My opinion of a clean, and organized course has pedogological value. Finding a way to make it dynamic is an important struggle.
Having structure in an online course is paramount to the success of the course. Through proper structure, a class is able to flow and optimize the learning potentials of the students.
Ironically, I really enjoyed some of the other online course that I have taken because there is an audio option and I was more engaged when I could listen and read. It is intersting to me that a class about online learning doesn't have that option (or maybe it does and I just can't find it....)
Designing an online course requires the connectivity between the content and instructor to the student When there is buy - in from the student this increases the engagement. This could lead to contributions to the course which is important to teh growth of the student.
I have enjoyed watching online learning develop over time. I believe the online world allows all students access to information in ways that are interactive and valuable. I also think the flexibility to engage with courses within one's own timeframe is a brilliant luxury that is of tremendous benefit to this generation and the world at large. No longer are students reliant on a specific instructor and his or her personal delivery of material. I believe the structure of online classes can get a bit repetitive, but is no worse than most face-to-face environments. I appreciate that the information itself is seen as the driver of learning and progress. That being said, there is no substitute for applying information to the world and synthesizing higher levels of understanding. The submission of video artifacts and portfolios clearly serves as a supplement to the traditional knowledge only courses and will elevate online learning to the next level. Field experiences, journaling, collaborating with peers within real world contexts is a logical extension to the factual foundation provided in many online courses.
I think an important concept that was noted is that online student engagement increases along with interaction with other students.
An online class requires much more pre-planning than an in-person class. Organization and active engagement are key. While an experienced teacher might be able to "wing it" on a given lesson, this can not be done online.
I have been teaching online for more than 15 years, sooo I didn't actually learn anything new, but I do agree with all I've read this far. I have designed, built, and taught many online classes in multiple disciplines so I've already learned by experience and have put these principles into practice.
I have learned a little bit of the history of early online learning, and how it has evolve till today.
I am anxious to begin to apply the steps and characteristics to a successful online class when building my very own online class :)
I guess as an instructor I used to take it for granted that when I teach a course that students will be interested and that they are attending because the want to learn. That they in some way want to increase their knowledge and ultimately be more effective in their jobs. It makes sense that any course taught needs to be structurally sound so that students can easily follow along and navigate through the lessons, readings, videos etc. while keeping things learner-centered and to engage the students by interaction with the instructor, classmates and with themselves while stimulating critical thought and discussion. It takes a well thought out plan to build all of these characteristics into a good course.
Reply to Korinne Toadvine's post:I would have to agree that organization is key. In my experience my students and instructions find it frustrating when information or similar content is not found in the same place it was housed in a previous course.
What others kinds of interactive experiences/experiences could be utilized in lieu of discussion board questions you think? Discussion Board questions do facilitate the intellectual interaction however, I would neither agree discussion board questions facilitate learning in an a enjoyable way, nor do I feel that much is gleaned from this interaction. If anything, I see that retention has suffered from this interaction vice increased retention levels in my experience as a student and in the administration of higher learning.
Each course needs to be very clearly defined with sections the students can easily follow and understand.
Stuctural integrity and simple navigation is essential to course development. Additionally, providing content with opportunities to engage in critical thinking and problem solving is important for learning.
it is important for learners to find it easy to locate and access information in the course. Utilizing links assists with this- navigational simplicity
For a successful online course, you must have organization and challenge the learner. Instead of one final test of knowledge, you must test through out the course and look at the data so that you can build on it.
How popular online course are ,and will become later on in the furture . It takes a creative mind to design a online traning course that will get and keep people engaged with the traning.
For the most part, this reminds me, and reinforces, the need to continuously research new and emerging technologies. The speed of technological development is quite fast, and for that reason, education is always changing and improving. I always love researching new approaches to teaching to begin with, but this reinforces that habit.
Charles
It was interesting to find out that the first distance courses that were offered, dates back to the early 1700's. I can't even imaging doing that. Asking a professor a question, would take weeks, even Months to get a response. UGH!!! That would be Very frustrating to me.
I enjoy being a teacher, Traditionally and Online. My Online teaching just began when the Covid hit. Before that, all my courses were taught in a Traditional Class setting. I have found out that Traditional Teaching is quite different than teaching online, as far as how my students learn. Being able to read the lessons, watch videos, and make posts, students really enjoy learning at their own pace, especially during this difficult and strange time in history. Now, as far as communications, I find that students participate more in online discussions and they ask me more questions. I found that their overall learning experience has been better and the first class to complete their online part, scored much higher in participation, interacting with me and their classmates, and they retained more of the course information. I am looking forward to the new classes starting tomorrow Online and some, traditionally.
Intellectual interaction with teachers and classmates is very important for the student taking online class. Old classroom setting is usually based only on learning the information but with online, students will be performing critical thinking and problem solving. They need to think more now and apply the information they learned to a scenario or situation. I like it.
Multisensory lerning and simplicity of the course are very crucial in online courses.
