147PRACTICALTIPSFORTEACHINGONLINEGROUPS

EssentialsofWebBasedEducationby:
DonaldE.Hanna,MichelleGlowackiDudka&SimoneConceigaoRunlee
(ForcompletetextyoumaycheckthisbookoutfromtheCTELibrary)

CHAPTER1BEFOREYOUBEGIN

1. Knowyourself
Asateacher,youmustknowyourself,yourassumptions,your
learningandteachingpreferences,andyourstrengthsand
weaknesses.

2.Determineyourphilosophyofteachingandlearning

Teachercentered,learnercentered,learningcommunitycentered
ortechnologydriven.

3. Beateamplayer
Asaninstructor,youmaywanttoworkwithcolleaguestoform
aninstructionaldesignteamforyourcourse.
Teammembersmayinclude:
*InstructorHeorisresponsibleforplanning,implementing,
andevaluatinginstructionalactivitiesthatareusedtoteachthe
courseandinfluencethelearningthatoccurswithinin.
*CoordinatorThecoordinatormaybeinvolvedtoorganizethe
programandserveasaliaisonbetweentheinstructorandthe
othermembersoftheteam.
*LearnerliaisonThispositioninvolveshelpinglearners
navigatetheorganization;solveproblemsrelatedto
organizationalstructureandpolicies,anddealwithotherlogistics
thatmightimpedethelearningprocess.
*InstructionaldesignerTheinstructionaldesignerisinvolved
toguidetheinstructorinoverallcoursedesignandtheuseof
appropriatetechnologies.
*GraphicdesignerAgraphicdesignermaybeinvolvedin
creatingthegraphicsoreffects.
*TechnologypersonnelThisindividualisresponsiblefor
equipmentsetup,networkconnections,testing,and
troubleshooting.
*ResourcepersonnelResourcepersonnelareresponsiblefor
developingorfindingreadingsandothercoursematerial,which

mayincludelibrarians,researchassistantsorspecialistsinthe
field.
*AdministrativepersonnelTheyareresponsibleforensuring
anadequatebudgetforthecourse,implementingtargeted
marketingeffortsandoverseeingtheregistrationprocessofthe
course.

4. Learnnewskillsforteachingonline
*Communicatewithteammembers
*Preparingandfollowingtimelines
*Workingwithdesignpersonneltodevelopcourseformatandstrategies
*Schedulingguestexperts
*Obtainingcopyrightapprovals
*Developingcontingencyplans
*Takingcareofprogramlogistics
*Preparingcourseresourcesaheadoftime
*Providingfeedbacktolearners

5. Understandyouraudience
Inmarketingaprogramorcourse,itsimportanttounderstandtheneeds,
backgrounds,characteristics,andexpectationsofthetargetlearners.

6. Understandtheonlineenvironment
Multiplecomponentstechnologyandresourcesbecomeessential
whenyouredesigninganonlineteachingenvironment.

7.Learnaboutthetechnology
Becomefamiliarwithyourhardwareandsoftwareandtheirunderlying
featuresandsubtleties.

8. Learnaboutyourresources
Becomefamiliarwiththelearningandtechnologyresourcesavailable
withinyourorganization.

9. Recognizetheabsenceofphysicalpresence
Inacompletelyonlineenvironment,thisimmediate,informalvisualand
verbalfeedbackisnotavailabletousinawaywereaccustomedtoboth
sendingandreceiving.Tosomeextent,youcancompensateforthis
communicatedbodylanguageandotherphysicalcues.Asmorepeople
joinavirtualenvironment,anewlanguageofcuesisbeingdeveloped,
with:)andothersymbolsbeingusedtoexpressemotivecontent.

10. Createmultiplespacesforwork,interaction,andsocializing
Learningoccursinmorethanonesettinginfacetofaceclassrooms,(for
example:aspartofbeforeclassrelaxationandsocialization.)Youcan

incorporatesimilarforumsintoyouronlinecourse.Forexample,you
mightorganizesmallgroupsintoonespacetorespondtocontent
questionsortoworkongroupprojects.Orencourageindividuallearners
toposttheirpapersandassignmentstotheirowncontentorientedweb
pages.

11. Includemultipletypesofinteractions
Onecommonformofinteractionisforateacherorwebpagedesignerto
putcontentontoawebpageandforthelearnerstoreadit,reviewit,or
bequizzedaboutitlateronwithnoactualcommunicationtakingplace
betweentheteacherandlearner.

12. Considerwhichinteractionstoinclude
Whendesigninganonlinecourse,thinkintermsofthetypesof
interactionyouwanttoinclude.

13. Considerlearnertoteacherinteraction
Thismayincludeonlinejournals,paperassignments,orquizzesinwhich
learnersinteractdirectlywithyouandreceivefeedback.

