I find that I when I answer an email from a student quickly, it makes the student feel comfortable. I also send personal emails through out the semester simply asking how they are doing and provide them with an assessment early on. It takes some work, but it does help with the issue of virtual versus the traditional classroom.

In this module, asynchronous discussions were marked as the preferred method for teaching critical course content. While I understand that more competitive and/or aggressive students are likely to dominate the discussion, I need clarification as to why the asynchronous discussion method is preferred.

I have just started teaching an online that I authored. Another instructor is in the process of implementing the course into Canvas. This is all new for my school, which offers audio production courses, granting OAD. Currently, we're implementing only the general education courses as online offerings. My question to the group is: What sort of unique issues have you encountered (good and bad) to online courses and teaching as compared to "on ground" courses? I realize that this topic may be covered in future modules in this course, but I thought it would be interesting to get other teachers thoughts and experiences.

Can online dependent learners cheat the system and only do the basic minimum to pass the class and not really learn the subject content fully?

As instructors we should never stop evaluating our courses. Our courses must continue to improve and change as information and technology changes. We also need to make changes based on our student population as well as making sure to include the most up to date industry information within our course.

I find the use of rubrics critically important to my students' success. When I am able to provide clear, concise, and consistent feedback to all of my students their level of understanding improves. It also allows them to correct their mistakes and hopefully resubmit for a higher grade.

Communication is key in an online course. I make sure my students know I am available via email, phone, and text. This gives them multiple ways to reach me and allows them to utilize whichever method they are most comfortable with. Many students seem to utilize texting more than any other method. I believe this is so because it allows them a quick individualized answer without phone communication.

Hello I think it is important that each of my courses shows my personality as an instructor. I want my students to feel as if there are no barriers to their learning. It can be so difficult to create that personal connection when teaching an online course. Thankfully we now have so many tools which allow us to do so.

I have found that the key for a good course is simplicity paired with clear and defined learning objectives. Skill specific content is very important as well, however if the class is simply designed and clear about objectives, the content could be interchanged. Has anyone experienced developing courses outside of your specific skill set?

In my online class lecture, I've found a few techniques to engage students in discussion. It can be easy for a student to just log in and look like they are attending the chat without actually engaging the chat. So, I always acknowledge students and greet them by saying their name when they enter the class. I also make sure to call on individuals to answer questions, rather than asking a question to everyone. This controls the responses as well as engages the student at an individual level.

I'll admit I was amused reading the descriptions of both Disruptive and Intimidating student behavior in the online classroom, if only because it supported my personal observations. It was interesting to read precise and somewhat straight-forward assessments of what to expect and how to handle students who exhibit these traits. As a veteran of both online teaching and on-ground teaching, I've seen quite a few of these traits in my classroom.

Many student have the notion that they are being asked to emulate by rote the demos or examples made in the course of a unit. Some see their adherence to this notion as a safety net to asking the wrong question and possibly be penalized for the improper response. Button pushing in the proper order then supersedes the rational behind the enactment of the process. Guidance is performed in setting tasks that lean on their ability to demonstrate the mentality behind the methodology.

A student must feel that your demonstrated qualifications in course content exceed the material provided and that they will through your facilitation learn something 'special' that they would not otherwise be privy to if not in your class. In this sense the instructor must orchestrate their performance in a manner akin to that of a showman.

The issue of instilling an inspiration to consider possible solutions beyond those presented within the context of a single lesson in a strictly asynchronous setting has much to do with the level of engagement of the student in the comfort of his/her own environment. You are a guest in their house presenting yourself through your own style in a manner that the student feels is helping them. The feedback element is pretty much at the discretion of the student and not always easily shared with the instructor as the two are selectively engaged at least from the student's POV.

There is no doubt that in a global based workplace that is subject to constant refinement and overhaul that student's outlooks have to be equally dynamic and adaptive. The technology aspect of industry standard implies an ability to be able to take concepts learned and apply them to new software paradigms.

At one point, I worked for CTB/McGraw-Hill school systems where we created the standardized testing for various states. We utilized the database similar to what was spoken of within this class so far. By having a database that you can pull items from is great, but remember - those items need to be revised and edited and assessed as well on a continuing basis. With all the technologies available, I do believe this is one of the main reasons for needing to assess and re-write some of these template items. Your thoughts?

I'm an IT Professional. I'm an network infrastructure person by day. Tech is just that, infrastructure. It's ubiquitous. The goal is for it to be transparent to the user. For the longest tech promised more than it delivered. However, I believe tech is starting to live up to its billing over the last few years; mobility, the cloud, app dev, and business and financial transactions.

If you do not feel you are getting the support needed from your online facilitator, how would you handle it?

If you notice a student is not understanding how to use technology in the online environment, how do you address it?

Classroom management in the e-learning environment. After reading forum 4 with some online supplements, I realized that the types of students are the same in the e-learning environment as well as the face to face environment. However, managing these students in the online environment is different. Despite the academic institution policy governing disruptive student, the new norm in the classroom is to minimize the attrition rate. The new norm pits the online instructor between the “rock and the hard place.” In the for-profit institution, dismissing a student is really the last resort. Regardless of the type of student –noisy, disruptive, quiet, independent- in the classroom, the instructor has to learn to facilitate each of them.