Roman Boiko

Successfully managing an online course demands good communication skill to diffuse conflict and address undesirable behaviors such as those seen in disruptive or "noisy" learners. An engaged instructor will look for the warning signs leading to attrition such as alienation, and engage students early and often through discussions and personal messages.

Synchronous learning has several advantages, but also some important pitfalls to manage including participant group size, allowing for prep time, and maintaining accessibility for students who may not have the ability to respond quickly (e.g. group chats can be dominated by learners who type quickly). It's important to be aware of learning styles including avoidant, dependent, and competitive, and understand how best to deal with learnerse who exhibit these behaviors.

A great technique to get students involved right away is to have them create a short bio about themselves. This gives instructors the chance to identify specific needs, open up conversations, and create personalized messages to engage students.

Good course delivery formats should leverage multimedia. This also means that instructions must ensure that all students have access to the materials and are not locked out due to hardware restrictions or not understanding how to navigate the CMS. Instructors must be able to understand and use CMS functions such as learner rosters, post announcements, discussions, and moderate chatrooms.