14. Considerlearnertolearnerinteraction
Thisinvolveslearnersparticipatinginactivitieswitheachother,online
discussionsfocusingonproblembasedscenarios,problemsolving,or
casestudies.

15. Considerlearnertoexpertinteraction
Toenhancethecourse,learnersmayinviteacommunitymemberor
guestexperttoparticipateinorcontributetothecourse.Activitiesmight
includeinterviewingtheguest,holdinganonlinediscussionwiththe
expert,orexploringissueswithpractitioners.

16. Considerlearnertocontent
Inlearnertocontentinteraction,youtheteacherplayanindirectroleby
postingcontentordirectingthelearnerstoworkontheirown.

17. Considerlearnertotechnologyinteraction
Someactivitiesmayinvolvelearnersincompletingtasksusingasoftware
program.

18. Establishthepreferredclasssize
Decidethesizeofyourclassbeforeyoudesignthecourse.Itisimportant
torecognizethatescalatingsizeincreasesthelogisticalsupportyoull
needandreducesthedirectinteractionyoullhavewithyourlearners.

19. Considerteambasedlearning

Teambasedlearningisanexcellentstrategytousebecauseonline
learningpresentsrichopportunitiesforcreatingteamsforproblem
solving,projectdevelopment,anddiscussion.

20. Formpersonalrelationshipsonline
Thefirstclassmeetingandtheintroductionsamongparticipantssetthe
toneforwhatistocome?

21. Developlearningcommunities
Alearningcommunityisagroupofpeoplewhohavecometogetherto
formacultureoflearninginwhicheveryoneisinvolvedinacollective
effortofunderstanding.

22. Learnthroughdialogue
Hopefully,yourparticipantswilllearnthroughdialogue,respondtoideas,
andcontinuediscussionsbyofferingtheirconcise,thoughtfulcomments.

23. Bepreparedandflexible
Theonlineenvironmentrequiresadifferentamountandstyleof
preparationforyouasateacher.Inanonlineenvironment,however,you
mustdefinethespacefordiscussionbeforetheclassbeginsbyoutlining
whatkindsofinteractionswillbeusedandthroughwhatformat.

24. Defineyourroleintheonlineclassroom
Whenteachingonline,youmayhavemorethanonerole,dependingon
theinstructionalstrategyyoureusing.Considerthefollowingpoints:
*Setattainablegoalsforyourlearners,andusethebenchmarksto
acknowledgetheirgrowth.
*Stateyourexpectationsandminimumparticipationrequirements
upfront.
*Negotiatenormswiththelearners.
*Beaccessiblebutnotdominatingonline.
*Considercarefullyyourmodelingandmentoringprocessesand
ideologies.
*Beacoachandcheerleader.
*Learnwithandfromtheclassmembers.

25. Clarifyyourexpectationsoflearnersroles
Inaninteractivecourse,thelearnersrolebecomesmorecomplexand
moreactive.

26. Expectlearnerstobepresentonlineandtoavoidpassively
observing
Eachlearnercancontributehisorherideasatacomfortablepace.Some
learnersaremorecomfortablecommunicatingverbally.

27. Expectlearnerstocreate,share,andholdknowledgeand
experiences
Forexample,learnerswhoaremorefamiliarwiththetechnologycan
helpthefirsttimerswiththeirquestionsorproblems.

28. Expectlearnerstobeselfmotivatedandselfdirected
*Giveyourlearnersabriefquiztoassesstheirreadinessforonline
learning.
*Discussyourrequirementsatthebeginningofclass.
*Askthestudentstocreateandsharewithyoucalendarsorlearning
contractsshowingwhentheywillschedulecourseactivities.

29. Expectlearnerstomanagetheirtimeeffectively
Onlinecoursesmovequicklyandrequireselfdiscipline.Theonline
discussionisalwaysthere,justaclickaway,butresponsetimeis
random.

30. Expectlearnerstobereadytolearn
Learninglooksdifferentinaninteractiveonlineclass;participantsmay
needtobemoreselfdirectedandattentive.

31. Expectlearnerstotroubleshootproblems
Problemsoftenoccurunexpectedlyinanonlineclass.Learnersneedtobe
abletogethelpeasily,buttheyalsoneedtobeabletoapproacha
problemwithmultiplepointsofadviceandsolution.

32. Expectlearnerstocontributetotheclassdiscussion
Toensurecontributionfromyourstudents,youmaywanttorequirea
minimumnumberofpostingfromeachlearnereachweek.

33. Expectlearnerstoteachothersandfacilitatetheexperience
Learnersinonlinecourseshaveenormousopportunitiestobethe
teacherwhetherintroubleshootingthesoftwareandthetechnologyor
informingandcommunicatingtheirideasaboutthecontentoftheclass.

34. Expectlearnerstoactascollegialmembersoftheclass
Thewrittenlanguagemaybemisinterpretedandcausealevelof
discomfortamongthemembersofanonlinecommunity.

