With all the possible techniques available for online instruction such as lectures, discussions, readings, videos, audio, guest speakers, as well as all the possible assessment tools, the observation here is related to the ability to finding an optimal mix by module, lesson, and topic. The majority of online courses I've seen tend to repeat a certain pattern. More specifically there seems to be a considerable amount of lectures using text or videos, followed by discussion board assignments and reflective papers as individual projects. Occasionally there is a group project a guest speaker. Yet with all other sorts of techniques available, I suspect it just takes a little creativity and effort to determine the best technique given the course content. Of course following a pattern is a lot easier, it certainly facilitates navigation simplicity and structural integrity, but as adults we like variety and a variety of techniques if properly tailored to the material and introduced into the classroom can keep students much more interested in the learning process. I suspect the best way to achieve this is through a refinement process once the basics of a face-to-face course have been effectively transformed for the online environment. It may be too much to ask to optimize techniques the first time around when there may be an urgency to move forward with an online course. From this module I gather that a follow-up with the content expert once a class has been delivered can provide the best framework for assessing the possibility of using other techniques that may end up communicating content more effectively.

Of all the attributes of effective online courses, the one that struck me the most was the attribute of intellectual interaction. As a designer of online courses for business management, leadership, and spiritual development, this for me is perhaps the most difficult to achieve. Anyone can create online content and have students access that content just by clicking, but transforming that material into a structural integrity format that is also learner centered and elicits intellectual interaction is a very difficult combination. Achieving some level of intellectual interaction with the material is not all that hard, especially if own the content for the course you are converting into the online environment. What I seen as a challenge is the ability find the optimal way to elicit intellectual interaction throughout each of the modules, lessons, and topics. If this is difficult to do when you all in the content that is to be transformed, I see it much more difficult to work with a faculty member that has never developed an online course and believes they are fundamentally the same. The nuances of learner centered learning and intellectual interaction are much more difficult to communicate to a faculty member that is just learning the online environment. In helping a major institution convert their classroom courses to an online environment, my biggest challenge is to reeducate faculty into understanding this transformation process. Most of these faculty members have never taught online yet have been offering these classes for a long time. Their assumption is that the selected platform for these courses will take care of those levels of details. As I continue with the other modules in this course, I become more aware of ways to convince them of the need to address the differences between face-to-face classroom sessions and the online environment.

Hi There has to be a boundary between what is acceptable as far as using outside media and what would consider too much. I know of instructors that during an hour chat turn on some presentation that they have downloaded and sit back and add nothing to the experience. This is lazy and unprofessional in my opinion and does not afford the students a change to grow. It is so easy to get caught in that trap. What would be a good mix? Bill Becker

Hi Using another instructor’s syllabus is an easy way to get out of doing your own. It relieves the burden of trying to figure out if our syllabus will be accepted or rejected by the Department Chair who usually has the responsibility of reviewing our syllabuses before they are distributed. After all they approved the original didn’t they? The problem is that there is no guarantee that the coursework covered is adequate or complete. My suggestion is that when using someone else’s syllabus is to just use it as a template as to how to format it. Most schools publish learning objectives for each class which are usually to access. Use those guidelines as your base and build from there. Also this gives you the opportunity to be creative and make up your own guidelines for assessment and not someone else’s. Which by the way, after it is distributed you have to live with. Any other suggestions? Bill Becker

Hi I have been teaching online now for 11 years. In that time I have had many a night when I was the only person in the chat room since attendance at my school is not mandatory. I always wait about ten minutes and then I start the session regardless of anyone being there or not. To be honest, I don’t always act enthusiastic or my voice may get a little monotone just going through my script. My question is, does anyone have a way to lively up the session so that when students go to the archives they aren’t bored and turn it off? Bill Becker

Hello As many of you have already witnessed teaching certain courses online can be somewhat of a challenge. Especially in classes that have a school structured learning curriculum that does not allow for much “wiggle room” as far as the instructor goes. At my school we use a chat room environment to facilitate learning which in itself can be quite a challenge; especially if you have only one hour a week to do so. I have found that using short media clips can really help as long as the instructor stops and interacts with their students during the presentation. Bill Becker

I have taught online and in the classroom but I have never developed an online class. I have an opportunity to develope a course for a class that I have taught for years and the desire is to provide it online as well as in the classroom. I think working collaberatively with a team of Instructional Designers, Instructors and Project Managers results in the best results. Each brings a different background and perspective to the table. We currently have a course that is available online and it is being over-hauled because there is not interaction with the learners. It is basically a voice over Power Point presentation and our college has received poor feedback on it.

