It takes TIME to Teach an Online class and do it Right.

Teachers who teach online because it is easy to read/test and not participate in the class are doing a disservice to the students and to the material. If you do it correctly it takes time to teach online classes. 

 

My time:

I try to log into the class at least twice a day every day. That isn't necessary but it works for me. I hate to get behind. My classes all have discussions, and I believe that is important for online classes. Students do learn from each other.

It  is important to grade on time and to help me I make notes during week so I don’t have to go back at the end and look at the posts. When I started teaching online these notes were in pencil and paper but now I use a Word table and I copy my notes for each student into the grade book. Luckily most Learning Management System have logs and they are very, very, useful because you can tell how many discussion posts a student looked at, how many they posted to, and how many they responded to.  Be sure to find and use the logs if your class has a discussion.

At the suggestion of many online teachers, I started using Dragon’s voice to text software http://www.nuance.com/dragon/index.htm  to do the weekly summaries. It does take a little training of the software but I find it to be quite accurate and also a big time saver. Usually they have special deals for faculty.  However, as much as I liked it I found it slowed down my computer and I removed it. Now that I have my new computer I will probably install it again. 

I do agree that family time IS very important, and I do take time each day to be with my family. I realize my situation is unusual in that I am no longer working full time. When I first “retired” I got “greedy” and taught for four institutions. I have now cut down to two. I find if I do more than two online classes at a time I cannot live the way I want to. 

Students:

As for students, I don’t insist that they log onto the class more than two times a week, I always do have two due dates during the week and I have found that I also need to separate the date for the first discussion posting from the date of the reply. It is important to have consistent dates – in the undergraduate class I taught I had something (an assignment, a quiz or a discussion) due every Tuesday and Friday. I told the class: “If you wake up in the morning and it is Tuesday or Friday you know something will be due for this class.” In my graduate classes I make the dates Wednesday/Sunday. Because graduate classes are almost all discussions I’ve moved the reply date back to Sunday at 3 PM instead of Sunday midnight because I have found any post that is entered Sunday midnight will not be looked at and will not be responded to.

Technology:

I like to do a discussion summary each week.   Some mentors do this as a video.  Since all videos require text equivalents I'm not sure this saves time. I have thought about an audio summary. Of course that would require a text equivalent too. In class I recently taught one student had self identified as Deaf, and I suspect, from the subject taught, that another student in the class may have been also. 

Students can also be assigned to do the weekly summary also, which is a good idea. This could rotate from week to week. 

Faculty creation of the summaries are time consuming the first time the class is taught, however, I keep these from semester to semester. Each term the summary will have differences but there usually are many things that will be common. The initial saving of the summary of discussions help me remember things that were mentioned in previous classes and also allow me to add things that were mentioned in the current class. 

I have a folder on my computer for each class. Often I am asked for references and I like to go back and check the class folder for my notes. I am always surprised that more people don’t use folders. I have a folder for each institution, and inside that I have a folder for each class. I feel that stops my having to search for the file. I have a PC and can use the Search button in the Start menu if a file is misplaced. I have learned from bitter experience that I need to make sure I look at where I save the file before I press enter. 

1.     I also have mastered copy and paste and simple html - and I hot keys. For example, bold, B,

2.     Undo Z,  (I use this one a LOT!)

3.     Copy C

4.     Paste V

5.     Cut X,

6.     Select all A

7.     Underline U

8.     Undo Z I use this one a lot also!

There are about 10 of them that I use frequently.  If you do not use a PC the control keys may be slightly different but they should be there.

  For papers you can use the "Track Changes" feature in Word for feedback. I change the color of my changes from red to green ink for my comments. 

Reference:

Van de Vord, R. & Pogue, K.  (2012).  Teaching time investment:  Does online really take more time than face-to-face?  International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 13(3), 132-146. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1190/2212

This is very interesting because they found the answer is it doesn't take more time to teach online. 

Finally, remember you don't have to get dressed, get in your car or take a train or bus, find a parking place or walk to your destination, go to your office, etc. I think that teacher of hybrid courses have the most consuming job because they have to travel AND work online.

Moving Beyond Read/Test in Online Learning

MOVING BEYOND THE  READ/TEST MODEL of ONLINE TEACHING

Online classes do not have to be read/test nor should they be. There are many activities that online teacher/mentors should think about incorporating into their online teaching, provided that they increase student learning. Don't add just for "glitz."

