Concerns of New Online Teachers

1. ·        New online teachers are often concerned about not being able to see their students and have their student see them. Web technology will soon make it possible for the students to see you and you to see them, but if you do that then the asynchronous nature of online is lost. I have found that the personality of the students and the instructor does come through in online postings.
2. ·        Medical problems: Internet addiction and physical problems, such as carpel tunnel syndrome are possible for the teacher and the student. One of my past students noted that when she started teaching online she gained weight. I think that there are great physical demands in face-to-face teaching if you are moving around the classroom and interacting with the students. In online teaching you are mostly sitting, so I can see how weight gain could be a concern.
3. ·        Student confusion at login can be a problem. Some institutions offer a course in the software. That is a barrier unless it is optional or unless it is an introductory course that carries credit.
4. ·        Sometimes students need a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to see if others have asked the same thing.
5. ·        Often, especially at the undergrad level, I give a Quiz on the Syllabus the first week of class. It is for credit (not a lot of credit, but credit) and students can take it many times in the first 10 days of class. My aim is to be sure they know the material. Some teachers call this “The Scavenger Hunt” to avoid the word quiz.
6. ·        I sometimes require students to sign and return to me a “Letter of Agreement” that has item such as “I have purchased the text book” “I understand the grading” “I have a backup computer plan.” They do get credit for this.
7. ·        Not all students own a computer. They may be using the computers in the institution’s computer lab or at a library. Be judicious in the use of multimedia that demands many computer resources.
8. ·        Students should know what is expected. Here is what one community college sends to students http://www.muskegoncc.edu/pages/2246.asphttp://www.muskegoncc.edu/pages/2246.asp (Muskegon Community College) I think all colleges that offer online programs should do this.

What are the students Learning?

Sometimes it is good to step back and think: "Are the students really retaining what we teach?" I don't think that quizzes/tests are good at ascertaining this. Discussions help if you require posts and response to others. The key to good discussions is asking questions that do NOT have one right answer, having a good rubric and grading quickly. 

Another tool to ascertain learning is the Reflective Journals. I do think sometimes they are overdone. I teach one class where the designed course has a reflective journal every week. Students comment that it is too much. Newer versions of Course Management Systems do make journaling easier

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You don't need to grade journals, but it helps. Online students are very busy people, and if it is not required then often they will not do it. 

Another way is through a survey. In most Course Management System the students can get credit for doing the work but the posts are anonymous. That way they can be honest. Of course, depending on the level of the course you may want to do this as a discussion question. The advantage of that is the students can learn from each other. You would do that if the class really has formed a "learning community.”

http://www.scribd.com/doc/8057347/Peter-Senge-The-Fifth-Discipline-1http://www.scribd.com/doc/8057347/Peter-Senge-The-Fifth-Discipline-1

Exercies to Encourage Online Collaboration

Exercises for Online Collaboration

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It is good educational practice to give online students may different ways to collaborate online BUT

• 1.      There needs to be a balance. If you have too many different types of activities then students get confused. If every exercise is the same then students may get bored.
• 2.      Present day situations can be the starting point for discussions. Often YouTube will have videos that all students can access.
• 3.      Good discussions that use the discussion board have appropriate questions (questions without one answer), clear expectations (a good rubric) and are monitored by the instructor who participates when appropriate.
• 4.      Case studies are great, but I am cautious about students using general knowledge and not applying concepts from the text. I require students to cite the text with page number. You do not want it to turn into “story telling” – is my experience worse than yours? (If students have an eBook there may be no page numbers, but they can cite the section number.)
• 5.      Role playing online? It is difficult, but can be done. I think it is easier in a f2f classroom because the students are in class to present their roles. Online I would think that a GROUP would be assigned a role, which is then presented to the whole. For example, I did a role playing exercise in this series where one group was the patient’s family, one group was the physician. Each of these groups presented their cases to a third group who was the medical ethics board.
• 6.      Online student facilitation. Students can lead the discussion one week and do a summary at the end. 

Blogs, wikis, podcasts are all good additions to online learning. The problem is that teachers mix them up. For example, for group work a wiki is great for the final product but the group also needs a discussion forum for discussions. A blog is good but it is different in form from a discussion.