Tina,
The instructor "push" is an excellent use of the online classroom technology. Consistent engagement on the part of the student is a foundational component of continuous advancement of the learning curve. A continuous flow of encouragement and reminders from the instructor are invaluable for some of those shy and apprehensive students. Very good point.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
This is definitley an area I had to learn to transition to in my own development as an instructor. It was difficult to sit back and take the role as the facilitator of the course versus the one leading the course. While in an on-ground setting, the instructor is responsible for the pace at which the student progresses through the classroom. In an online environment the student is responsible. I had to learn how to sit back and let the students progress at their own pace. I continue to participate and show my presence in the course; however, I let the students move through each week at their own pace. I had to learn this through experience and time spent teaching in an online environment.
In our environment, attending the live Chat session or even the recorded on is not required. So you do not know who is actively participating and reviewing the material you present. In a Brick-and-Morter environment you can take attendance, see the eyes and watch expressions.
The guide-on-the-side can hope that students participate and ask questions, and then when they do provide feedback in a timely manner.
So not having that direct interaction with the student is my biggest challenge.
-- Matt
Thanks for your response Dr. Vaillancourt. I agree with you that different people have different jobs and individual circumstances are dictating our levels of service however I do have another opinion that I felt like sharing since it has bothered me over time. I work full time as a branch manager of international freight forwarding company. I am responsible for my branch and for all my employees so my full time job goes beyond full time since if you are involved in international business you know that it “never sleeps†since somewhere in the world freight is moving no matter what we do. In addition to that I am a mother of two children with school obligations, cheer leading and karate practices and competitions. So, as you can see just an average working mom ïŠ Now, having said that, the moment I take on responsibility for a class and 20 or more students I feel like I have to find time for them regardless of circumstances. With this job we encounter great deal of responsibility and these students pay a lot of money and invest a lot of time for us not to give them the highest level of service.
I completely know what you mean and I see adjunct instructors not being involved and taking time or not having time to commit and I cannot take that as something that is OK and that depends on nature of industry or a job you are in. We have to keep our commitment to students and log in 2-3 times per day and stay on the top of our involvement with our students since just the idea that they depend on us would hopefully give us a “drive†to understand the right thing to do. We all are educated and highly trained professionals, if we weren’t we wouldn’t be in this position. So we need to know our responsibilities and abilities and compare than against each others before we take on an additional job. It is not a job that should be done for additional paycheck only, it is a great commitment and responsibility of building the future generation of leaders for our county.
I am interested to hear your opinion. Am I right or am I just cursed with too high of expectations ;)
Pushing out discussions, emails, and reminders with encouragement to participate helps the learning curve. Some students are still more "silent" than others even though they are very good at their written submissions, and usually wind up acknowledging that they are shy. The outgoing students usually have no problems jumping right in to all methods of written communication!
Joe,
Your statements bear out the findings of the May 2009 published meta-analysis from the Department of Education indicating individualization of instructional components for each student in the online environment provided some of the most significant findings of positive effect over a ten-year period of research conducted to identify best practices in online instruction. I believe the policy for online course load is a wise endeavor and I expect the positive benefit is significant and measurable. Thank you for sharing these guidelines. I'm sure they will be helpful to many in this forum.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Arijana ,
This is a fantastic level of service. Most online instructors are adjunct and have other full-time jobs. Some of these positions would not permit this type of access. However, since your circumstances (even though I'm sure you're as busy as most other adjuncts) provides opportunity to engage in this frequency of contact, this is a great service to your students. Nice going.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Gaining the students interest and challenging them with interactive, relevant material and courseware does a lot to set the stage for the learning environment. By devoting the time to mentor each student individually, as well as staying engaged collectively, provides the student with a more enriched experience. It is difficult to project a nurturing persona online, but shows up when a caring involved instructor is engaged. We use a rule of thumb of 4 hours in DL as opposed to one hour in resident instruction for instructors. Our online course load is ¼ to 1/3 of a full time resident instructor. It is important especially in an asynchronous course to devote the time to every student with effective, positive feedback and encouragement. Tone of writing, personalized messages (as opposed to generic catch all responses) by the instructor is important. If the instructor cares and shows it, it is easy to be the “guide on the side.†All the techniques addressed in the other postings help create a positive learning environment. I think this is the real key.
