Modifying the Traditional Syllabus for an Online: Ten Tips for Online Teaching Success

Modifying the Traditional Syllabus for an Online: Ten Tips for Online Teaching Success 

When teachers begin to move their classes online their first idea, especially if they have had no training, is to transpose their face-to-face classes word for word to online. The course then becomes read/test, which is frustrating for both teachers and students. Some tips that I have found useful after teaching online classes for many years – since 1997!

1. Be very specific in online courses. I have had teachers tell me that teaching online has made their f2f documents better. 
2.  In an online class give more information on Netiquette, Technical Requirements, where to get technical help. (It should not be YOUR job to do this.)
3. Video may need text equivalent. Not all students have fast connections (even if they are in the US). A text equivalent is required by ADA regulations also.
4. It is easier to link to a site if it is on the Web instead of downloading it and putting the video on your institution’s server. Make use of web resources.
5. Just putting up the Syllabus does NOT mean that students read it. I give a Syllabus Quiz. It is not a lot of points, but I want students to take it. I allow retakes because I want the students to know the answers.
6.  I make very clear in the Syllabus that this course is NOT self study. Students know there are deadlines in the class and they must post when due. I actually make then read and email me a “Letter of Agreement” that says they read the Syllabus and know what is expected. I want students to drop the course in the drop/add period if they think the course is “fun and games.”
7. What to do about late postings and assignments? I do give credit but I make it very worthwhile to do it on time, and I do not accept work over five days late. I think a 24-hour requirement is a hardship for students.
8.  I have sometimes given students the ability to rate themselves. I make a pact with them – I grade before I look at their self rating. If my grade is higher than their grade then my grade stands. If my grade is lower, then I read their rationale and may revise if I agree with them.
9. Integrate discussions and assignments so you do not have to criticize in the discussion board. In most Course Management Systems, such as Blackboard and Moodle, assignments are one-to-one, student to teacher. The discussions, unless you carefully structure otherwise, are many-to-many.
10.  Power Point is easy to use, but there really are some students who do NOT have the software. It also adds overhead and download time. My advice is that if you wish to give student information then use a text document (save in .rtf format). However, if PowerPoint is necessary because of graphics or sound then present in the .ppt not the .pptx format or as an automatic play.

Designing Group Work Online

Planning Group Work Online

Group work online can be tricky but it can be done if it is well organized and if the rubrics are clear to the group. 

I have found that online groups of 2 do not work. They work in a face-to-face class because if somebody is absent you can switch group members. You cannot do that online, and, in an online class, even very good students have times when they must be absent. I like groups of 4-5.

 It does take more time to do group work online than it does in a face-to-face class. I usually give at least two weeks, preferably 3-4 weeks. What I do is put those who post early in the week in the same group, and those who post latter in the week in a different one. I do not think it is fair that students who complete their work early in the week should be in a group of others who are always “Last minute.” That means that I do not start group work in week 1 of the class unless I have had the same students before. It also means I monitor the interaction among students. 

 I also put myself as a member of each group and monitor the group. The students know they can ask me a question at any time. I keep refining my directions for group work every time I use it. “Social Loafing” can be a problem if you give everybody in the group the same grade. 

Group work should be done to achieve an educational objective. It should not be a way for the teacher to do less work. One teacher in a class I taught mentioned she would use all group work as a way to cut down on her time. When she was assigned group work herself in the course she said: “I hate to do group work” and was not a good teacher. When she started teaching an online course the students complained so strongly about her that she had to be replaced. Students know when you are not involved in the course.

Time Saving Tips for Online Teachers

Time Saving Tips to Make Online Teaching easier

As you continue to teach online you develop time saving tips. It does get easier. I average between seven and ten hours a week per class in teaching, but I have been doing this a long time – since 1997. Developing a course takes much longer. You cannot simply dump your face-to-face class into an online course site and expect success. 

I do think you need to set some boundaries. You can burn out if you try to be available all the time.  It is a happy medium. If you don’t log into the class every day your students will wonder where you are and you may be presented with a lot of work to do all at once. However, if you answer every student’s post immediately you will become exhausted.

Remember when you consider your time that in online teaching you can teach “anywhere.” You do not have to be at home. If you do consulting or traveling then you can either take your laptops with you or find a cyber café.  Last week I was away from home, and the place I was staying had WiFi. I brought my iPad2 and I was able to function but it was frustrating at time because I am used to my PC. 

