Karen,
Thanks for your input. You have included very pertinent components in your response.
When I look at your 5 components together, it lets me know that you understand how important it is for students to understand what is expected of them, how they will be assessed, and that feedback from you will help them grow in their learning.
Nice job.
I think that the most important things are:
1. Course Structure so that there is a clear understanding of what the students need to complete and how they are to complete the assignment
2. Growth, as the students work through the assignments each one should be connected to the next so that the students knowledge base of the course informtaion is constantly growing.
3. Clear Rubrics
4. Good assessments so that you know that the students are understanding the material.
5. On time and constant instructor feedback.
Claireann,
Congratulations on your certification. This will help you in the future as you begin to teach online.
Your input is right on target. Online instructors need to know where their students are coming from - what they know. A pre-test is a good way to do that. And, then you can give a post-test to evaluate what they have learned.
Communicating your expectations whether through the syllabus or in other ways is invaluable. Assessment that is meaningful and relevant is essential as well.
Thanks for your input.
I have not taught an online course before but I am MOODLE certified and would like to teach an online course in the future. I do believe that the most important things are:
1. Always pretest either orally or written to determine prior knowledge on the subject at hand.
2. Always make your expections clear. Let the students know up front what you expect from them.
3. Each student is an individual and this needs to be considered when assessing their work.
Susan,
My favorite learning space is one that is blended. You can keep your face-to-face (F2F) connection/relationships, but then extend their learning online.
You are right on target with a dynamic syllaubs, commmunicaiton and scaffolding. Helping students online or F2F benefits us all.
Thank you.
1. Prepare by ensuring the syllabus, course framework, and the modules built from the module template are well structured so as to promote effective communication across all of the communication groups.
2. Quickly learn each student’s “language” and their communication medium of preference.
3. Utilize the eight tasks of scaffolding.
Overall – effective communication in the context of genuinely caring for the students and their learning.
The school where I teach has recently implemented some Blended Learning online courses. In reading this module, I was quite interested in the concept of a dynamic syllabus, as opposed to a "flat" syllabus. I like the idea that the student can refer back to the "expectations and requirements" of the course, as she/he works through the lessons. Another area that I feel is very important is Communication. I think the instructor needs to be available to the student on a regular basis; it's extremely frustrating to wait for an answer, especially if you need the answer before continuing with the work. The final thing of the "big three" would be what this module refers to as Scaffolding. As I mentioned, our courses are Blended Learning, which means that there is some didactic information online, with many labs oncampus. The online information provides the students with material that explains and reinforces the actual skills that we do during the oncampus labs. If the student doesn't understand the material, we have a chance to work with them oncampus when they are there to perform the skills.
Michelle,
I agree, there are more than 3 things! There are always a multitude of things to do, but you are on target with establishing your top three.
The syllabus is a key component in communicating many things to the students, but especially the expections/objectives. Technology is key to making sure you can communicate with the students, they can communicate with you and each other and they can complete/submit assignments and post discussion board postings or whatever your requirements.
To make all of this happen. . .you are right - organization and communication.
Nice job.
Since there are many more than three things that I consider, my top three are:
Setting clear expectations (does the syllabus make it clear what is expected of each student each week, are due dates clearly stated, is the syllabus easy to follow, does my online information match what the syllabus says, etc?)
Technology (will the students take advantage of the technology used in this class or will they avoid it, is the technology used compatible with student computers, is accessing the technology easy, etc?)
Organization of content (is the class content easily found in the portal system [eCollege, Blackboard, etc], are links to other sites working, do the students have the same access to content as I do [what is blocked and what is not blocked on campus], etc?)
Will the content make sense to the students?
Will the content teach the skill you want students to learn?
What on-line tools are available?
Kim,
Thanks for offering feedback to others. It's great to learn from each other thorugh these forums.
I feel like the following 3 are important:
1) clear goals and expectations.
2) open lines of communication between students and instructor always
3) Dynamic syallbus.
Great Alysha, I agree with you on all 3 points. I think by using these you will encourage success from your students!!
These are all great points. Yes, I feel like keeping it simple is the key! Nice work.
Jane,
Knowing your course content is essential. Many subjects make it difficult to keep up with changes in the content and it's important, as you said, to continue to review and stay current in your field as well.
Course checking and revision is a constant process along with providing feedback and communicating with students.
Nice job.
First of all...and the most important (to me) is that I am the absolute subject matter expert in the subject!!! And...even though I have taught wine classes for 15 years that means that every weekend I am reviewing my notes, books, and notebooks for the information I "already" know as a review, and I am scanning the internet to keep up with the latest findings, topics, and news items that my students are probably reading about.
Second...that I check and double check all the course materials every week to make sure the links work, make sure the chat materials are pre-loaded, etc. The last thing I want is for a student to tell me something isn't working on the class portal.
Third...That I review my grading rubric every session to reflect any issues, problems, or improvements that came to light the last time I taught the class.
Emmanuel,
Thinking baok how your course is developed in a student-centered way is essential. It's great that you are thinking about your syllabus, studnets' learning styles and how to interact anc communicate with students.
Nice job.
Students enjoy online learning more when it is student-centered. I believe the three most important things to consider are:
i) how student-centered are the course materials and syllabus
ii)how does the course orientation satisfy the various student learning styles.
iii)opening multiple and varied lines of communication and interaction with my students.
Robert,
Thanks for your additions to this forum. I'm glad you have experience in teaching online. Being flexible and prepared are essential. I do much of my teaching online asynchronously, but do have several synchronous sessions for students to attend.
I typically plan 4-6 synchronous meetings and students must attend 2. That gives them some planning time. If your live sessions are optional, that's cool too.
Nice job.
The three most important things in my opinion and with 7 years of online teaching experience.
Live Sessions are optional!
A. Be ready and be prepared to be flexible.
B. Find out what those in attendance most need or want to learn and personalize that session without alienating those that will listen to the archive.
C. Recongize that some students will never attend live sessions but will have plenty of questions. Cover upcoming assignments in as much detail as possible or be prepared for multiple "can you explain" questions via e-mail.
