My biggest challenge is getting my student to read my emails explaining the assignments. If we were in a traditional learing environment they would hear the information directly with no delay.
At times students are reluctant to read through the emails and posts therefore they miss out on quality information.
Gershom,
Yes, the clues are very different and not as easily obtained. Individual outreach is often the most successful.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
John,
Excellent recommendation. This has been helpful in many online classes.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Jennifer,
Individual outreach requesting attendance is one tool that has had some success. Additionally, I have found video conferencing (WebEx) has a much better participation rate than text-based chats.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Rubiela ,
These are all well founded components of solid online instruction. Yes, the challenges remain.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
John,
You are very correct. The tools for the instructor to accurately discern the student/class demeanor is quite different in the online environment. The Socratic outreach is one of the better contemporary tools for that.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Alan,
In a few cases it does. However, it often requires a stronger outreach to get many students to respond.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Thomas,
The technology is available and used in limited situations. The widespread use is not far away.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I think the biggest adjustment will be ensuring the students understand the content. In a traditional environment, there are physical clues, such as posture or facial expressions, that show when students are confused or lack interest. These physical clues are not available in an online learning environment.
Students will have to be more self-disciplined in an online course. Instructors still need to motivate and encourage students daily in online courses, but not being "face-to-face" can make this more difficult. What is so important is that students see the instructor as someone who sincerely does care about them having success in the course. Instructors must convince students early in the session that strong support will be given even as a "guide on the side".
I feel that the one of my challenges is to allow students to know that I am their to help them and answer their questions without looming over them.
I also feel that I need to work more on finding ways to get the students excited about the learning they are experiencing.
My biggest challenge currently is the fact that my only synchronous contact with the students is through a chat session where I often have dramatically low or no attendance.
What are some strategies that I could employ "guide" my students to this aspect of my course?
I think the biggest challenge between tradicional and online learning is the fact that we miss the face to face advantage of reading people gestures and signs. I have taught traditional class session as online session in the last couple of years and getting my students attention and interest is very important. I have been trying to get my students involved by starting with a clear expectation and welcome announcements. It is a detail step by step requirements for all assignments from discussion boards to individual projects. I include an announcement every two days relating to the discussion board participation common mistakes or questions in common the students my have. I also include video clips of topics on hand discussed in the live chat or the discussion board to expand the interaction between the students and me. I try to monitor the discussion boards participation on a daily basis so the specific topic and goal of the assignment is attained. I share the presentations addressed via powerpoint in the live chat and try to include audio to the presentations if necessary so students feel the facilitators is focusing on their concerns.
Interaction is a two way street. I feed off of the verbal and more importantly non-verbal feedback I get from the individual students and the group as a whole. Not having that feedback will present a challenge as it is that information that allows me to determine how and when to differentiate my teaching style.
Knowing that the feedback which is provided to the students is informative and helpful in an asynchrounous environment.Would adding a line at the end of the feedback to the effect if you have any questions contact me provide this feedback to me?
Love this answer!! Can't wait for that technology as teaching on-line v on-ground is a whole different animal. The "silent" communication of the f2f tells me almost as much as the words themselves as to student interest, comprehension etc.
Andrew,
Very good. Thank you for sharing your "Learning centered" approach.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Mahmoud,
Yes, the online environment strongly supports the student-centered approach. Most LMS platforms are built within a constructivist learning experience in mind. Very good. Thank you.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
To effectively "guide on the side" I try to make it clear to my students that this is an opportunity for them to gain a tremendous amount of learning. I create additional "Open Topic" discussions to enable a voice for the class to emerge. I welcome to students to respond to each others' questions and to participate in a "Learning centered" experience and environment.
Facilitators need to learn how to become student centered rather than the center of attention as in the f2f classroom. Guide on the side is coaching your learners to achieve the course learning goals and objectives.
Brian,
Many students will do best using the tools that are aligned with their strengths. Unfortunately, they often have a greater need to use the tools with wich they are unfamiliar. Individual recommendations in one-to-one audiovisual sessions are often effective as a remedy.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
