Online v. Ground
Having many years of experience teaching both online and ground courses, I see that the teaching methods are very different: in an online environment, students receive information in very different ways. The teacher must keep these in mind when designing the course so as to ensure that the same learning outcomes will unfold as with a traditional course.
Susan and Louise,
Thanks for continuing the conversation. The discussion boards in the courses are so important and this is helpful information. Thanks!
Louise,
Only one of our courses is currently offered in the blended format. It does have discussion board posts that must be completed on a weekly basis. We recently changed our rubric, which has really helped with our discussion board posts.
All our discussion board posts open on Thursday. Our new rubric states that you must make your initial post to your instructor no later than Friday. You then must respond to two fellow students posts no later than Tuesday.
By having the initial post due to the instructor by Friday our students no longer have to "wait" for their classmates to post something in order to have someone to respond to. It now appears to be much more of a discussion.
Albert,
Do you ever use voice over PowerPoint or Jing or another desktop recording software to help students grasp the content?
Thanks for your continued input in these forums.
I do not want to make the power point slides a lecture. I use the power point slides as a set of notes that I wil discuss with students. My power point slides are effective if the student uses them in live chat or uses the slides when listening to archived chats.
Albert,
You are right. Simply putting PowerPoints online and calling it an online course, is wrong. We are not trying to develop correspondence courses, but engaging online courses. It takes time and effort.
I am returning this module because my university has encouraged faculty to offer or to establish online courses ...some students are "upset" that the online is not personable or friendly.
Student should realize that the online course is a cost effective mode to offer learning activities. Ask students to consider which they prefer: their tuition rising or remaining at the same level.
Second, many of my colleagues have simply transferred their traditional class room into the online classroom.. And that was a serious error.
One suggestion is that faculty determine the reasons for the dissatisfaction with the online course; then make adjustments as stated in this course. Second suggestion is to add something to the online course that students enjoy but could not executed in the traditional class room.
Jared,
Ah - we have run into that as well. There are some course we offer that are only offered online and some students are not a fan of online courses. Typically that's because they've had a bad experience with online courses, so we try to make it as positive experience as we can. Thanks!
I teach at a school that has ground campuses as well as an online campus. I teach at the online campus. We have a program where students at ground campuses can take some classes online. However, I have seen this system abused -- ground students are sometimes forced to take classes online against their will because the ground campus can't or won't run them.
Experiencing this firsthand has been enlightening in a number of ways, but probably the biggest is that students need the freedom to choose the modality of their learning environment. Students that want to take ground courses but are forced online are unhappy and often unsuccessful.
Dee,
We have to fine or develop policies that work for us and our students and stick with them. This is where consistency comes int play. Thanks for your input.
Dr. Tena B. Crews
I like your explanation of your late policy, Scott. I think this policy sets clear expectations but allows for flexibility for honest student needs. The obvious problem with online learning is that it becomes easier for some students to try and deceive instructors with excuses. These students often wait until the last minute, and when they discover that they cannot turn the assignment in by the deadline, they send the instructor an email claiming illness, etc.
It can be difficult to expect written documentation for every excuse, as some issues simply will not have written documentation. For example: people with the flu are usually too ill to complete schoolwork, but often do not go to a doctor, and will not have documentation. Death notices can be provided when a death in the family occurs - but I feel bad about asking a student to submit this, so I usually just accept the student's statement as fact.
A possible option to consider would be extra credit (if applicable) for students who routinely submit their work on time. Just an extra point here or there could make a huge difference, and could go a long way to helping students get their work in on time. How do you feel about this idea? Do you think it would be a positive option? Or is it a bad idea to reward something that is a professional expectation?
ALLANA,
Sounds like you were a motivated students. Remember that all online students are not so motivated. :-) It's good for you, as an online instructor, to have the online student experience.
I recently completed my M.Ed. online. It was a challenge in that I connect with educators through ground learning, however, with the demands of my job and schedule, online learning seemed like the way to go. Boy, was I right! I was open to the idea of welcoming my love for technology and also the opportunity to grow and develope in the area of education. What better way to have both worlds than through online learning and teaching. I am new at online teaching and would welcome any feedback. However when I was an online student, deadlines and due dates were extremely important. If the assignment was not in by a certain time, then major points were taken off, which after calculating the math, every point was essential, failure was not an option!
Louise,
Correct. I put in my syllabus that for email communication students must have an adequate subject line, sign the email, etc. in a professionally. The subject line must identify the course. If the subject line is non-existent, I delete the email without opening and I tell the student I am going to do that because I get so much junk email. If the email is not signed, I simply email back with a question "Who is this?" With these emails and info in the syllabus, the students catch on quickly how to identify he course, themselves and communicate professionally.
Tena
There are always issues with communications and online students. One of my pet peeves is when students do not identify which class they are taking. Often very general questions do not allow me to quickly determine which course the student is discussing. When I ask students which class, I often receive curt answers such as "how many classes are there?". Unfortunately, there is an assumption that instructors will simply "know" which class and which student.
Our institution has set deadlines for assignments, which has helped to ensure student submissions in a timely fashion. However, there have been times when students procrastinate. Since I do try to respond to all discussion forum threads before Friday (responses are due by Sunday), if I notice poor participation, I do send an email to all students gently (or not so gently) reminding them of the importance of responding to other class postings.
Flora and Gregory,
I agree too. It makes thing run more smoothly. Thanks.
Hi Gregory,
I agree with what you're saying. The best part about being in the face to face classroom is that I start to recognize their writing so if they forget to put their name on their assignment, I already know by their writing who it is. But I agree. They should put their names on their assignments obviously. I am currently teaching in the classroom and online and found that there are some similarities in that all students like to wait til the last minute for everything. However, I agree at least in the classroom, I see them everyday so if they didn't turn in something, I can remind them constantly to do so.
Jesse, I would say that teaching online is great, but they are forced to learn without having a teacher present in person.
Nia,
You are both right on track. I put a paragraph in my syllabus about appropriate email communiation with me. Students must include a concise subject line with the course number in the subject line, must address me at the beginning of the message and sign their name to the email. I let them know if I get an email without a subject line, that it is deleted. I get so many emails and so much spam that if there is no subject line - delete. Setting up the standards and procedures up front is helpful. Thanks!
I tend to agree with you Gregory and I think this carries over to communication as well. I often have my online students email me without signing the email. If the students email address is not their name, I have no clue who the message is from. I think before any student takes an online course, there should be an orientation of some type to online education. An orientation should not only show them how to use a particular platform, but also point out some of these differences between on-ground and online courses. Potential online students should be urged to communicate appropriately (and shown examples of this type of communication), provide their instructors necessary information (like their name on assignments and emails because they are not face to face in the classroom), make sure they keep up with assignments (because there is no set "time" to sit in the classroom and be reminded of the work that is due), and the importance of self-motivation in the online world (because they have to be diligent in logging on and participating). Letting students know about these differences that exist between on ground and online would do two things; ensure that a student is well aware of the commitment they are making when they choose online education and setting them up to be more successful in their online courses.