It does get easier each time you teach an online course. In the beginning the first time you teach online can be overwhelming, but be assured it will get better as you become more proficient. The design of the online course makes all the difference, and you will find that if you, yourself, design the course, then you will spend a lot of time planning the class structure. 

In many schools teachers are compensated on a per-student basis. This means the more students they teach the more money they make.  Unfortunately, this sometimes encourages teachers to take more than they can handle.  Also sometimes administrators see online classes as a way to add more students. I believe online classes should be capped at 20.

Specific tips on time saving:

If you are not available by phone after a certain time at night let the students know this. You may want to encourage students new to the technology, especially if they are in the class with experienced technology users, that it will be easier as they go along. You may need a phone conference with a few.  Be at your computer and encourage them to be at their computer also.

Make friends with the IT support people. 

 

Set limits on your time. As in life there is a “happy medium.”  If you try to respond to every post within 6 hours you will exhaust yourself. However, if you only log on once or twice a week then you will have a lot to read and respond to and students may wonder if you are reading their messages.  

Set up a comfortable place to do your computer work. Be comfortable. That’s the big advantage. Remember you do not have to dress up, drive your car, find a parking place, and walk to the office. Enjoy that freedom. 

Make up a printable list of all class assignments with due dates and tell your students where it is. Print it yourself so you can keep track of it.

You will occasionally find a student who “over posts,” replying to every posting. Many times the other students in the class will handle this. An e-mail from you also helps. I would never make a comment to the student in the discussion board itself. 

I do find it helpful, especially for undergrad students, to have specific days assignments are due. In my case, it is Tuesday and Friday. I remind the students: “Every Tuesday and Friday you know you have an assignment. If you wake up and it’s Tuesday or Friday then you know there is an assignment due.” In graduate courses I have assignments due at the end of the week, but I do require original posts earlier than replies. 

 A good question: “What happens if we get sick or something happens in our life that means we will be away for a while?” There may be times when we can’t log on. Maybe we had a horrible thing happen in our lives: sickness, death of one close to us, an emergency at work. I think if we can manage to let the students know they will understand. I have left with my husband a list of contact people in case anything happens to me. 

Use copy and paste and other functions of your Word Processor when appropriate. I know an English teacher was tired of seeing the same errors over and over again in student work so she took the time to make up Word macros for common errors like comma slice. She would then just have to press, for example, ALT-C and the information on common slice would appear. You can also use the Track Changes feature to make corrections in a different color inside student assignments. 

Let the students know IN THE BEGINNING OF THE CLASS that this is NOT an independent study course, and that they will have deadlines to meet. If you expect discussion then let them know that also. I do give a short quiz on the Syllabus, worth a few points. If students expect “fun and games” then I want them to drop the course during the drop/add period.  I allow students to retake the quiz until they get the questions correct because I want them to know the requirements. 

Remember it DOES get easier as you continue to teach IF you make improvements and seek student input!

Constructing an Online Course Using Blackboard

Question Tips Best ideas for course construction?        Build class around objectives        Use the tools provided by Blackboard        Provide objectives at unit and week levels along with information resources        Use color appropriately to give students a clue to different topics        Use a calendar with links to the assignments        Use a textbook with a CD-ROM        View courses developed by other instructors        Many students find the weekly format easiest to keep track of assignments Best ideas for course organization?        Arrange in seminar format        Use course outcomes and units        Establish weekly topics        Set up by topics or in seminar format        Break down the students by area of interest and/or student locale        Give external links to APA guide, CDC, Healthy People 2010        Create folders to arrange and group content into manageable units Best ideas about Blackboard?        Blackboard is easy to use and access        Blackboard has ease of navigation        The course instructor should be familiar with Blackboard        There may need to be a course for students who are unfamiliar with the technology        Many options to create a variety of lesson types        Use video access capability in developing courses        Ease of use in color coding in posts and discussions Best tip about planning for collaboration?        Share and develop e-Portfolios and work together on projects        Design good discussion questions        Define what you expect and then design so that students can achieve the desired objective        Work on case studies or vignettes        Have group activities include nurses in the community as collaborators with students        Have group activities flow around content areas        Use small group work, but design with care and do not start immediately when the class begins unless you have had the students in a previous class.        Have each student post a case study for all students and instructor to write responses