35.Expectlearnerstoreviewreadingsandmaterialsthoughtfullyand
reflectively
Youmaypostmaterialdirectlyontheweborinawebconferencing
environment,sendmaterialtolearnersviaemailattachment,orserver.

36. Expectlearnerstoprovidetimely,meaningfulfeedbacktoyouand
theirfellowlearners

Whenlearnershaveastatementtomaketoyouortheirclassmates,they
shouldwriteandsubmititrightaway;otherwise,thenexttimetheyread
theclasspostingstheirideamaynolongerfitinwiththediscussion.

37. Expectlearnerstobeleaders
Byactingasleaders,thelearnerscantakeownershipofthecourseand
betterconnectwithwhatsbeingtaught.

38. Expectlearnerstolistentoothers
Byhavingallinteractiontaketheshapeofwrittenwords,thelearnerscan
gobackandrereadcommentstoascertaintheintentandtheactual
meaningbehindthewords.

39. Expectlearnerstocommunicatebyaddressingeachother,notjust
you
Tohelpyourlearnersbuildpersonalandcollegialrelationshipswitheach
other,encouragethemtosharetheircommentsandideaswitheveryone,
notjustyou.

40. Expectlearnerstobeproactive
Technologydoesntalwayswork,andsometimesalearnermightbe
havingtroublewithoutyourealizingit.Attimeslikethese,learnersneed
tobeproactiveandinformyou.

41. Expectlearnerstoobservetheprocess
Learninghappensonmanylevels.Inaninteractivecourse,learners
shouldavoidfocusingsolelyontheassignmentsandtheproductsofthe
course;theyshouldalsoobservetheprocessoftheonlinediscussion.

42. Establishacontingencyplan
Wheneveryoureworkingwithtechnology,youcanneverguaranteethat
itwilldowhatyouwantittodo.Haveanalternativewayforyour
learnerstoreachyou(suchasadifferentemailaddress,phonenumber)
incaseofemergency.And,astheteacher,testthetechnologyoften,back
upyourfiles.

CHAPTER2MYTHSANDCONSTRAINSOFONLINE
TEACHINGANDLEARNING
43. Myth:Learnersareunabletoadapttotheonlineenvironment
Peoplelearninmultiplewaysandthroughmultiplesenses.Althoughthe
preferenceforonelearningstylemaybestronger,mostpeoplecanlearn
inavarietyofways.

44. Myth:Theinstructorhastoknowhowtodoeverything

Teachinginanonlineenvironmentshouldbeateameffort.Youshouldbe
abletocallupontechnologyspecialists,instructionaldesigners,andmany
otherstohelpyoudevelopandimplementyourcourse.

45. Myth:Timerequirementsforteachersarelowerinanonline
environment
Online,interactivecoursesareopen24hoursaday,sevendaysaweek;
theyaretimeconsumingandchallenging.

46. Myth:Onlineclassroomsarentconducivetogroupinteractionand
activities
Conferencingsoftwareoffersmanyopportunitiesforinteractionin
multiplegroupsettingsthatyoudetermineandnegotiatewithyour
learners.

47. Myth:Onlineclassroomsarentassocialasfacetofaceclassrooms
You,astheinstructor,areresponsibleforcreatingthetypesofspaces
learnerswantandneed,andforsensingyourlearnersexpectations.You
mustalsogaugehowimportantsocialinteractionistotheparticipants.

48. Myth:Thenumberoflearnersinonlineclassroomsisunlimited
Demandforinteractionhasasimilareffectupononlineclassrooms.

49. Myth:Technologywillalwayswork
Ofcourse,technology(includingsoftware)doesntalwaysworkand
technologythatdoesntworkorthatissocomplexthatitlimitsyouand
yourlearnersasyouattempttoachievethelearning.

50. Myth:Thecoursewillmarketitself;postitonthewebandtheywill
come
Unlessyourcoursehasapredefinedaudiencethatisdelineatedand
organizedwellinadvance,marketingyourcourseonlinecanbea
significantchallengeforbothyouandyourorganization.

51. Myth:Learnerswillalwaysunderstandyourintendedexpectations
forthemfromyourclearlywrittensyllabus
Learnersdontalwaysimmediatelyunderstandthedetailsofclass
materials,theclasssyllabusappearsinatextbasedformatand
discussionaboutitscontentisdifficult.

CONSTRAINTSFORINTERACTIVEONLINETEACHINGANDLEARNING

52. Constraint:Fearoftechnology
Somepeopleembracenewtechnologieseagerly,whileothersareafraid
ofchangeandthepressurestechnologyhasontheirunderstandingofthe
world.Althoughtechnologyisallaroundus,somepeopleareafraidofit.


