For those of us working in systems where the courses are already created when we arrive, there needs to be a system whereby instructor concerns can be sent "up the ladder" to make sure that the evaluation process is happening when the instructor doesn't have power to make changes on his/her own.
Kevin
MARIE,
That is true. We as instructors have to provide opportunities for students to engage with us and with each other. It is also important to develop with students work habits that can help them accomplish their goals.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
MARIE,
I agree with you but you also need interactions and group projects in the online course. We do know the more contact students have with each other and with the instructor, the more success they have in any classroom f2f or online.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Hello Dwayne,
I also agree with you and Jolly, classroom engagement is extremely important for an online class. Student requires dedication and discipline; therefore if the course is not engaging, the student will not find any interest.
Marie
Hello Dr. Kelly,
The importance of instructional strategies to the success of the online environment has precipitated the creation of best practices guidelines for all aspects of the instructional process, including the planning and management of online instruction, online teaching techniques, and online student assessment and evaluation techniques. For F2F environment, you will need more interactions, group projects etc.
Ms. Osuna
Heidi,
I agree with you. You should always be evaluating your methods to improve on learning. It is really like continuous quality improvement.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I find that I need to modify delivery methods in online courses as appropriate --- this is necessary as an ongoing process for me. Studies support the need for modifying courses as needs to best meet the needs of students in nurisng programs (Morley, 2014)
Reference
Morley, D. A. (2014). Supporting student nurses in practice with additional online
communication tools. Nurse Educ Pract. 14(1):69-75.
Yvette,
I agree with ya'll. Higher interaction in f2f is the key to success in online or face to face. It makes no difference.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Yvette,
That is true. The secret in online is to develop a place where students KNOW where they can find the answer when they have a question. You don't want to bury it in the discussion or email. Make sure that you have a place in your online course for questions. Also, once you have taught the course, you learn to anticipate questions just as in a f2f course. Created learning objects that will address those issues so you can point to them immediately.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Yvette,
You make a great point. You really have to rely on your LMS to help lead a student through the course and let it be the guide for the book. The LMS is the key to tying your content with your books and other material.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Agreed...interaction makes the difference between repackaged F2F materials in the online environment and a virtual classroom that has instructional materials that are created with the online learner and their environment in mind. When online students interact at a high level with both the instructor and their classmates as well as the additional support staff the school has available to them, not only can it positively impact their learning but their overall experience in the course and with the institution. Thanks for sharing your comment.
That's such a good point, Mara. I was just commenting about this in my post. There is a HUGE difference between encountering confusion with a topic in a F2F environment, asking a question and getting an immediate response and eliminating the confusion on the spot, versus encountering confusion, having to send an email or post a question is a thread, then waiting 24 hrs to get an email response or response post. It's often so much more effective when clarity can be provided in the moment.
The reason why course content created for a F2F course is usually inappropriate for an online course is because many on-ground courses still rely on books and other materials to be utilized in a classroom with F2F interaction so that the instructor has the ability to explain the material to the students in an environment where the students can prompt the instructor with questions on the spot and those questions can be answered in real-time.
In the online environment, most of the material is presented asynchronously, therefore the immediate prompting of the instructor with questions and the ability to receive responses and answers on the spot is not available. Therefore, in the online environment, the presentation materials must be more interactive, to not only hold the student's attention - since they are learning on their own - but also to be a bit more user friendly and self-explanatory, since the student would have to wait on a response if they have additional questions.
Nancy,
It can be, but there are ways to engage students to learn in a variety of ways. What is it that students like about learning online? How do they interact with each other. I always suggest to instructors to create your own learning persona in the online environment. Create a set of cues that students can use to communicate and emulate nonverbal cues. It can be fun and interesting!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
When in a face-to-face situation, the student is not only studying and learning with their sight and hearing, as with on line, they are watching body language and mannerisms of the teacher. More similar to being entertained live versus a movie or television form. The experience is usually more stimulating and effective in person.
I also believe there is an energy transmitted live that also effects the audience.
Austin,
You are right, the content can be used. What role do you think instructional design has in this process?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
A course content created for face to face students should be transformed for online students including appropriate content, course objectives and written in a form that would be understandable to the students. The online course lacks the non- verbal cues available in F2F.
Mischel,
You are right, it does depend on method of delivery and interaction. Content must remain the same if it is the same course. If not, then the curriculum process must be reviewed.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I wouldn't say that the content developed for a face-to-face course can't be used or not appropriate for an online course. I actually teach both online and face-to-face. I've used some of the course content from my face-to-face class in an online environment with much success. I think it depends on the content, method of delivery and facilitator's interaction in conveying the information.
Rickey,
So how do you meet those objectives of a course? Many times we are asked to recreate a course online with no compromise of content.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
