The need for me to know my students personaly is crucial to their success in my course. Getting to know them as a person and not just a computer is very important. Talking with them on a one to one basis makes them feel that they are getting the most in my course and that I can always have an "open door policy" with each one of my students; whether they have a problem, concern or just need to voice their opinion.
Creating a good rapor with your students from the beginning will help establish relationships. Identify your credintals and work experiences will help gain their trust in what you are teaching.
I also think it is very important for your students to actually SEE you. Almost every one of my online college courses that I took, to get my teacher's license, several years ago, had voice-only lectures.
Having been dropped into e-learning in the middle of a semester (Covid-19), this concept doesn't apply as much as for starting a new course completely online. Fortunately, authority had already been established. Also, all 3 of my classes were Level III courses, so I have had all of the students in class, at least, two times before this class.
Unfortunately, most authority was taken away by state polices that made participation optional at the high school level. This is not going well.
I liked that the advice given in this module reflects best practices in F2F teaching and learning, but applicable to a distance learning forum.
Just as in the classroom, it is important to KNOW your students and being active in their learning. Building a relationship with trust is important, and being involved in student classroom activities help students to engage.
In a college online course, the professor asked for a short biography and gave one as well. This gave students the ability to associate with others that had similar backgrounds and/or majors. Although I expect most high school students to at least know the names of the other students, many do not and having bios at the beginning may allow more of a community.
I have learned I can be present without being present.
I liked how to personalize with the students by exchanging your history and credentials.
Creating that on-line relationship is just as important as creating that relationship in a regular class setting. Sharing a bio of yourself as the instructior helps the learner feel their is someone on the other side that can not be seen, but is qualifed to assist and has a human feeling to the class, if that makes sense. By having students share their bio with the instructior helps build a relationship with students you can not see.
In this module I learned the importance of instructor and student relations.
Tell they my credentials and share my experences. Have students do a bio so everyone can feel like they have a connection with other students.
Helpful tidbits on how an Instructor can project their presence in an online environment!
I think creating a bio is a good idea but having the students create a bio of themselves is a fabulous idea for an online environment. I see how this can allow for all of us to make a connection. I also think having a facility for asynchronous discussion unrelated to the course is a brilliant idea. I would definitely use these ideas for my online courses.
I thought it was clever to begin building an e-learning community by asking students to post a short biography of themselves.
I think this was more geared to a full time online atmosphere.
Be present. Post your bio. Students also post their bio. Give them feedback in appropriate time.
I learned the importance of posting a biography of myself, sending a welcome letter by the end of day one, and sending a personal message to each student by the end of the first week.
The importance of a broad introduction with biographical information for both yourself as the instructor as well as your students. Make sure to have a separate area for "general questions" in addition to the "course based" question area.
Students must feel welcome in order to learn. It is your job as a online facilitatior to make sure that level of trust and relationship is well known throughout your course. Share a personal biography, ask students to do the same, and to comment on at least 2 people's biography from the class. Send check in emails to make sure student know you are there for them and willing to help when needed. Make sure all expectations are known at the beginning of the class. You could maybe post a class syllabus for refrence.