53. Constraint:Differentlevelsoftechnologyskills
Thechallengesmayincludeadaptingthepaceofthecoursetoallowtime
forthoselearnerswhoneedtoupgradetheirskills.Theopportunities
mayincludethepossibilityofteamingtechnicallyproficientlearnswith
thosewhoarelessproficientsothattheycanbetechnologybuddies.

54. Constraint:Literacylevels
Someonlinecoursesaredirectedatimprovingliteracyskills,butmost
coursesrequireparticipantstoexpressthemselvesandunderstand
othersthroughthewrittenword.

55. Constraint:Abilitytotypeandusethekeyboard
Again,sincemostinteractioninanonlinecourseistyped,learnersshould
beabletotypeatareasonablelevel.

56. Constraint:AccesstoacomputerandanInternetconnection
Computersandsoftwarebeingusedareonlytoolsthatenablelearning
andinteractionamongyouandyourlearners.Learnersmusthaveaccess
toworkingtoolsinordertoparticipatefully.

57. Constraint:Thecomfortofphysicalworkspace
Thephysicalenvironmentwhereeachlearnerworkscandeterminethe
qualityoftheonlineteachingandlearningexperience.Soencourage
studentstohavecomfortablechairsthatsupporttheirweight,because
theylloftenberequiredtositforlongperiodsoftime.

58. Constraint:Havingadisability
Considerinadvancehowyouwilladdressissuesofaccesstoyour
classroomenvironmentandthematerialsyouuse.Manyphysical
disabilities,suchasthoseinvolvingsight,hearing,andmovement,canbe
effectivelyaddressedinonlineenvironmentsthroughtheapplicationof
specializedtechnologiesdevelopedforthosespecificpurposes.

59. Constraint:Notbeingabletocorrespondinthelanguageofthe
course
WiththeworldwidewebnatureoftheInternet,morelearnersare
crossingvirtualbordersandenrollingforcourses.Thus,assessingyour
prospectivelearnerslanguageproficienciesisanothergoodreasonto
communicatewithyourlearnersbeforeyourcoursebegins.

60. Constraint:Reachingacrossmultipletimezones
Becauseonlineeducationpermitsasynchronouslearning,itcanbe
particularlyeffectiveinconnectinglearnersacrossmultipletimezones.
Atthesametimeyoureffortstobuildintoyourcourserealtime,

synchronousinteractionsortoincorporatesystematic,teambased
activities.

CHAPTER3ORGANIZINGTHEONLINECOURSE

61. Identifythecoursedesign
Inanonlinecourse,theelementoftechnologyalsoentersthemix.This
sectiondiscussestheissuesyouneedtothinkaboutwhenyoure
organizingyourcoursedesign.

62. Considercoursegoalsandobjectives
Todevelopanonlinecourse(oranyothercourse),youneedtoclarify
thesegoalsandobjectivesandwritethemsothatyoucanclearly
communicatethemtolearnersandothersworkingonthecourse.

63. Considercontent
Whatwillyouinclude?Whatmethodswillyouusetoconveythecontent?
Inaninteractiveonlinecourse,somecontentandmethodsworkbetter
thanothers.

64. Considerreadings
Selectreadingsthatprovidedifferentperspectivesonthecoursetopic.
UsetheWorldWideWebforsomeofthereadings.

65. Considerresources
Becomefamiliarwiththeresourcesavailablewithinyourorganization.
Manyorganizationsplacereservematerialsonlineandprovideonline
accesstolibraryresourcesviatheweb.

66. Considercopyrightissues
Copyrighttendstobeoneoftheleastfamiliarareasofconcernformost
onlineteachers,butdontoverlookit.

67. Determinemethodsofdelivery
Onlineprogramscanbeeitherinteractiveornoninteractive.

68. Considerinteractiveapplications
Interactiveapplicationsarecomputerprogramsthatenabletwoormore
peopletointeractwhileonline.Amongtheseapplicationsarechat
functions,bulletinboards,shareddocuments,andemail.

69. Considernoninteractiveapplications
Noninteractiveapplicationsarecomputerprogramsthatdontrequire
humaninteraction.Youcanusetheseprogramsforquizzes,webposting,
streaming,contentpagesandmessageboardsputonawebpage.

70. Givelearnersappropriateadvanceinformation
Whenpossible,beforeyourcoursebegins,contactyourlearnerstotell
themaboutyourexpectationsforthecourseandtogathersome
preparatoryinformationfromthem.

71. Telllearnersaboutthecomputerhardwareandsoftwaretheyll
need
Inaletterorphonecalltothestartofthecourse,remindthelearnersthat
theywillbeparticipatinginanonlinecourse.Makesuretheyhavethe
softwareandhardwaretheyllneedtoaccessandparticipateinthe
course.

72. Telllearnersaboutthelevelofcomputingproficiencytheyllneed
Interviewtheregisteredlearnersabouttheirfamiliaritywithcomputers
andtheirlevelofcomputingproficiency.

