asynchronous vs synchronous
I just finished up my first semester online for my master and actually enjoyed it. The only thing I thought that was interesting was that we had to post and respond to other students posts for each assignment and make sure that there was dialogue.
I enjoyed that because it was the closest thing that I was going to get regarding class connection.
Rudolph,
I would work within a calendaring system such as Outlook or Google. I set dates of assignment and begin to plan the learning. I then "wean" them off and have them do their own schedule.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
For new online instructors, what advise would your provide to assist with time management, especially those operating under time constraints?
Lynette,
I agree with you. You need to have engaging questions and that does take effort. Just like writing test questions. . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I believe that you have to have a good discussion topic, not just something that the student can answer the same 20 times. It is good to go in as well and ask more questions to make sure they are understanding what is being discussed.
Richard,
I understand your frustration. I hate putting effort (workload) in something that students don't use. If there were participation points that might work but otherwise I find it empty work.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I earned my Doctorate online, and other that the dissertation presentation, it was all asynchronous. Now teaching online, I really enjoy presenting the chats, but no one has logged on for discussion. As there are no points awarded for attendance, there is no real interest. Perhaps if it could record that someone at least watched the chat, it would seem more worthwhile
Kelly,
I agree. Have you tried to let your students run a discussion?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Discussion boards take the place of classroom discussions...As the module points out- give the students guidelines. Simply writing "I agree", "Ditto", or "Good job!" is not acceptable. They should engage in the conversation- give a personal example, ask questions, compare and contrast, etc. It's a great way for students (and the instructor) to share their experiences and their answers.
Thanks,
Kelly Schwartz
Abby,
You have to hold students accountable to participating with you and with other students. They will connect they connect with each other through texting all of the time. They will assimilate easily to your expectations.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
