Setting Up an Online Learning Experience

An online learning environment requires a significant amount of planning and set-up initially.  This is essential for engaging the learner from the start and setting a positive tone for a productive course.  As an online learner myself, I have seen the benefits of each of these  practices mentioned below.  One of the most favorable activities I have seen and will aim to do myself as a future online instructor is to be present as much as possible for guidance and support.  Of all my learning that I have done in any classroom environment, the presence of an effective instructor has always helped me see most success. Here are some other effective practices:

Using Technologies:

There are many items that should be included when setting up the beginning phase of a course such as a course syllabus, discussion area, resource area and student lounge.  Interaction in the different areas may require use of different technology skills, such as a uploading videos and external links, requiring the set up of blogs and other potential skills.  Throughout the course the instructor will need the technology skills and knowledge to upload and retrieve text documents and to post grades, and he/she will need to have basic knowledge of the CMS (course management system) that the school is using.

It is very important that the instructor is aware of the different resources available and becomes comfortable using the required tools. It should be noted that it is not essential, or even ideal at times to use all of these technology resources at the same time or in the same course. Boettcher and Conrad (2010) suggest to beginner instructors for online learning that “the best approach to teaching a first online course is to keep it simple.  Focus on the essential tools and build your first course around these tools” (p. 57). Some great advice I found was to accept help from students.  In these times, technology is ever changing and students may be more familiar with certain tools.  Instructors should encourage students to share useful technology tools with the class as we are told, “students can also be a source of help and advice. Don’t be shy about accepting their help” (Boettcher and Conrad, 2010, p. 57).  It is also important to be mindful of those students who are not as familiar with the technologies and to support them as needed.  Conrad and Donaldson (2011) suggest that for these novice learners ‘the best way for students to learn to use the online course tools is to actually use them’ (p. 39).  It is important to be aware that some learners are unfamiliar to certain tools, but it is equally important to use them still if they enhance the teaching and learning.

Communicating Clear Expectations:

There are many similarities between an online course and a face-to-face classroom environment; however, there are also many differences.  One of main expectations that should be made clear is the time and interaction required for the course.  It is useful to develop a weekly rhythm for the discussions and assignments as ‘online students have schedules from many competing responsibilities’ (Boettcher and Conrad, 2010, p. 82).  The schedule allows learners to plan around other commitments and it is important that learners commit the needed time to the course.  Another important communication needed is the grading criteria.  Online learners should be aware of discussion and assignment rubrics to help guide the level and quality expected.  Along these same lines- detailed, constructive feedback is also essential.  A final, equally important expectation that should be communicated is the style of writing required.  As a lot of the submitted work will be by text, online learners should be told of the expectations of clear, Standard English and the appropriate reference format required and should be advised not to use the text lingo that is often used in other online environments.  

Additional Considerations:

Above are a few suggestions for setting up an effective online environment.  In addition, a detailed course syllabus must be created and available for the learner, prior to the course.  This will allow the learner to familiarize him/herself with the course content and expected outcomes.  This syllabus also helps the instructor to plan the course in full, which is useful for both the online instructor and the online student.  It is necessary when setting up a online course to plan activities that create the online community referred to in my previous blog post.  Icebreaker games might be considered at this point.  An instructor should aim to learn about students both socially and cognitively. 

References:

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction (Updated ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Online Learning Communities

Boettcher and Conrad (2010) describe a course as “a set of learning experiences within a specified time frame…in which learners, mentored by an instructor, are expected to develop a specific set of knowledge, skills and attitudes” (p, 6).  An online course can be seen as daunting to some, where many assume there to be little contact with instructors and peers and a very independent approach to learning when compared to the traditional brick and mortar classroom.  This was certainly my view of online learning prior to taking courses to pursue my master’s degree in IDT.  Vgotsky (a prominent learning theorist) is known as a constructivist, particularly as his theory holds the belief that “learning occurs in the interaction of the learner with the environment”.  The idea being that as students we construct our own learning based on our surroundings.  With an effective online course, although the learner is working independently to construct his/her own knowledge, communities must be built with the facilitator guiding the learning and the students learning from the materials offered by the facilitator and through discussion groups and group activities.  This community feeling offers support to the independent learner and an assurance that, although distanced from peers, learning experiences are comparable.  This also allows for different viewpoints to be shared.

Creating an online learning community requires attention to detail.  Detail to the course content with considering which multimedia and web 2.0 tools will best support transfer of knowledge, detail to the ability of the facilitator and the support offered to him/her and detail to the students and the knowledge they bring.  Conrad & Donaldson (2011) speak of new technologies telling us “new media offer a wealth of opportunities for interaction, yet many times are employed in a non-interactive mode that tends to focus on creating an online lecture” (p. 4).  It is important that both facilitators and student learners are comfortable with creating and using an interactive environment.  To provide an environment where the constructivist approach is fostered, Conrad and Donaldson recognize that “engaged learning is a collaborative learning process in which the teacher and student are partners in constructing knowledge and answering and answering essential questions” (p. 6).

Students and facilitators new to the online learning must be aware of their contributions to the learning community and the positive effects that these have. This must be explained to them initially; perhaps through an introduction course and it should be echoed throughout the weeks of a course. In previous courses that I have taken, our contribution to group activities such as reading and posting to peer’s blogs, weekly discussions and creating group wiki pages have all been graded activities. This can be a motivating factor to those hesitant to participate.  Adult learners may need initial guidance to reform their attitude toward learning, as “interaction and collaboration are not intuitive to many adult learners who grew up under the competitive model of education where learners had to outshine one another to be successful” (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011, p. 6).  Teachers must also be willing to delegate the responsibility of learning to the student and facilitate rather than directly teach.  Conrad & Donaldson (2011) tell us  “in a learner-centered environment, the traditional instructor responsibilities such as generating resources and leading discussion shifts to the learners” (p. 5).

When I began this degree, I did not know what to expect in terms of support and guidance from the university and certainly did not expect to receive much from peers.  That was not my experience as a student in my last learning environment in a face-to-face classroom.  I have been pleasantly surprised to find that so much of my learning has come from my peers and I have found that participating in group activities, weekly discussions, and interactions in the Student Lounge has taught me so much.  My peers' have different outlooks toward the same learning topic and their probing questions encourage me to think deeper about my own outlook.  Conrad & Donaldson (2011) describe this stating, “in an engaged learning environment, each learner’s actions contribute not only to individual knowledge but to overall community knowledge development as well” (p. 3).

References:

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction (Updated ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Online Instructional Strategies

Thanks for joining me again! 

Online learning is becoming more and more popular as students of all ages are learning online.  This is an exciting time for learners and I am looking forward to the weeks ahead where I will be exploring the theory behind online instruction and its best practices. I look forward to sharing this experience with you!