What is the significance of knowing the technology available to you?
When setting up an online environment for a distance learning course it
is extremely important to both be aware of and know how to utilize the
technology that is available to you. While it is not necessary to master all of
the tools that are available to you right away (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010),
you should focus on and familiarize yourself with the essential tools of the
CMS/LMS that is being utilized, as well as those that are required for course
completion. Knowing the technology also puts you in a position to assist
students with the basic technological tasks required by the course, as well as
giving you the opportunity to gather information resources to share. Having at
least a working knowledge of available tools also opens up the opportunity to
dialogue with students that may have valuable information that they can
provide.
Why is it essential to communicate clear expectations to learners?
In an asynchronous online environment, where teacher and
students are often separated by many miles and time zones clear and concise communication
is of the utmost importance. Speaking from personal experience, I can say that
when expectations are not clearly communicated, it can be a costly and time consuming
endeavor. Those participating on online courses are often adults with busy home
lives (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011) which makes time a precious commodity. If
a student does not have a clear understanding of the course expectations or
expectations for a particular assignment, it will inevitably lead to the
student having to go back and edit work that has been done, or worse, lose
valuable points on an assignment, affecting their course grade.
Clearly communicating to students also opens up lines of dialogue between the instructor and the students. Even expectations that are expressed clearly will garner questions from students. This provides the instructor with a chance to engage, familiarize themselves with and challenge students in unscripted and random ways. This helps to build a rapport, comfort and respect between both parties which will improve over all communication for the duration of the course.
What additional considerations
should the instructor take into account when setting up an online learning
experience?
An instructor should take into account the differences that each
student brings to the table (Laureatte, 2013); both to learn more about the
their students, as well as to be aware of sensitivities that students may
possess based on things such as religion, cultural beliefs or personal life
experiences. A student that does not feel comfortable in an online environment
is more inclined to drop the course, which is not a desired. Also, knowing and
respecting your students background allows you to engage them on a personal
level, leading to a higher comfort level and hopefully a more engaged and active
student.
Instructors should also take care
to:
· *Properly establish an active and robust online
presence because students relate a strong teacher presence course effectiveness (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010)
· * Prepare a syllabus particular to the online
course, not simply copy a syllabus from a face-to-face course
· *Provide an engaging and fun ice breaker
· *Perform a quality check for the course site and
tools required for the course
Please feel free to leave comments
and questions below J
References
Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online
teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Conrad, R., &
Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and
resources for creative instruction (Updated ed.). San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Laureate Education, Inc.
(2013). Launching the Online Learning Experience [Video
webcast]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2818946_1%26url%3D
Christopher,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog. I agree with your comment that an instructor should take into account the differences that each student brings to the table. The community college in which I work is in the Northern Virginia area, Alexandria and Arlington are among the most diverse urban areas in the country with New Americans from more than 150 nations living there. So I can totally relate to your comment that instructors have to be congnizant of the sensitivities that students may possess based on things such as religion, cultural beliefs or personal life experiences.
If we expect learners to be open and vulnerable in expressing what they do or do not know without seeing one another, encouraging social interaction first is a must Boettcher & Conrad, 2010). We as online instructors must encourage social interaction early in the course in order to engage and understand our students better.
Understanding our students will lead to a more postitve learning experience in the online learning environment.
Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Christopher, great post. In our situation, we have eight weeks together, which seems like such a short time. One wonders how we come to understand the unique differences of each other in that amount of time, especially in an online environment. As you (and Jarice in her comment) point out, we as instructors need to be sensitive to the individual needs of those we interact with. This takes some real focus on the part of all participants.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you posting about the various "differences each student brings to the table". The differences of online learning and face-to-face learning are incredible. In the face-to-face setting one has the advantage of seeing that person, in the moment, being able to read expressions, postures, subtle gestures. Having clear expectations, guidelines, and rules of etiquette sets the "tone" for appropriate behavior in an online setting. Allowing for an engaging, safe environment.
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