I'm sure this it taken for granted but I took a class recently and I really wasn't sure what was due when. There were conflicts in the syllabus becuase the syllabus was shared between and online and on-ground courses. All on-ground information was not applicable to me so I just needed to ignore it. Throughout the class the instructor had to keep making announcements about what was due when because none of us could follow the syllabus. I think syllabus should be easy to follow and show exactly what is due when. I agree that the syllabus should be the road-map for the course.

It is very helpful to take classes myself because it gives me an opportunity to see learning from a student perspective. I had a class recently and there was a text book change since the last time it was taught. Through the course they kept referring to the old text book. The course was not updated for the new text book. The other thing that was irritating is that this was a class that was taught online and in the classroom. My particular class was all online and the instructor kept referring to "when we meet in the classroom". The instructor also would indicate that the assignment was due on Thursday but then give the date of Wednesday. I thought the instructor was very poor at reviewing what she posted for this class. I also keep canned information for courses that I teach but I always make sure that I read it before posting in case I need to add to it, change something, etc. It sounds so basic but it can be really frustrating for students, which I experienced.

I've taught courses and taken courses and I've been most impressed when classes have a combination of PPT that I read, PPT with audio, some youtube clips and interestingly enough I enjoyed one class in which there were games. One game in the middle of the material was a hang man game in which key words from the class were the answers. It helped break up the material for a little "fun". I think the variety is good and taking classes and seeing what I enjoyed or found boring has helped me as an instructor. Jodi

Educators face increasing pressure to incorporate technology into their classrooms. Among the pros: Tablets can hold hundreds of textbooks on one device, plus homework, quizzes, and other files. E-textbooks on tablets cost on average 50-60% less than print textbooks. Tablets help to improve student achievement on standardized tests. E-textbooks can be updated instantly to get new editions or information. Among the cons: Handheld technological devices including tablets are associated with a range of health problems. People who read print text comprehend more, remember more, and learn more than those who read digital text. Print textbooks cannot crash, freeze, or get hacked. Tablets are more susceptible to theft than print textbooks.

Computer science faculty today face many pressures to integrate collaborative and cooperative learning approaches in courses, increase active participation by students in classes, and increase the participation of under-represented groups in computing. The pressures are many and varied and derive from many sources, such as the emphasis on team work.

Developing online courses take a lot more time than in class courses. One main reason I see when doing both is I know the content in a face to face and have 4 hours to replay it in real time. This can be done at the same time with PowerPoint, lectures, and hand outs. In an online class this must all be converted to a digital format and shared which takes more time and planning.

Many courses run multiple course shells. I know AIU used to have 2 different versions of each course to discourage passing information on, but this is where the TurnItIn feature is a great tool.

While each LMS has different bells and whistles, the same core structure and elements as well as rules apply to each. Which each may vary is where the data will be placed, and the available interaction options.

I am curious if anyone has ideas on how to get students to come to live chats? Are they tools you all use to encourage students to attend?

I have noticed that most students administer lurking (watching, but not engaging in, a discussion) during synchronous chats. What are ways to improve on the drawback? One of my strategies is to include interactive sessions during the chat session. This gives me the opportunity to get participants involved. Your thoughts?

This is a very interesting part of developing an online course because I teach a different online school and I am curious when you are developing a course how to do you keep the modules from getting overwhelming for the students. How do we keep structural integrity and navigational simplicity and keep a balance of how many modules are included in the course?

One of the students’ reflections in software testing course is the need for them to practice real hands on testing. This can be achieved by instructional designers incorporating real life software testing projects (dummy project) into the virtual classroom to enable hands on experience on software testing projects. This strategy will help integrate theory and practice and thus enhance students’ learning outcomes. Your thoughts?

An online student can sign on anywhere, and complete their lesson or test. No one knows if they have someone there helping them with the answers or even have someone else take an exam for them. Knowing this, what can be done in an online environment to lessen the instances of cheating? Jacquie