creating a course-module template helps instructors to be more organized and deliver course content to the students more efficiently.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE AN APPROPRIATE TOOLS? Choosing the appropriate technology tool can make the difference. It is essential that the instructor provides students with the technology requirements for the course bacuase it will be easier for the student to learn if they could see what will be the outcome of the subject, especially if the type of the student you have is visual learner.

To engage students, the following facilitation skills are needed: Questioning, listening, feedback skills, provision of direaction and support, and motivation.

As a program manager, the online instructor is responsible for the organizational, procedural, and administrative duties of the course. These responsibilities include designing the content and then guiding students through the content.

When designing instructional units, one should ensure that (1) each instructional article supports the learning objectives or goals of the course (2) get the learner's attention immediately by clearly making the topic relevant to something important.

Synchronous learning involves student engagement and the motivation of learners,while asynchronous learning occurs over time, in which the instructor and students do not interact at the same time.

This is only my second 5 week term teaching online. I am looking for any and all advice regarding online teaching. I have recently discovered several students plagiarizing their work from Wikipedia. I gave a warning and requested that they re-write the information in their own words. This did not go over well with more than half the students. I actually had one student refuse to re-write their work. I know the schools plagiarism policy. However, I don’t want to loose the interest or trust from the students. Any words of advice would be greatly appreciated.

The responsibilities are the same. The instructor is responsible for teaching, and the students are responsible for learning. However, the differences in the settings create great differences in the interactions that occur for a great teaching/learning environment. The participants in online education do not benefit from face-to-face communication, which often permits quicker communication of course objectives, policies, and practices. Instead, the communication depends mostly on written communication through posted information, email, and discussions. Resolution of communications issues may be more difficult, and in some cases, communications issues may not be apparent or resolvable in the online environment. Chuck

Ask him/her what they see that would be more appropriate or what would serve them better. If it is reasonable let them do that.

I would try to get the student to take "little steps" in an effort to build confidence. Depending on the context of the discussion and even the course, I would try to get the student to post something that I know that he or she already understands. In this way, the student then feels that they made a positive contribution to the community. In addition, I would also try to have a private conversation with the learner; reassuring him/her that I will be there for support and mentor-ship throughout the course. I would want the student to know that he or she is not along. We are a team and together, we can get you to learn the material and succeed in the course.

These are two thought provoking scenarios. In scenario one, I would first point out the areas where I agree with Mike's assessment. I would offer specific examples of agreement and praise him for the work. I would then point out areas where I disagree. I would invite him to consider a different point of view and be firm in the feedback. I would not use challenging or disrespectful language that might damage his self-image. In scenario two, I would thank Kathy for her candid assessment and praise her for the self-appraisal. I would give her constructive feedback. I would ask her how she might improve her performance in the future. I would seek to build her confidence through my feedback. In summary, I want to provide feedback to Mike that he will accept without damaging his positive opinion of his performance. I want to provide feedback to Kathy that will build self-confidence that she can perform at higher levels. Chuck

I love to challenge and stretch students ability to participate in the learning process. I will continue to do that through the unline process.

I disagree. I think as an online instructor you need to make an effort to reach out to the student. They may not accept your offer to help in the beginning, but I think with persistance and showing that your assistance is sincere and beneficial to them, that may make a difference.

I disagree that online learning will replace traditional classroom delivery. I do believe that online learning will continue to grow, especially as educators and students become more familiar with and adept at using new technologies. However, I believe (and hope) that there will always be a place and need for traditional classroom delivery. I think that there is room for both and a need for both and that they can work together rather than be opposed to one another.

I have always counted of seeing the facial expression of students and their body language as the class unfolds. I think that it might be a little challenging not to have that. I will have to learn new ways.

what is expected of the student throughout the semester.

15-17 would be the optimal student/instructor ratio. In an online format, discussion is essential to both the cultivation of new ideas, but also, the internalization of the information just learned. 15-17 students would allow for the right amount of response opportunities, as well as, a wealth of different perspectives. As an instructor, having 15-17 students would provide the opportunity to receive substantive posts most of the time, and posts that indicate that the student has browsed some of the other view points by other students at other times.

Should an instructor be allowed to create his or her own individual syllabus for an online course or be required to use a course syllabus builder created by grating institution agency? In my opinion, I believe that I would prefer to use the course syllabus builder because it allows for fewer mistakes and has been edited and approved by the university's administration. This will allow the instructor to concentrate on facilitating and managing the course and its students.