Sarah,
I would agree that communication is one of the three key elements. But I have found that students like to communicate in different ways. They might prefer the discussion board, email, IM, phone, text or live chat. Each feels comfortable communicating their needs in different ways. So, as an instructor it is important to recognize this and use whatever method works best for each student.
Chris
When teaching an online course, the three most important things that I consider are as follows:
1. Clearly communicating expectations, both what is expected of the student and what to expect of the instructor. The student expectations relate to assignments (requirements and rubrics), other course activities (discussion boards, learning groups, and other requirements), and personal conduct standards when interacting with other students and the instructor. The instructor expectations relate to virtual office hours, other contact times and information, participation in discussion boards, assignment feedback, etc. The course syllabus is a critical tool for communicating expectations since it is often the student’s first exposure to the course and an ongoing resource for reference. Other virtual campus tools should be used to reinforce expectations, such as discussion boards, individual communications (email), and live discussions.
2. Building an authentic classroom/learning community. This effort requires the instructor to build a rapport with each student individually so there is not a sense of being “just another student†or “a number.†Individual communications (email, phone, and assignment feedback tools) and open dialogues in synchronous and asynchronous discussions can facilitate this process. At the same time, the instructor should facilitate ongoing communication and collaboration among class participants through the various virtual campus tools as much learning occurs about course related topics and more with such interactions.
3. Ongoing evaluation of students’ efforts and of the course overall. Each student should have a clear understanding of his/her performance in the course, both strengths and areas requiring further focus. At the same time, more general results should be evaluated to determine if learning outcomes are truly aligned with course objectives. The evaluation of students’ efforts provides great information and feedback should also be solicited from students in formal (course surveys) and informal manners.
Rachel,
"CLEAR" is the key word. You are right. And, if you don't communicate, your teaching evaluations will not be good. Organization and timely feedback many times go "hand in hand" and with good organization you and your students know where to go for feedback and their grades.
Thanks!
Martin,
Your points are well taken. Course outcomes, good communication and feedback in a consistent manner is essential. It is important that online instructors see how these are all connected.
I always tell new online instructors. . .If you want BAD teaching evaluations, don't communicate. That will do it! ;-)
Thanks!
You need to set clear expectations. Students need to know what is expected of them and when they need to do it. Communication with students is critical. They need to know if they are doing their work correctly or if they need to take a different angle on answering questions. Organization I think is critical. Students have to be able to find items quickly and with ease. Likewise you yourself as the instructor need to be organized in order to provide timely feedback and assign grades.
The three most important things to consider would be:
to make sure the students have an understanding of the outcomes, via through the syllabus
good communication with the use of technolgy, i.e discussion boards, with quick feedback, responces
and of course follow through, staying consitant with the information / feedback you give
David,
Everything you have listed will help establish and build the online community. They are all interconnected. Nice job.
Thank you.
Chris,
It is hard to pick three so your fourth one adds to the conversation. Thank you for adding the information in parentheses. This helps the discussion as well.
Good job.
In my current course there is an online component that I struggle to make effective. The three most important take-aways from this experience are:
1. I need to make expectations and instructions more clear. There has been too much confusion on what to do and how to do it.
2. I should focus more on building the online community. The idea here is mainly on building engagement and increasing participation.
3. I plan to include different content to address different learning styles in future courses. The lack of variety of content and media may have contributed to engagement issues.
Relevance is of great importance in the trades as well - not just for the millenial generation, and it is not only in an online environment. I have watched instructors loose entire classes because they do not use real-world examples. Textbooks are not real world.
-Chris
I think this can be kept real simple:
1) Set expectations but expect them to be adjusted as the class moves along (Dynamic Syllabus).
2) Create a learning community - make use of discussions, email, blogs (Team-building)
3) Allow for scaffolding (Ability to grow and work build upon each others work).
I think I would also need to add a fourth: The instructor must learn to know their students. Know what to expect, and be able to help when problems arise.
-Chris
John,
I just thought of one more comment. Remember also that best practices may differ a bit between instructors, students and course content. What works in one course may not work in another course. Knowing this in itself is a best practice. ;-)
Thanks again.
John,
The key words in your posting are "best practices." You are exactly right. Without best practices your syllabus would not be dynamic nor would the communication and scaffolding of learning occur.
Keeping these factors in mind is important. Thank you.
In teaching online I find that to be a critical skill as well. Many times a student or fellow instructor has questions or potential problems that can be answered by knowing the syllabus and and course content very well.
The things most important points to consider for me are;
1. Developing and updating your syllabus – keep it dynamic. Laying out clear expectations about communication and resources is an ongoing process. Textbooks change. As this module pointed out some things work, some don’t some need revising. Best practices should be continued.
2. Establishing and maintaining the tone for communication. Dialoging with the students via discussion boards and keeping that momentum going is very important for student-centered education. It is often cited as a point of satisfaction by happy students. This module talked about using a variety of methods for that communication which is a great idea.
3. Scaffolding. The information students are learning should be anchored to previous learning and is built on previous chunks of information. This is a great idea championed in this module. Students will be more successful if things are organized and logical in presentation.
Toni,
You are exactly right that communication can be tricky online. Therefore, it's important to communication clearly in a variety of ways: through the syllabus, synchronously, asynchronously, email, etc.
Thanks!
Kim,
Yes, communicate what is expected, get involved and vary your communication. This past semester I did a discussion board with my students in my online class in Twitter, Facebook and Blackboard. I wanted to "go to where the student are" - Facebook, etc. Facebook was effective, there was minimal involvement in Twitter and Blackboard had the most involvement with students. Now I know "where they are" - at least in my class.
It's important to figure out the best ways to communicate with your students.
Kim & Robin,
It is excellent that you agree and support each other in this topic. Students can quickly identify and give bad teaching evaluations to instructors who do not know the subject contents. But, on the other hand, they also quickly identify content experts who do not know how to teach. Both are not positive factors in the classroom.
Kim,
You hit on a controversial topic - first name or no first name - there is a difference of opinion. Every instructor has to set their rules and regulations for respect in the classroom (whether online or F2F) and uphold those rules. However, they also need to develop a community of learning that works for them and their students. Each person's "teaching dynamic" many times sets those rules.
Thanks!
Toni,
Immediate feedback is important to many students. If anything can be designed for such immediate feedback in the online environment (quizzes, tests, synchronous meetings, etc.) so much the better.