I think every organization that offers online classes should have an IT department whose major job is helping teachers add alternate material to their classes. I don't think the teachers should be expected to have the time, or to have the professional capability, to do this. While we can be great teachers in the classroom that does not mean we are media professionals.

I think that teacher presence MORE important than multimedia. Yes, we should use multimedia when appropriate, but it is important for the students to know the teacher is there. Some teachers prefer not to participate in the discussions, but then give targeted, extensive feedback in the weekly grade. It really is a balance - as mentors we want to be present but we don't want to overwhelm the discussion.

A self-check (really a quiz) is a good way for students to test themselves. This is referred to as a “formative evaluation” in educational jargon. I especially like to do a “self check” on the Syllabus because I think that it clears up a lot of problems. In most Learning Management Systems (LMS) the Quiz function is robust and allows the teacher/mentor to select either “highest grade counts” or “first grade counts” or “average grade counts.” If you really want students to know the material, then I select “highest grade counts” and give feedback on every question and allow for multiple retakes.

There is some disagreement about posting model answers, but I am all for it. I think students deserve to see what we are looking for..

Online discussions are, to me a must to develop community in online.Whatever activities the teacher/mentor selects we must be careful to allow the students to preserve their personal privacy.

Online classes do not have to be read/test nor should they be!

Tips to Help Students of All Learning Styles Succeed

 

TIPS TO HELP ONLINE STUDENTS OF ALL LEARNING STYLES SUCCEED

All learners need to know when feedback will be given and where it is in the class. Grading should be done quickly and feedback included. It doesn’t have to be a long statement, but there should be some words in the grades to let students know why they have received it.

Students will benefit if you break down lengthy assignments and check each step.  There is nothing so discouraging to a student as having completed a major project, handing it in, and then finding it is not what the teacher wanted.

Remind students that if an  emergency arises and they cannot make the normal deadline then they  should let you know as soon as possible. If you have an emergency send the students a note so they won’t worry.

Most Learning Management Systems like Moodle and Blackboard have a message feature that makes it easy to give private feedback. You can point out what was done well, and then offer help.

Visual representations to help students include a printable calendar, concept maps (either faculty or student developed), graphic organizers, video clips from reliable sources. Sometimes a chart helps. We don’t have to draw on the board as we do in a face-to-face class. There are many diagrams already on the web, and there are also drawing tools that we can use. Sometimes a picture can make a concept much clearer.

How Can Learning Theory Inform our Practice?

The Thinker Wikimedia.com

Behaviorism posits that students need reinforcement. I think we all realize this is true.  Students need not only responses from their mentor they also need them from others in the class. Online students are usually very busy and if a discussion is not graded they will probably not do it.

Congnitivism posits that human memory can be both short term and long term. Obviously we want the students to incorporate the concepts in our classes into long term memory.  Case studies and simulations can help students apply the concepts in the class. I just finished an interesting book; "How We Learn" by Benedict Cary. He believes in self quizzing. I think this is true, and there are now many sites on the Internet, like Khan Academy  that can help your students if they are struggling with math. I have been told that the Statistics resources are worthwhile.

Constructivism posits that learners construct knowledge.  This is no excuse for a “hands off” approach. Students still need the foundation on which to construct. If students do not have a foundation then trying to build on it is doomed to failure. Group work should not be used to avoid teacher guidance.

Many factors influence learning. We can provide the setting, but it is the student's responsibility to do the work. Controlling content is important.

Strategies to increase self sufficiency

• Good rubrics
• Prompt feedback
• Formative exams with opportunities to retake until satisfied with the score ( I often do this with a Syllabus quiz - highest grade counts and students can take as many times as they want. It is important that they learn this material!)
• Reflections
• One-minute papers 

 Carey, Benedict. (2014). How we learn: the surprising truth about when, where and why it happens. New York, NY: Random House. 

Pictures of Students and Faculty in Online Classes

Should online teacher/mentors require students in online classes to post their picture?  Having a picture really helps online teacher/mentors and helps students keep track of each other. However, some students really do not want their picture in the class, even though it is a password protected site. In one class I had a police officer who often worked undercover, in another class I had a student who was being cyber bullied. Although Learning Management Systems like Moodle and Blackboard seem secure, remember that what is put into the profile is available to ALL THE STUDENTS IN THE CLASS, not just the mentor. Students are savvy enough to know how to copy and paste the picture into their computer, and how to manipulate it and post in an online Social Media site.