73. Telllearnersaboutthelevelofcoursecontentandthecoursestime
expectations
Inaletterorphonecall,andalsoinyoursyllabus,besuretoinclude
informationonthelevelofcoursecontent,yourexpectationsabout
participationsinthecourse,andadescriptionofthecoursesprojectsand
activities.

74. Decideandcommunicatewhatsprivateandwhatspublic
Teachinginaninteractiveonlineenvironmentdependsonestablishinga
safe,trustinglearningcommunitywherelearnerscansharetheir
experiences,opinions,andideasrelatedtothecourse.

75. Developcoursedetails
Thissectionfocusesondetailssuchasthediscussionguidelines,the
syllabus,contentorganization,thecoursetimeline,andcourse
assignments.
76. Establishdiscussionguidelines
Establishingguidelinesforparticipantspostingsisanimportantaspect
ofonlineteaching(andlearning).Doingsogiveslearnersasenseof
knowledgeandastructurefortheironlinediscussions.

77. Developaflexiblesyllabus
Imagineitasaflexibleframeworkforthecourse.Useatopicdriven
outlinethatfeaturesspaceformoreorlessindepthexplorationforthe
content.

78. Organizecontentintomodulesorunits

Modulesorunitsprovidestructureandasenseofcontentorganization
foryourlearners.Byofferingstructureandaseriesofshortassignments,
youllkeepyourlearnersfocusedonthecourse.

79. Createatimeline
Dependingonthetypeofcourseyouredesigning,considerproviding
chronological,developmental,orprocessorientedtimelines.

80. Developassignments
Learnersareultimatelyresponsibleforcompletingcourseassignments.
However,youhaveadutytoprovidedetailedguidelinesforthistask.

81. Decideaboutevaluationtechniquestouse
Evaluationistheprocessofgatheringinformationabouttheworthor
qualityoflearningandinstruction.Why,sothatyoucanmakedecisions
toincreasetheworthorqualityofthelearningorinstruction.

82. Evaluateyourlearners
Evaluatebeforeinstruction,duringthecourseandafterthecourse.

83. Assesscourseeffectiveness
BeforeInstruction:Howwellistheinstructionlikelytowork?
Willtheinstructionholdlearnersinterest?
DuringInstruction:Whatobstaclesarelearnersencountering?What
canbedonetomaintainlearnermotivation?
AfterInstruction:Whatimprovementscouldbemadeintheinstruction?
Didlearnersfindtheinstructioninteresting,valuable,andmeaningful?

STRATEGIESFOREVALUATINGLEARNING

84. Usequizzes
Inanonlineenvironment,youcanpostquizzesonawebsite,attachthem
toemail,orpostthemasregularmessages.Whendevelopingonline
quizzes,besuretoconnectquestionstospecificlearningobjectives.

85. Useessays
Whenusingessaystomeasureyourlearnerscompetencies,consider
includingspecificdirectionsbyphrasingquestionsorstatementsclearly
(suchascompare,contrast,formulate,discuss,define,)thatway
yourlearnerswillunderstandwhatyouexpect.

86. Useportfolios
Theportfoliodocumentsthelearnersefforts,development,or
accomplishmentsthroughoutthecourse.

87. Useperformanceevaluation
Performanceevaluationinvolvesassessingaskillthelearnerneedsto
accomplishaspecifictask.Itsatechniquerequiringthatlearnersknow
notonlywhattodo,butalsohowtodoit.

88. Useinterviews
Interviewsareconductedononepersonaskingquestionsandtheother
personresponding.Youandyourlearnerscanconductinterviewswith
thesynchronousfeatureofconferencingsystemsbyusingtextbased,
videobasedandaudiobasedenvironments.

89.Usejournals
Theyarerecordslearnerskeepastheyworkthroughanexperience.At
theendofeachstage,learnerscouldwriteouttheirthoughtsand
experiencesaboutwhathappenedduringtheprocess.

90. Usereflectivepapers
Herearesomeelementsyoumightlookforinlearnersreflectivepapers:
*Asummaryofthecommonthemescoveredintheonlinejournals.
*Ananalysisoftheparticipantslearninginthecourse.
*Areflectiononhowtheparticipantsexperiencesasalearneraffecthis
orherownpractice.

91. Usewebsitedevelopment
Encouragelearnerstodevelopwebsitesto:
*Educateatargetaudienceintheirfield
*Performatask
*Presentfacts
*Teachconcepts
*Showprocedures
*Demonstrateprocesses
*Provideprinciples/guidelines

92. Uselearnerparticipationfigures
Youmayassignaminimumnumberofpostingsweekly,whichwillmake
learnerspresenceknownthroughsubstantivecontributionstothe
course,discussions,andactivities.

