Charlene,
Thanks for adding to the conversation in this forum. The key word in your considerations is "communication." You communicate through your syllabus, through a variety of technologies and through your actions.
Nice job.
In the years that I have been teaching on line I have discovered the follow activities to be the most important in fostering student learning.
1. Communication. Respond promptly to your students. Use empathy, where required. Use humor, if appropriate. Be sure that your communications are easily understood and not easily misunderstood. I always try to make myself out to be the fallible human that I am.
2. Visibility. Be in the class on a regular basis. Let the students know that even if you are not posting, you reading and watching what is going on. Be quick to step in if you suspect problems, whether it is one student having a problem or a problem between two or more students. Don’t let things get out of hand.
3. Understanding. Have a good understanding of the subject matter that you are teaching. In particular have a good understanding of how to relate the subject matter to the student lives. Be able to show the relevance of the subject matter.
I beleive the three most important things to consider in an online course are;
1. the syllabus - it must be designed to provide all pertain pieces of the course in a dynamic matter. Such as the student being able to access each portion of the course separately by click on an icon
2. It should be interactive with audito or video files
3.It must a several ways a student can communicate, with the instructor, other students are as a group.
Nicholas,
Communication, communication, communication. . . did I say communication? Ha! You are correct. I tell those teaching online all the time: "If you want to get BAD teaching evaluations, DON'T communicate!"
Teachers many times don't realize how many ways they communicate to students. You communicate through your syllabus, clear directions, rubrics, your feedback and assessment, and through a variety of technologies. Whether or not you provide feedback in a timely manner or not communicates a lot about you.
Thanks for your input.
Hello,
When teaching my online courses I think the three most important items to consider is clear communication, well informed guided instructions and clear expectations.
I think you must be present in the classroom and your interaction and communication should be detailed and concise. I also think it is really important that the syllabus serves as a guided instructional platform that students can refer to when a question arises. I also like to do to do lists in the announcements for students to utilize in the course. I want students to have clear directions and use the syllabus to refer back to when needed.
Michelle,
Thank you for your organized and well-thought out input in this forum. You are right on target in that content, communication and assessment are essential components to an effective online course.
You can use a simple diagnostic assessment at the beginning of your course to determine what the students know or don't know. This helps establish a guideline for content and/or how quickly or slowly you may need to move through the content.
As I have said many times in these forums - communciation is KEY! And, feedback and assessment (whether student driven or from others who have taught your course) is also essential.
Nice job.
Lynn,
It is awesome that you have the experience of being an online student. This brings a whole new outlook to the idea of teaching online. I remember the first time I was an online student. . .I learned many things NOT to do when I taught online. It is must as important to learn what not to do as it is to learn what to do.
Youa re corred in that communication is the key. I can't stress the importance of effective communication enough.
Thank you for your feedback.
I believe the three most important considerations when teaching online are:
1. Content
The content of the course needs to be appropriate and relevant to the goals of the course.
2. Communication
Communicating with my students and getting to know them is different in on-line and even more essential as they cannot see "me". I need to be careful to communicate clearly and effectively so that what I say is not misunderstood or seen as a personal attack when showing areas that need improvement and so that students feel they can discuss any question they may have. I point out that there are no "dumb" questions.
3. Assessment
I need to assess what my students are learning and how I am teaching. Is there a concept that all or most students still seem confused about? If so, then I need to change my teaching of that concept. Are the students wanting more in-depth information? I think it is essential to assess what the students are learning based upon the objectives of the course and to also assess how I am teaching to modify the information or use other techniques.
As both an online instructor and an online student I can reflect from both positions. I rely on the syllabus for course information and following this map helps me as a student. When creating a syllabus I include course objectives, communication methods, and assessment. It always helps knowing exactly what is expected. The more information that is provided, the better.
Communication is essential in keeping everything organized and running smoothly. The syllabus begins the process with other methods being implemented too. Discussion boards, blogs, chat rooms, wikis,can all be utilized with participation. But it is important to be able to privately contact the instructor or the student via email.
Feedback and assessment are important in that it helps the student to stay focused and follow the right path for success in the course. AS the instructor guides the student through feedback, communication is reinforced and participants feel secure in their learning.
Ana,
The information you provide here aligns well with some of your other answers in other forums. Communication, effective delivery of content, and assessment are all key elements of effective online teaching.
Nice job.
The three most important things to consider as an online instructor are:
1. How are you going to get across to the student
2. What are the most effective, clear and precise methods to accomplish #1 and keep the online classroom dynamic
3. And how will you assess the students
Robert,
Thanks you for your organized thoughts! Many of these tie into communication, a key element to teaching online. Whether you communication through your syllabus, feedback, discussion boards, or other methods, it is essential to the learning environment.
Thanks again.
1. Developing clear instructions as part of the dynamic syllabus - and constantly monitoring and adjusting those instructions to meet the refinements the course will inevitably require.
2. - Utilizing technology to facilitate the dissemination of information and general relevant communication between students and instructor, between each, between instructor and groups, individually,etc. Feedback is critical.
3. - Working to develop a "scaffold" to support students in their pursuit of maximum benefit from the class...
The first thing that should be utilized when creating an on line course is commubnication. Communicating is the key that opens oppportunity for all of the students. It also allows for a clearer understanding for all members of the online community.
I think the idea of a wiki is something that is new to me, yet I think it could be incredibly helpful in that students would truly be able to feel as though they have helped contribute to the creation of the class.
Lastly, I think utilizing scaffolding is essential in helping the students gain insight into greater learning and understanding. If we can connect new learning with old knowledge we have done a great service.
Davi,
Even with one word answers, you say a lot! Communication is key to online learning and your aptitude as well as their aptitude play a signifiant part.
Thanks for your input.
For me it has to be:
1) aptitude
2) audience
3) What i want them to learn, specifically
These are the three things i always have in front of me when i am lookint at teaching an online class
: )
Mike,
You are consistent in your comments and that is important as you see how many things must be consistent in online courses. For example, communication no matter how you do it is essential to helping students learn and to reduce frustration.
Whether you communicate through your syllabus, assessments, discussion boards, formative feedback, or a various technologies, it's great that you realize the importance.
Thank you.
During the online course, I think the following three are most important:
1) Clear and concise instructions to the students of what is expected/required.
2) Communication with the students and encouring discussion amongst the students.
3) Relevant and timely feedback on assignments.
The feedback is the most important to me because if someone is heading down the wrong road, if I can turn them around before they travel too far, I saved them a lot of pain as well as myself in the long run.
Take care,
Mike
Joseph,
Nice job in providing information for this forum. You are correct that communication is key to the success of student learning. Whether that communication is through the syllabus or using a variety of technologies, it's essential.
Thank you.
Stating clear and concise instructions through the syllabus allow the student to know what will is expected from them during the course. Additionally, if there are any questions that come up prior to or during the course it allows the student to fall back on guidance and thru communication channels the student can contact the instructor if any additional questions
Student instructor face-to-face communications is a two-way street both not only in questions but in views and ideas
Technology with the on-line environment over the past decade has allowed individuals unable to get an education a new way to accomplish
