Teaching & Learning – Page 7

August 15, 2016June 22, 2023

Top 5 List: Be Present In Your Online Course

Having worked as an adjunct instructor [part-time faculty member] since the late 90s I’ve noticed and have heard of many instructors that seem to disappear while teaching their online course. I’ve always found this to be a little upsetting since this is the number one thing that we must do when teaching an online course.

Of course there are varying degrees of faculty engagement. On the one hand there is the instructor that provides no communication, no feedback, and no encouragement to students. On the other hand is the instructor who provides feedback that is not constructive or provides feedback…but it’s too late for students to use to improve the assignments that follow.

Here are a few things that can be done to help remain present in your online course and be available to students:

Dedicate certain times to go to class – I’ve always suggested to my own students that they dedicate certain times of the day to attend an online course. As instructors we should do the same. This dedicated time can be used to grade, respond to emails and provide general announcements that will help keep students focused.

Personalize the course by being present – when working with new faculty I always suggest that they include a welcome video at the beginning of the course as well as the beginning of each lesson, module or unit. And when needed I recommend that new faculty create an assignment-specific video for those assignments that may trip students up or include detailed directions. Taking this approach not only helps to engage the students and personalize the content but it also helps the faculty to feel more vested in their course.

Be creative when engaging students – learning to teach online is not something we can learn overnight. Some faculty that I have worked with will write personalized emails to a few students every week with some positive information about the tasks performed during the previous week. Another faculty person that I’ve met along the way uses screencasting to review and provide feedback for writing assignments. They can quickly share that message with students via link to the video. This is all done in an effort to make the students feel that you are present and interested in their success.

Use discussion boards – using discussion boards often is a wise move for all faculty. This helps keep the course on point so this can quickly hear off on a tangent and steer away from the content. This also lets students know that you’re interested and care about what they’re saying, as they will be looking forward to your responses. Responses can be praise, critiques or just simply calling for more critical thinking.

Online does not mean off-line – because the content assignments and assessments are all done online this does not mean that faculty should not be available and off-line. Students will not be successful if the faculty are not involved with the learning experience and provide the depth, breadth and overall richness of a valuable learning experience. All faculty should be available for scheduled office hours at least once a week when students can reach out via phone or video chat session.

-RG

April 15, 2016June 22, 2023

Top 5 List: Creating Great Culture

Creating great culture in an organization is key in today’s world. When organizations are just being developed, leaders and followers can all sit and talk through every decision together. The challenges at this stage are simpler and messages are much clearer. There’s a lot less uncertainty about essential items and how to deal with things as they arise.

As teams and organizations begin to grow you may suddenly be faced with a situation in which you don’t know everyone on the team. The team of five is significantly different than an organizational 50 individuals. It becomes more difficult to communicate with the larger group and get a consistent resolution and process in place for everything. A solid culture can provide the guidelines to work within. Here is a list of the top 5:

Ownership – depending on the size of the team or organization there must be one person who will be directly responsible for culture. This person shall focus on culture and make sure that everyone is heading in the same direction.

Leadership – the culture will be shaped by its leader. The leadership team must embrace the brand that is desired. Ideally a teamwork culture is highly regarded and the leaders must work together as a team.

Ask questions – asking very simple questions of leaders and employees will help clarify the desired culture. For example, what do you like most about the current culture? What would you like to change about the current culture? How do you personally define culture? What do you think it’s important about culture?

Focus – it would be rare to find a group of six that works as a team and has the same kind of passion for the work that they are doing. The team should focus on what is best for the product or for the customers and then act accordingly.

Communication – this is the key to any team or organization’s culture. You must be clear about the values and culture both at internal and external levels. All employees must appreciate the culture. Reward those who promote the culture while being truthful with those who do not. Communication of culture should be an ongoing and regular activity.

-RG

January 15, 2016June 22, 2023

Top 5 List: How To Be Human In An Online Learning Environment

Online courses can often feel like a lonely place due to the lack of presence of the instructor and other students. This lack of presence can have a negative effect on learning and lead to lower retention levels. Feedback is an essential way to create presence. Feedback can be offered in many different ways. Here are a few things that we can do to help add a human feeling to online courses by using feedback:

Discussions – instructors should participate in the online discussions at least once a week to let students know that they are there, yet being careful not to take over or steer the conversations. Simply provide feedback and ask open ended questions.

Email – send individual student emails to complement them and comment on their work. A simple question such as “How are you doing?” can go along way.

Announcements – as you find relevant resources during the course provide a link in the announcements section of the course. Additionally add a sentence or two that ties this resource back to the course content. This provides a clear indication that the instructor is active in the course.

Surveys – adding surveys or polls can add a human element to the course. For example, a strategy that I have used in the past is the one-minute survey that simply asked two questions. The first question is “What is being done well in the course?” and the second question is “How can the course be improved?”

Icebreaker – at the beginning of the course you present some type of icebreaker activity to gather student information that will be useful later in the course. For example, what are the students work experiences? Have they created a portfolio? What would they like to do in the future? These questions not only make the online course more personal it also values them as individuals by recognizing their experience.

-RG