93. Usepeerassessment
Sincemuchofthelearningthatoccursininteractiveonlinecourseisdone
collaboratively,youmightwanttogiveyourlearnersthechancetoassess
eachotherscontributionstocoursediscussionsandcommongroup
activities.

94. Uselearnerselfassessment
Itsagreatwaytouncovertheinternaljourneyofeachlearner.


95. Considerhowyoullgradeassignments
Gradingisaprocessforassessinglearningthroughtestsandassignments.
Gradingmeanstailoringthetestorassignmentstothelearninggoalsfor
thecourse,determiningcriteriaandstandards,helpinglearnersgainthe
skillsandknowledgetheyneed,assessingstudentslearningovertime,
etc

96. Developawaytoevaluategroupprojects
Youcanevaluategroupprojectsbyaskinglearnerstoreflectuponthe
followingelements:
*Learningthatoccurred:
Individuallyandteamgenerated,depthoflearningoverall
*Presentationstyle/creativity:
Organization,aspectsofthepresentationrepeatordodifferently
*Content:
Scope,depthandrelevancetothecourse

97. Developawaytogradeportfolios
*Rationale:Providetherationaleorpurposeoftheportfolio
*Goals/Intent:Definethegoalsorintentoftheportfolio,andprovide
processobjectives
*Content/Examples:Useaminimumnumberofexamplesthatillustrate
growth
*Standards:Assesscontributionsofvaryingqualityandthelearners
reviewoftheprogressheorshehasmade
*SelfReflection:Includeasummaryofpersonalexperiencejournals
writtenthroughoutthecourse
*Judgments:Provideareflectivepaper,theproject,andthecoursegrade
*Organization:Developcontentanddisplayslogicallyandsystematically

98. Developawaytogradereflectivepapers
*Content:Fulfilltherequirementsandbecomprehensive
*Organization:Developcontentlogicallyandsystematically
*Clarity:Writeinaneasytoreadstylethatcommunicatesideasclearly
*QualityofWritingSkills:Usegrammar,spelling,andpunctuation
correctly

99. Considerstrategiesforcourseimprovement
*Oneminuteassessment
*Pretest/posttestapproach
*Directobservation
*Asklearnersfortheirreflections
*Peerreview
*Yourownselfreflection

100.Useaoneminuteassessment
Theoneminuteassessmentallowsyoutoaskquestionselectronically
andcollectanswersanonymously.

101.Useapretest/posttestapproach
Pretestsandposttestsassesslearnersknowledgeandskillsbefore
instruction,theirgrowingknowledgeandskillsduringinstruction,and
whattheyvelearnedattheendofinstruction.

102.Usealearnertryout
Thisstrategyreferstoatestrunonaninstructionalactivity,approach,
medium,ormaterialwithasmallgroupoflearnersbeforeusingitfora
particularunit/lesson/module.

103.Usedirectobservation
Thisstrategyreferstoobservinglearnersastheygothroughsomepart
oftheunit/lesson/module.Bydirectlyobservingthegroupdiscussions,
youreabletogaininformationabouttheprocessofyourinstructionand
theoutcomesofthestudentslearning.

104.Asklearnersfortheirreflections
Thisstrategyinvolvesparticipatinginsynchronousorasynchronous
conversationswithyourlearners,individuallyoringroups.Youmight
postquestionsrequiringlearnerstoexpresstheirfeelingsaboutyour
instruction(material,timelines,readings,etc.)

105.Conductpeerreviews
Havingsomeoneelselookatyourinstructionalmaterialshelpsyou
identifyinaccuracies,inconsistencies,andotherpotentialproblems.You
usuallyalsogainnewinsightsonthematerial.

106.Doateacherpreview
Occasionally,onlinecoursesareprepackaged.Thismeansthatthecourse
materialandactivitiesareproducedcommercially.Ifthisscenario
matchesyours,youlllikelyneedtopreviewthematerialsbeforeusing
themtodeterminewhetheryoullusethematerials,usethemwithsome
modificationoradaption,ornotusethematall.

107.Reflectonyourexperiences
Reflectingonyourownexperiencesoverwhathappenedduringa
lesson/unit/moduleisagoodwaytoidentifythepartsofthe
lesson/unit/modulethatdidordidnotwork.

CHAPTER4
BEGINNINGINSTRUCTIONINTHEONLINECOURSE:

IMPLMENTINGTHECOURSEDESIGN

108.Createaspaceforlearning
Theoverallgoalofanyteacheristocreateaspacewherelearnerscan
safelyexplorenewterritory.Toachievethisgoal,youmustbuild
confidenceinyourlearnerssothattheyfeelyourerespectingthemand
takingtheirneedsseriously.

109.Designstrategiesforassessinglearnerscharacteristicsandbuilding
learnersselfknowledge

Youneedtobeawarethatlearningstylesdiffer,andthatmanylearners,

arenotawareoftheirpreferredlearningstyle.

