Effective+Teaching+Online


 * Module 1: Effective Teaching Online

1. Characteristics of Effective Online Teaching ** Alicia Krauss Designing and/or participating in online instruction can be an exciting endeavor. However, research has shown that there are several characteristics that are key to producing an effective online learning environment.

v Most researchers agree that it is important to start your course by first and foremost building a community of learners. Activities that allow students to get to know one another and make personal connections often lead to a greater amount of participation and success. v Goals and learning objectives ought to be clearly defined and understood by all participating members. To support this, clear guidelines, expectations, and deadlines should also be understood by all. v Online courses are most effective when learners work collaboratively under problem based scenarios. Instructors use prompting questions and collaborative tasks that encourage students to use their critical thinking skills. v Most online courses accomplish collaboration through ongoing use of discussion boards, chat rooms, video conferencing, email, or a shared web space. This allows for continuous interaction among students. v Many of the assignments are linked to practical experiences and learners are encouraged to share their own personal connections. This constructivist type of learning is often motivating to adult learners. v Although deadlines are included, the level of flexibility an online course has, allows students to work at their own pace to fit the needs of their schedule. v Online courses should incorporate ongoing assessment. This could be through online quizzes, essays, brief constructed response questions, as well as an instructor monitoring and evaluating students’ discussions. Sources: How to Be An Effective Online Instructor. Zen2008 []
 * Ensuring Quality in Online Education Instruction: What Instructors Should Know? ** Yi Yang Linda F. Cornelious [|__http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED484990&site=ehost-live__]

Seven principles of effective teaching: a practical lens for evaluating online courses. [|__http://technologysource.org/article/seven_principles_of_effect__]ive_teaching

= 2. Barriers =

a. As an instructor you must realize this about your students and use several different types of technologies to help accommodate several different types of learners.
 * 1. ** Not suited for all learning styles. In regards to the multiple intelligences, DE courses may be better suited to some intelligences more so than others.

a. Students and instructors must actively participate in DE for success. Although because there is not a set course time, this can be difficult. Due dates and adequate teacher feedback can be a solution to this problem.
 * 2. ** Requires active participation of all students.

a. Instructors, who are excellent teachers in the traditional classroom, may not be able to have the same impact in an online setting. Online instructors can struggle and work very hard to try to parallel the type of teaching style and impact they have in the classroom into an online course.
 * 3. ** Increased instructor workload.

a. There is no face to face interaction so there can be a lack of community between teachers and students as well as between the students themselves. This can be avoided through active discussion, teacher feedback, group projects, video chat sessions, and several other technologies available.
 * 4. ** Lack of teacher/ student interaction.

a. Students and Teachers are often weary about using new technologies as well as trying a new way of learning. Teachers and students are now almost in a daily discussion compared to the traditional setting which consisted of one or a few more meetings a week or even month. This makes learning more interactive. As teachers one must realize that your feedback and interaction is much more crucial to keep students motivate. Students must realize that technology is just giving students a new, more flexible way to learn; and that their interaction is also very crucial for successful learning.
 * 5. ** New roles and responsibilities for students and instructors/New learning environment

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3. Best Practices

4. Teaching online can be a difficult task because many things need to be considered. However, these considerations are no different than the things that need to be considered in the classroom. It is important that the needs of the learner are considered. The adult learning theory explains some of the key things to keep in mind when teaching adults, especially when teaching them online: 1. Adults like to connect what they are learning to real world applications 2. Adults connect new knowledge to prior knowledge 3. When working in small groups, adults benefit from sharing past experiences 4. Adults need feedback that is quick and helpful to keep motivated 5. Adults want to know WHY, they want to know why the information is important
 * Theory to Practice **

