Juliet,
You are right! The two "C's" do establish the pattern needed for students to feel comfortable and learn in the online environment.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Greetings.
Patterns are just that...repetitive and predictable over time.
This helps avoid confusion. Just think how stressful it would be driving if the traffic laws changed daily.
Two critical items would include the following.
1. How assignments are presented and laid out. The deliverable must be clear to the student as well as items as due date, format, etc. It has to be the right mix of conciseness and details!!!
2. The grading aspect needs to be clear. Rubrics can help a lot in this area. What items are important and points attached to each will help ease the grading feedback. I also would make the rubric available before the grading...since it does provide a roadmap and expectations should not be a secret.
Be awesome.
John
I think the two most important things would be detailed information on everything (syllabus, expectations, assignment and etc.) and timely feeback to the students.
Charlene,
You make a great point, you can have presence in an online course. Your instructor presence should be everywhere in the online environment. This is done by multimedia or by communication.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Melissa,
You are right. Consistency is so important in an online course. Your patterns of communication are solidified by consistency. Great post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Colleen,
You make such a good point. Outcomes do push delivery.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Consistence in which to rely upon and communication (with me and the other class participants) in which to interact and question in order to get full meaning out of a session.
I believe the two most important things to consider in an online environment are the content delivery and communication. The instructor’s presence in the classroom, whether within the discussion board asking probing questions or posting additional material that enhances the student’s understanding of the material or responding to student’s email or questions is essential to the learning process.
Sometimes the assignments can seem overwhelming, additional material or the instructor’s clarification of the assignment can make the light bulb come on and give the student an understanding of what he/she is supposed to complete.
I believe the most important thing to consider is consistency. In order to build a safe learning environment where students can trust the instructor there must be uniformity of form in each of the individual aspects of online education. I think it is also important for instructors to maintain consistency, as best they can in relation to the content and objectives of the courses, in the different courses they teach so that students who have a teacher multiple times do not have to relearn the pattern of teaching.
A second thing to consider is patterns of communication. Students need to be comfortable knowing the modes of communication a teacher utilizes and how often a teacher response to discussions and emails. In establishing a clear pattern of communication students will have a means to express questions and concerns in the event that other aspects of teaching (such as expectations or grading) remain unclear.
Thanks! ~Melissa
I think the two most important things to consider are the learning outcomes and the content delivery. I think the learning outcomes really set the stage for the structure of the class, and I think the content delivery needs to be consistent in an online environment in order for students to know what they need to do.
Twyla ,
You are correct! All of those Must be met for students to have success in an online course.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
It is important to be accessible to your students, to provided constructive feedback, and communicate the class expectations.
Rashunda,
You are so right! You have to be able to establish the learning outcomes and communicate them in multiple ways.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Learning outcomes and communication are the two most important things to consider when establishing a pattern of teaching.
Information must be clearly translated to students in an online learning environment, especially in an asynchronous learning environment. If communication is clear then the opportunity for learning outcomes will be greater.
Randy,
I will try to find one and post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Carlos,
That is a very good point! It is important to think about pace and how to balance it with all students.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dr.:
I do not have them sign/submit a "Learning Contract." I am interested in hearing more about that. Can you send an example along.
Thanks.
Randy Meyers
I believe the two most important things to consider is the rate at which the students are learning and what are the challenges present to them which impede them learning at a faster rate?
Randy,
You are correct! You do need to communicate expectations and have them respond. Do you have students sign "learning contracts"?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Virginia,
You are right. Information regarding your classroom particularly technology capabilities is so important. Great post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