110.Designstrategiestointroducelearnerstoeachother
Learnerscanposttheirownbiographiesandexpectationsofthecourseto
introducethemselvesandtogettoknowothers.

111.Useeffectiveteachingstrategies
Whenteachingstrategiesareusedwellandappropriately,theycanhelp
youandyourlearnersbuildcommunity,understandthecontent,develop
skills,andreflectontheonlineeducationprocess.

112.Gainagreementwiththelearnersaboutrules,norms,and

proceduresfordiscussionanddosofromthestart
Iflearnersaretoplayanactiveroleindevelopingthecourseatmosphere,
youmustpreliminarilydefinethestructure,rules,norms,andprocedures
forcoursediscussionupfrontbutthengiveyourlearnersthechanceto
suggestimportantmodifications.

113.Useafreeflowingandinteractivecontentandstructure
Ifyouwanttoengagelearnerswiththecoursecontentandwitheach
other,youneedtodevelopafreeflowing,interactiveframeworkaround
whichyoucanstructuretheclass.

114.Developteambuildingactivities

Thecriteriaforformingteamsmightfocusupon:

*Commoninterests*Commonmajors

*Levelsofexperiencewithtechnology*Topicalfocus

*Varyingdisciplines

115.Sharebiographicalinformationorstories
Biographyactivitiesmightstartwithyouandyourlearnerssharing
personalorprofessionalinformationaboutyourselvesthroughthe
developmentofpersonalstories.

116.Sharecourseassignments
Throughoutyourcourse,learnersmightcreatefourorfivepageissue
papersrelatedtothecoursecontent,andthensharethosepaperswiththe
restofthegroupforcritiqueandanalysis.

117.Createasocialspace
Asocialenvironmentwillgiveyourlearnersanotherinformalavenuefor
establishingpersonalknowledgeofeachothersinterestsandgoalsfor
theclassandbeyond.

118.Involvelearnersinteamprojects
Teamprojectsgivelearnerstheopportunitytopracticeteambuilding
skills,gainleadershipandtimemanagementskills,andexperiencereal
lifesituations.

119.Developasynchronousgroupdiscussions
Youcanusethistypeofactivitywhenyourcourseisdividedintotopic
centeredmodulesforwhichspecificreadingsareassigned.Youmight,
forinstance,expectlearnerstocompletereadingassignmentsand
participateactivelyinonlinediscussionsattheirownscheduledtimes.

120.Developchallengingproblems
Whenyouaresearchingforproblemsforyourlearnerstodiscuss,
considerusingreallifeexamplesbutsimplifyingthemtothepointwhere
thefocusisclear.

121.Promotecriticalthinking
Learnersneedtobeabletoevaluatethequalityofthematerialtheyre
reviewingandtoconnectitwithotherpiecesofsimilardata.Theyalso
needtounderstandthepurposebehindcommunicatingthisinformation:
Isittosellsomething,tochangeanopinion,orjusttoinform?

122.Encouragelearnerstoevaluateinformation
Encourageyourlearnerstomakejudgmentsaboutsomethingby
measuringitagainstastandard,determiningcriteriaforjudgingmeritsor
ideas,prioritizingoptions,recognizingerrorsinreasoning,andverifying
argumentsandhypothesesthroughrealitytesting.

123.Encouragelearnerstoevaluateinformation
Involveyourlearnersinrecognizingpatternsoforganization;classifying
objectsintocategoriesbasedoncommonattributes;identifying
assumptionsthatunderliepositions;identifyingcentralideasintext,data,
orcreations;differentiatingmainideasfromsupportinginformation;and
findingsequencesororderinorganizedinformation.

124.Encouragelearnerstoconnectinformation

Engageyourlearnersincomparingandcontrastingsimilaritiesand
differencesamongobjectsorevents.Encouragelearnersindevelopingor
analyzinganargument,aconclusion,oraninference,andinproviding
supportfortheirassumptions.

125.Promoteselfregulatinglearning
Selfregulatinglearningreferstolearningnewcognitiveandself
managementstrategies.Encouragelearnerstodeveloptheirowncourse
goals,negotiatecriteriaandassignments,andcreateanenvironmentfor
independentlearning.

126.Buildcollaborativeskills
Groupprojects,teamwork,andcoursediscussionsallhelplearnerswork
togetheranddevelopcollaborativeskills.Asyourgroupformsandthe
learnersgettoknoweachother,peoplewillusuallytakeondifferent
roles.Theseroleswillrotateandtransformaseachlearnergrowsand
acquiresdifferentproficiencieswiththetechnologyandthecontent.

127.Createalooseframeworkforexploringtopics
Whendesigningyouronlinecourse,useaflexibleframeworkwithopen
endedquestionsandtopicsasafocus,butwithenoughspaceforyour
learnerstodevelopandexploretheissuesindepth.