After researching Effective Online Teaching many of the different theories that are discussed need to be understood to be put into practice. When teaching online classes: a. When assigning different tasks the instructor needs to provide sources to get the student started but then it is the student’s responsibility to find additional sources to increase their understanding and the rest of the class. With the additional research students are doing they will spend more time on the given assignment. b. ( Adult Learning Theory) If the assignments are meaningful the adult learner will feel as though what they are learning is important, they will understand the WHY, and be more motivated to complete the assignment. a. This can be beneficial to the instructor because more students may participate however without proper facilitation the discussion could be very repetitive and not allow for further analysis. b. When keeping the adult learning theory in mind, discussions need to be practical and realistic so that learners can relate to their lives to increase the depth of the discussions. The professor must respond and give feedback throughout the discussion in order to keep adults motivated and involved in the discussion. a. Just like in the regular classroom, it is important for the instructor to consider how the students learn. Multiple intelligences can be addressed using technology just as it is in the classroom. Some learners may benefit from Word Processing activities while others may benefit from group discussions done on BlackBoard or other programs so it is important to vary the style of teaching with online instructions as well. b. (Adult Learning Theory) Teaching online can involved a lot of group work that the adult learner will really benefit from. This allows the adult to share their experiences and learn from classmates experiences. a. It is the responsibility of the instructor to elicit high level thinking questions in order to assure meaningful conversation takes place. “ Well-defined questions and their appropriate use not only help students understand content on a basic level but also can guide them in elaborative and critical thinking about content” (Pennsylvania State University, 2007). The questions that are asked may require the students to use factual knowledge, assess comprehension, apply prior knowledge (which would help the adult learner), examine information or integrate information from previous lessons. i. Remember when providing the questions it is important to set guidelines for the discussion to make sure the discussion is meeting course objectives and keep in mind the amount of time that is needed for the students as well as the instructor to respond to the questions that are being asked (Pennsylvania State University, 2007).
 * 1. ** ** Students will spend more time researching and completing meaningful assignments. **
 * 2. ** ** Students feel more apt to express their true feelings and opinions in an online environment than in a face to face setting. **
 * 3. ** ** More students may benefit from online teaching because it varies from the typical teaching approach. **
 * 4. ** ** Students will be more likely to participate and respond to their peers as long as meaningful questions are provided. **


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 * Designing Questions Online **

=<span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**<span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">5. Evaluating your Effectiveness as an Instructor ** = The purpose of evaluation is two-fold: evaluating student learning and evaluating teacher effectiveness in terms of fulfilling course goals and objectives.

Student assessment results
At the end of each section/unit/module (whatever term you choose to use) it is a good idea to have some type of summative assessment that determines if the students learned what they should have learned. As in any classroom, these assessments can and should take different forms so as to cater to different learning styles and intelligences of the learners.

Monitoring student participation/discussion board
With student input, develop a rubric that helps both quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate student participation. This allows you to determine if students are making meaningful, thoughtful points and are carrying out good discussion through prompting and answering questions. Is there a real sense of collaboration, or just disjointed comments? Are all students contributing frequently or do their comments at least show that they are keeping up with the class discussion and their own research? For a sample rubric click [|Criteria final.doc].

Monitoring the conversations should also be used as a formative assessment simply by following the discussion threads to ensure student understanding. This allows you to redirect a misguided understanding and to give clarity as the learners add to their knowledge base through collaboration and research.

Outside observations
Especially for your first online course, it may be a good idea to bring on board a seasoned veteran throughout the duration of your course to add some input. Have them view the discussion board for student learning. Also, ask them to help objectively reflect on your role as the instructor. Have you been available to your students and responded frequently and quickly? Are your prompting questions getting real answers and initiating good conversation?

Student Responses
You can evaluate the course itself and the effectiveness of your role as an instructor with student surveys or questionnaires. It might be a good idea to get a feeling for students’ level of comfort with technology and material at various points throughout the course. Definitely at the end of the course, a typical evaluation should be conducted to inform your decision making for subsequent courses. As in any other course, reflection and change are necessary aspects of teaching.

__Resources__
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/evaluate.htm http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/guidelines.php