I have been doing this for a while and I have developed very good and organized system to show my presence. I think it is important since lack of face to face is definite challenge. My biggest challenge is time. You have to invest a lot of time to make sure you are in the classroom and in the discussion board and you are replying to students e mails and answering their calls. I log in several times a day. I comment on every single direct post in the discussion area. I reply to every single e mail same day it is sent and I grade work same day it is sent. Students have my cell phone number so I can be available to them as soon as they need something. I find this to be the easiest thing to do. Being involved. To some it might seem like to much but if I let it go it is really hard to catch up. I am busy and even returning calls might be a challenge so I let them have a cell phone and I can talk to them right away. If I log in several times a day, I find that I am not spending too much time in the classroom. Few minutes every time since I am most of the time ahead of the students. I go in and see if there re new posts, new assignments and I take care of it right there and than and than I don’t have to worry that they are sitting and wondering if they are doing something wrong. Best practice is to log in first thing in the morning , lunch time, one time afternoon and night time. Honestly, most of the times I am in an out in 5-10 minutes. Students see me all the time and they get their responses and hopefully feel the presence.
Jennifer,
The immediate proximity of a live teacher provides so many intangible benefits to the student–teacher dynamic that it is tough to make up for them in an online environment. Your observation that the online environment makes it much easier for the student to be disengaged is one of the stronger dynamics driving the development of many different technologies designed specifically to better engage the student. Hang in there. Online education is still in its infancy, and it appears better days are ahead.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Amy,
Very good point. While participation in online postsecondary instruction rapidly increases with institutions and students, acceptance is still not universal. The technologies and procedures are still in their infancy with many improvements yet to be implemented. One of those areas for improvement, as you identified, is the ability for the instructor to maintain a robust presence in the online classroom. Some A/V platforms are currently being used, and they help, but the majority of instructor presence in the virtual classroom is often provided through text-based forums. Thank you for your insights.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I have found that intergrading the on-line class for me and my students was difficult.The students were used to me being in front of them holding them responsible for paying attention and doing the assignments. I have found that some feel as though it is an option to do the assigned work, not taking it seriously as another participant said. That has been my biggest challenge is to let go, I was used to hand holding my students and now I send reminders about things that are do but not to the extent that I used to when they are in front of me.
When in the ground class room, students and instructors alike have the advantage of being able to see and hear the instructor in real time. The student has the ability and ease of asking questions and getting a response in real time. The challenge I believe will be in getting both students and instructors to buy into the concept of online learning as it evolves. I also believe that the technology will evolve and improve with time. This will also need to be learned and accepted by both parties. It should not be assumed that acceptance is already present.
David,
I like it! As I work with my other instructors, I'll have to refer to the preferred communication style with their students as the Chicago method. ;-] Additionally, thank you for sharing the student comment. I have no doubt the comment was in a positive light.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Lauren ,
Your method of establishing yourself as the facilitator of the online class is solid. Especially providing multiple avenues of contact for students. Very nice. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
When they talk about voting in Chicago, they jokingly advocate "early and often." ;) Same thing with handling our changed role----the more we do it the better off we'll be.
Over the years I've had students who have taken both online classes as well as on-campus classes with me---my favorite comment over the years has been "you're the same guy"
Whether that is good or bad remains to be seen.... ;)
Dave
In order to being an effective "Guide on the side," you have to make your presence the first day. This can be done with an introduction email/post, point all classroom rules and expectations, and most importantly, make sure you student have multiple ways to contact you if they have any questions or concerns.
Joseph,
Your experience is similar to almost all other teachers moving from face-to-face to online. The question, "How can you accommodate the void left in the online classroom, by not having a nonverbal cues once available in the face-to-face classroom?" Most teachers have found that many approaches are required to replace this vital communication lack. Using probing questions, seems to be one of the most helpful tools along with monitoring the posts and test grades. Have you had any specific experience/success with the questioning technique?
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Hi Dr. Vaillancourt
While I'm in the classroom I can see the students body language and facial expressions, which helps me decide wheather they are getting the material or not. By teaching online you have to rely on the students to give you those warning signs if they are not getting it, either by their posts or by their test grades.
Joe
Dan,
...and not only point them in the right direction, but sometimes heartily 'nudge' them. ;-] I found it to be a much more demanding way to teach, as well - and still do. Your quick response and encouragement approach is solid. Keep up the great work.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
