I think it's important to reach out. You need to make your presence well known in an online classroom and you can do this by providing customized feedback in the gradebook, in-depth discussion replies to students that further the discussion, and even encouraging emails (without emailing any sensitive or confidential data). Sometimes my students will get 100% on a quiz, and I'll shoot a quick email - "Great job on the Week 3 quiz - your efforts were noticed!!" Something as simply as that has yielded positive comments from students. Of course, within the quiz itself or gradebook, there should be more detailed feedback about ways to improve and areas that were done well. In addition to using the students name and specifically address points earned/deducted (instead of generic responses), I also try to use the 'sandwich' approach in the feedback. The 'sandwich' approach is to praise something done well, then critique an area (if needed), and end with more praise...

Having used rubrics that are issued and used in each marking period I agree that they must be presented well. A student can have seen the same rubric all marking period and still not understand how they earned the grade issued.

I am currently using Sakai as the online course template and the resources tool is a perfect opportunity to create an object database.

Here's a sample of my bio that I share with my students. What do you think? Can others share theirs as well? Allow me to introduce myself! Hey Gang… For those of you who don’t know me…my name is Kimberly Langer (please call me Kim) and I am your instructor for the duration of the course. Believe it or not, this is not all I do. I also have a full-time job where I am the Director of a group that does product development based on the coding policies that are published in the HIM industry (my job is a perfect example of how broad the opportunities that come with a billing and coding background can be). I enjoy it very much – it also helps me provide valuable information to you in the classroom related to current industry topics. My educational background includes an AAS in Health Information Technology, a BS in Community Health Education and an MS in Health Information Management. In my spare time I really enjoy spending time playing or watching any sport…, hanging out with my friends, reading, watching movies and relaxing with my three pets (2 cats, Annie and Billie; 1 dog Bingo). I am an open book so if you would like to know anything else please do not hesitate to ask. Have a wonderful day! Kim

I cannot stress enough just how valuable synchronous teaching is. I have been teaching online for almost 9 years now for several institutions, and only one uses synchronous components. While they are all good schools, the one with synchronous chat/lecture time is the one that students seem to stay most connected to from an undergrad perspective. Grad students tend to stay on target regardless, but undgrad students gain more value and stay enrolled more with this functionality in place.

One way to engage students in discussion forums is to provide resources that tie the topic to current events, this way students have a more visual representation of the topic.

As an instructor it is important to establish your presence in the course and welcome calls are a great way to start!

When you have a course that was pre-made and given to you, how do you go about amending the course content if you deem it to be necessary?

What have you found to be the most challenging aspect of being an online facilitator and what did you do to overcome these challenges?

Do you find it helpful to change your teaching pattern based on the type of students you have in a particular class?

I have used an amazing Web 2.0 tool that I find is really great. I would love to share this with everyone. It is a Web Quiz that I use as a pre-learning activity. The Web Quiz is self correcting similar to the way that these quizzes are in this unit. I have students take the quiz and they can take it as many times as they wish. They then submit a screen shot of their final quiz grade and receive this grade in the gradebook. I utilize this as a way of making sure students have essential background information for the unit. It also works well as an engagement piece. I use http://www.webwinder.com/quiz/index.php and make sure I use "multiple choice with references". I have also used this when developing integrated literacy based units for school districts.

I would love to see any examples of engaging, pertinent initial posts that you folks have used to motivate and engage students in a discussion. I love to see the creativity that many instructors have and try to use some of that creativity in my instruction.

Which of the tools of technology have you found to be the most helpful for you and your students?

I am interested to see what are some techniques and strategies you have used to differentiate instruction in an on-line environment. It is always great to see what creative techniques different instructors have used.

I have often used tech tools as a motivator to engage students in discussions and creating products that have students defending a position or striving to prove their case or point. I have done this with even students in traditional classrooms as this works well with the new Common Core Standards where students are expected to utilize content and reference content in their writing. I am interested in some of the ways that other instructors have used tech tools in a virtual environment to create student engagement and have students create authentic literacy based products.

Appropriate communication in a respectable manner leads to continuous communication with the students and Instructors.

I recently had a student who sent me inappropriate emails as well as posted some incorrect information on the discussion board. I reached out to him through email. Over the course of a week and several emails, I was able for him to see that his conduct was unprofessional and unproductive. In the end, he actually apologized to me and thanked me for being a member of my course. - Doc Wibbeke

Hello, I have started researching how to include a video welcome along with a printed welcome to all of my students. In preliminary tests, the students seem to react well to seeing me "live" and hearing my voice and not just reading my posted materials. - Dr. Eileen Wibbeke

An online course has a basic scheme: classes, modules, or other basic format of the course, written outcomes, objectives, or competencies, preferably for each unit (class, module, or whatever), interactivity plan (or ideas), how students will interact with the instructor and other students, photos and/or other graphic materials to be included, and the instructors ideas about how students will be able to approach the course differently depending on their learning styles. A course syllabus contains a course overview, course title, how to contact you, your grading and assignment policies, required textbooks, etc., and assignments and tests are other essential elements between f2f and an online course. Some of this help can be obtained from an instructional designer and other faculty members. The content has to be of appropriate format to cover all learning objectives. A consistent course design has to be maintained with minimal online lectures, and providing multiple opportunities of online interaction. Being active in the LMS and revising the course periodically is very helpful to maintain the quality of education as the technology is updated.

The online facilitator is a Manager, who maintains the class website to ensure that students have access to the tools they need to learn. She fields student inquiries should students have any trouble adjusting to this online curriculum. She uses online teaching tools, such as video, chat and discussion boards, to maximize interaction among and with students. As a communicator, promotes communication. The facilitator manages discussions and learning activities to make sure students understand and can discuss the content. He can do this by posting weekly topics on the class discussion board, where students can share their thoughts and respond to one another. Though the facilitator monitors the class discussion, he should only jump in to get students back on track or relate the discussion to the course content. The online facilitator also serves as the judge, just like an educator in a traditional classroom setting would. Ensuring that students are academically honest is always a concern for educators, but this concern multiplies in an online classroom. For example, facilitators cannot confirm that students completed online assignments themselves like they can in a traditional classroom. Therefore, the facilitator serves as a judge, giving students policies on academic honesty and following up on possible plagiarism and cheating. Facilitators might take more time than traditional educators to use the Internet to search for student paper topics or questionable excerpts from their paper to ensure the material is, in fact, their own. The online facilitator might never meet her students face to face, but she still serves as a mentor to support their academic and professional goals. A facilitator often is more accessible than a traditional educator, thanks to technology. Students can talk to their facilitators using online chat, discussion boards or email. Facilitators can attend online "office hours," where students can log in to ask questions about the course or receive academic or career guidance.