The benefits of technology are evident in that students can have immediate access to information. What can be limiting about this is when we want students to use critical thinking skills. As an assessment tool I feel that students need to be able to resolve issues presented in a scenario rather than just answer direct questions. At times I feel these skills are being overlooked because of the accessibility of an instant answer.

I feel that online courses in some subjects are beneficial because it allows the student greater access to reviewing key information. The development of these courses seems to be more difficult however because we need to access if the class is following along and understanding the material. Sometimes this is easier when standing in front of a class and observing the classes response to the material. Course discussion forums do help with this evaluation but at times can be a limited evaluation. Thoughts?

How can we get a position as an online instructor for CEC if we have already been teaching classes in person for many years? Any suggestions will be appreciated. TY

To help my online (synchronous virtual classroom) students get acclimated to the class flow and my expectations I do two things: 1.) Before the first day of class I post a detailed announcement "ABC123 Course Information and Expectations." The posting contains my contact information; my availability; schedule for all live sessions; details on what is needed to do well in the Discussion Threads; APA formatting guidelines and hyperlinks to support information; grading scale; late policy, etc. 2.) My first live Chat Session is "How to Earn an "A" in This Class." In this one hour live session I break the above announcement into PowerPoint slides. During the live session we go through the slides, and just before the end I ask students if any of this information was familiar. I then point out everything was taken from the announcement, and remind everyone how important it is to read all announcements each week.

In a perfect online teaching environment, a combination of synchronous vs asynchronous would be ideal. However, most students choose the online education avenue because they want the flexibility to attend around their schedules. So often times achieving this can be a challenge. The school I teach for does provide avenues for both types of learning. Weekly live conference/web sessions are held. Students have the option to attend however it is not required if their schedules do not accommodate. Students who do attend get a lot out of these sessions though as it is such a great venue to connect on a more personal level with instructor and other students and get immediate answers to questions.

The school in which I teach for uses a mixture of technology to help ensure students have a well rounded teaching environment. I do find that sometimes students who have not been in the online setting before can be overwhelmed by the technology. Does anyone have suggestions on how to overcome this?

Hello In an online environment your choices for evaluation can be rather limited. The course material is usually predetermined as well as the weekly assignments. Keeping track of the weekly class average would be the easiest but not necessarily the best. You could pose questions on the Discussion Board weekly that could challenge student compression. Bill Becker

Hello Using a rubric for assessment not only helps the student stay focused and on track but it also helps the instructor to do the same. I always post my rubric on the class Announcement Board usually one week prior to the due date of the assignment. Not only does this give the student a clear road map as to what is expected but it also reduces confusion and countless angst on the student’s part trying to figure out what it is that I am looking for. Bill Becker

Hi all. Reflecting on the question of the use of technological tools in the online environment, I think being flexible in the use of various tools to ensure student success is very important. I've resisted for a long time to introduce variations of technology in F2F teaching in the past (i.e., blogs), but I realize that the culture of education today is simply different than it was just 10 years ago. Students, albeit with short attention spans, are constantly evolving with the evolving technology. To them, it seems, that education without the use of technology is foreign and archaic. I have found that when properly implemented it can be a resourceful venue for students to apply theories and broad based analyses to real world/real time events. Antony

As an online student in the past I remember not getting nervous for the first day of class because they could not see or hear me. This is a great advantage because I love pajamas and I have a little voice when i want to and often have to repeat myself. Online learning is a relaxed virtual class and I feel the class discussion should be relaxed as well and not be a place to put your views on politics or religion. But more of water cooler discussion place where you gain knowledge from others but walk away from a discussion if need be.. I myself will removing a post due to this or if similar content is getting out of hand, or even too much of personal stories taking up discussion board this would distract from the educational purpose.

As a new online facilitator I want to reflect back on my experience and make sure I keep my students engaged in all the topics and discussions like i was. I plan to keep posting so they all have plenty to respond to in discussions. This will ensure they have the full experience of the online learning and receive all the benefits for the other students as well as my knowledge.

Again as a former online student I remember how it was to know the teacher was present. Although they might have not been logged in at the time I was I could see they had been there and made discussions and answered the other students. This was important to me and I will remember this for my students. Although it makes me wonder what the hours were and if the had timed release messages .. LOL

Hello this is an interesting topic for me, as a former student of an online course and now a facilitator I think I have an advantage to engaging the students. I remember how I felt when I was and was not answered back in my discussion. In my case that was what contributed to the length and effort I added to discussion post.

Does preparing for online course content require as many personal hours as it does when teaching in the classroom?

Students in the online classroom may fall behind or decide to drop a course because they are unable to manage all of their responsibilities. When I see that a student is falling behind, I generally like to contact them through e-mail to find out if I can help them. I let them know that as an instructor, I manage the same responsibilities that they have. This opens the discussion of time management and scheduling. I always recommend the use of a written calendar and a daily "to do" list. Do you suggest any other techniques that students can use in order to better stay on schedule?

Hi All! I truly believe that a high level of interaction with students will increase the credibility of an instructor with students. Instructors who do not provide timely feedback or answer questions promptly are usually not considered very professional by students. Do you think an instructor that provides timely feedback and promotes interaction with students will foster professionalism in students as well? How often do you think an instructor should have individual interaction with students? Thanks, Jacinda

Hi All! I have noticed that throughout my years of teaching in the online environment, students have changed. This is due to the fact that today's online student is more technologically advanced. I still find that in most cases, that students become less engaged as the course progresses. What techniques do you suggest to keep online students engaged throughout the duration of the course?

I have been adjunct teaching for several years, but always done so in-person. The schools have always provided a syllabus and instructor guide, which saves me the trouble of developing them. Usually the school wants to control what is being taught and how, due to accreditation and regulatory issues. I'm new to teaching courses on-line and I wasn't expecting much to change. Why would a school want to trust "me" with developing a syllabus and instructor guide, whether I was teaching in-person or on-line?

How do you make sure your online class isn't boring?

When using technology tools, the instructor needs to throughly evaluate the use of the tool. Most times the tool can be just a filler, and not effectively used for the topic at hand. The tool needs to have a purpose for the topic and the class in general. Any thoughts?