We cannot force students to update their profile but we can suggest that they might like to add a picture of their pet or a favorite scene.  We also need to be sure that they know how to do this. In most Learning Management Systems their profile does follow them through all their courses.

When I first started teaching online, which was in 1997, I was very surprised that at the end of the classes I often had students email me that they were so happy to be judged on their work, not their looks. I thought about this and must agree that we do judge people, subconsciously perhaps, on their looks.

What about posting the picture of the online/teacher/mentor?

First a funny story: I taught for an institution that puts instructor pictures on their Web site. I started teaching for them in 2002 so the picture is old. This year I emailed the head of the program, who has never seen me, with a new picture. He immediately emailed back that he was not going to put the new picture on the web site because it was “Not flattering” – but it really looks just like me! 

One of my online teachers when I was a Dean of Distance Education went to Glamor Shots in the Mall and had a picture taken there to put in the class. She said when students came to her office to see her they looked twice because they did not think it was her! Another teacher put Mona Lisa as her picture.  

My solution is to add an avatar. There are now many sites, which you can find at http://eduhowto.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/15-free-safe-avatar-creators/ 

However, I do post my picture at the end of the class.

 

Best Idea for Online Course Construction

• Build class around objectives
• Use the tools provided by the Learning Management System like Moodle or Blackboard.
• Some exercises should be discussions. 
• In every unit have a "Red Me First" so that students are reminded as to what is due
• In the Syllabus provide objectives at unit and week levels along with information resources
• Have a short required exercise at the START of the class on the Syllabus. It should be graded, but not worth a lot of points. 
• Use color appropriately to give students a clue to different topics
• Encourage student feedback throughout the course
• Use a calendar with links to the assignments 
• If many of the students are new to online then make very clear that this is not a self paced course. There are deadlines that must be met. 
• View courses developed by other instructors

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What Teachers Can Do to Help Students Succeed

Technology Skills We Hope Students Have at the Start of an Online Class and How Mentors Can Help Them

We would like to believe our students know how to navigate the Learning Management System but we cannot be sure of that unless we teach in a class that is beyond beginner level in an institution with many online courses. We may need to help students by explicitly stating where to find information in our courses. Some teachers have a “Treasure  Hunt” or “Scavenger Hunt” at the beginning of the class so that students will know where material is located. Often a small amount of credit is given, and the student can take as many times as necessary to get a perfect score. We want students to learn this information, and hope they take it until all their answers are correct.

It is a good idea for online teachers to TAKE an online class before they teach one. Being a student gives teachers a good idea of what student face. Teachers should be prepared to help students with class navigation, but any institution with online courses should have technical help, and this help should be staffed fully the first few weeks of classes.

We assume students can compose, spell check and save files in a Word Processor.  They may not all use Word, however, and may need help in learning to save in .rtf format. We might expect them, depending on the class, to be able to open PowerPoint files and, if they do not have PowerPoint to be able to download the PowerPoint viewer. Some classes require students to use a Spreadsheet. If this is a requirement the students need to know at the start of the class.

Any special software used in the class should be explained to the students before they register for the class. It is not fair to the students to sign into a class and find they need to purchase an expensive piece of software.  It is not fair to students to find out once they start the class that there will be required synchronous sessions. Students often assume that online means "anytime, anywhere" and synchronous sessions, while not requiring a specific place, do require a specific time.

We hope our students realize that a college class is formal learning and the language in the class is academic writing. They may not know this and need to be told. They may also need to be reminded that discussions in the course require respect for others.

To help students succeed we need to give them the information that they need and assume nothing.

Visual Appearance of Course:

I like to see color in a class but I try to remember that ADA students and those who are color blind cannot see color. I use color for headings but I try not to make it necessary to see the color to complete the course. The color blue should be avoided because students associate that color online with links.

Graphics are fun, but they should be either self created or from public domain sources, and have an alternate tag.

No matter how hard we try to prepare students for online they will always have questions. Online mentors should be open to questions and reply quickly.