128.Createopportunitiesforlearnerstoteachandtofacilitatediscussions
Ausefulroleforthelearnerstotakeonisthatoffacilitator.Mostpeople
learnbestbydoingorbyteachingotherswhattheyrelearning.

129.Addgamesandfunactivitiesintothelearningmix
Forsomevarietyinyourcourse,andtohelpyourlearnersdiscoverhowto
researchtopicsusingtheweb,trydoingInternetscavengerhuntsand

thensharingtheresourceslearnersdiscoverthroughanannotated

bibliographyorresourcelist.

130.Usingexistingsoftwareapplicationscreatively
YoucanusestandardizedsoftwareprogramslikeMicrosoftOfficeSuite,
ClarisWorks,andCorelSuitetoenhanceyouronlinecourse.These
programsgiveyouwaystocommunicateideasinamoreorderlyor
graphicalway,manageinformation,andconductresearch.

131.Usecasestudies
Casestudiesaresimilartousingreallifeproblems,butyoucannarrow
themdowntoemphasizeaspecificfacetofthecase.

132.Usesimulationsasopportunitiesforlearningbydoing

Simulationsfocusonlearningbydoingsotheycanhelpillustrate
abstractprocessesorbeusedasteambuildingexercises.Theyalsocreate
excitementandbuildcohesionwithintheonlinecommunity.

133.Useexternalcommunities,people,andresourcestobuildcontent
knowledge
Inviteoutsideguestspeakerstoparticipateinyouronlinediscussions.Or,
asklearnerstointerviewpeopleinthecommunitytoaddadifferentflavor
tothecoursecontent.

134.Createopportunitiesforreflectiononthecourse,technology,content,
andprocess
Tohelplearnersthinkaboutthebigpictureuseonlinejournalsthat
requirethelearnerstoreflectonthecourseprocess.

135.Helpyourlearnersmanageinformation
Thiscallsformanagingaccesstorecourses,academicdiscourse,
informationflow,andservicearrangements.

136.Encouragesubstantivefeedbackfromlearnersincludingyou

Yourresponsestolearnercommentsshouldbethoughtfuland

provocative.Theyshouldhelpstimulatecontinueddiscussionofatopic,
andhelpthelearnersmakeconnectionswiththeirfellowlearnersandthe
otherknowledgetheyvegained.

137.Motivateyourlearnerstoparticipate
Oncelearnersareengagedinthelearningcommunityandthecourse,
theyremuchmorelikelytocompletethecourse.

138.Givelearnersrolesduringdiscussions
Rollscanrotatethroughoutthecourse,witheachlearnertakingona
differentroleatdifferenttimes.

139.Makelearnersfacilitators
Asfacilitators,alearnermayberesponsibleforinitiatingadiscussionwith
oneortwoquestionsfromthereadings.

140.Makelearnersprocessobservers
Asprocessobserver,alearnermonitorsthegroupsdynamics.Process
observersareresponsibleformakingsurethateveryoneisparticipatingin
thediscussion,thatthereisanevennessofparticipationandthediscussion
maintainsacollegialandhelpfultone.

141.Makelearnersinformationnetworkers/summarizers

Thenetwork/summarizersroleistolookforkeythemesthatemergein
theconversation,keepingtrackofareasofconsensusanddisagreement
amonggroupmembers.

142.Consideronlineofficehours
Duringofficehoursyoucananswerquestionslearnersmighthaveabout
courseassignmentsorprojects.

143.Takeadvantageofopportunitiesforcontinuouslearning
Newsearchesyieldinformation,andthemultipleperspectivesand
approacheslearnerstakeintheirproblemsolvingactivitiesandresearch
openupnewavenuesforfuturecourses.

144.Readallyoucanaboutonlinelearning
WhetheryousubscribetosomeonlinelearningorientedInternet
discussiongroups,faithfullyreadtheInformationTechnologysections
onTheChronicleofHigherEducation,ortrackdownsomeofthemany
newbooksondistanceeducation,besuretokeepupwiththisdeveloping
paradigm!

145.Understandthatyourenottheonlyonewhofeelsalittle
overwhelmedonceinawhile
Changehappensquicklyinonlineteachingandlearningthatits
impossibletokeepupwithitall.

146.Knowthatsometime,someday,youllstrugglewiththetechnology
Technologyiswonderful,butitcanalsobetemperamental.Sobe
preparedtobedisappointedorangeredbyitsomeday.

147.EnjoyYourself
Onlineteachingmayscareyou,atleastatfirst.Butitcanalsobevery
rewarding,especiallyasyouperfectwaystoinvolveyourlearnersintheir
ownlearning.Sobepatientwithyourself,withyourlearners,andwiththe
technologyandhavefun!