Academic
Exchange Quarterly Winter 2004
ISSN 1096-1453 Volume 8, Issue 4
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Dr. Ruby Evans is Associate
Professor and Program Coordinator for the Community College specialization area
in the
As with traditional instruction, there are three
critical evaluation points in Web-based instruction—course startup, course
progression, and course ending. Using a
flight metaphor, this article provides 20 guiding principles for these three
critical junctures: Preparing
for takeoff—Principles 1-10; Airborne—Principles
11-19; and Coming
in for a landing—Principle 20.
“Growing numbers of professionals who cannot take a
hiatus or commute to a campus want education, and eeducators
have a responsibility to provide for their needs” (Ryan, as cited in Hons,
2002, para.¶
5).
remove all
paragraph marks Although many students who take online courses
regard themselves as independent learners and would prefer to work individually
(Collier & Morse, 1999), students’ reliance on the instructor is more
intense in Web-based courses than in face-to-face teaching (Almeda & Rose,
2000). As with traditional instruction,
there are three critical evaluation points in Web-based instruction—course
startup, course progression, and course ending.
Using a flight metaphor in this article, I provide 20 guiding principles
for these three critical junctures: Preparing
for takeoff—Principles
1-10;
Airborne—Principles 11-19; and Coming
in for a landing—Principle 20.
Principle 1: Have a public
Web-page (non-password protected and external to actual class site) via which
students can access general course information prior to course startup.
On this public Web page, you may wish to include links
to classroom protocols, the course syllabus, and the course
timeline and calendar of due dates.
Principle 2: Identify sources of
technological support for faculty and students.
Figure out where to go for technical help for both you
and the students prior to the first day of class. Establish clear protocols with the students
regarding how to request technical assistance.
Have the students check with another student, the class at large, and/or
the help desk prior to asking you to provide assistance. Make a point to clearly establish your role
as the content expert, rather than as a technology expert. Include direct links to these resources
(e.g., help desk) on your public course introduction page and on every
page of your course.
Principle 3: Identify library
resources and resource personnel.
“The addition
of technology into the learning environment enhances information retrieval and
offers the librarian a new entrée into the classroom curriculum” (Simpson, 1996, , ¶ para. 2). remove all
paragraph marks If your
institution provides library instruction classes for faculty and/or students,
schedule a library information session for your class with a reference
librarian as an optional face-to-face seminar.
Principle 4:
Develop assessments that are congruent with course goals.
Use a simple course planning grid
to match course activities and assessments with planned course objectives. If a particular assessment doesn’t match with
a specific course objective in the grid, then consider deleting that activity
from the syllabus.
Principle 5:
Solicit student feedback prior to course takeoff.
Evaluate students before the course begins through
student self-evaluations, self-assessment questionnaires, and readiness
assessments. Require students to do
a global self-assessment of their readiness for course participation.
Principle 6: Decide upon your
role in the class discussion.
Brown (2002) provides the following typology for
possible faculty roles in classroom discussion:
o
Community
leader – creates a friendly environment, cheers strong contributions, and
nudges reluctant contributors.
o
Discussion leader – poses questions, moves toward higher
[critical] thinking skills, encourages students to question each other, and
provides mini-summaries.
o
Manager – enforces rules and guidelines, provides
meaningful and frequent feedback, monitors student involvement, and keeps the
workspace “clutter” free.
o
Technical consultant – coaches [students] on how to use
computer software, establishes a frequently-asked-question file, and connects
students with appropriate help desks.
o
Information resource person – joins the conversation as a
substantive participant, refers students to key resources, and often posts new
material at the site.
o
Combination of all five [roles].
Principle 7: Praise appropriately.
Decide how you will recognize individual and global
contributions of students to the class.
Use emoticons and, as appropriate, phrases that denote positive
reinforcement, such as “thumbs up” and “kudos to Sally for ….” Use phrases that will be less likely to
offend students who are not receiving praise.
For example, consider posting comments such as these: This
response has addressed each item; Your
comments raise an issue that merits further discussion;
Questions
like these have always intrigued me; or I
am really enjoying your discussions in this topic area.
Principle 8: Decide whether to
use synchronous (e.g., chats) or asynchronous discussion.
Especially in distance courses, small group discussion
and electronic office hours usually receive high marks from
student participants (Brown, 2002, para.
2). If learners resist synchronization,
remember the following about asynchronous discussion: (a) It accommodates varied time schedules;
(b) It allows more people to participate; (c) It encourages discussants to
“think before they speak”, and (d) It can be monitored more conveniently
(Brown).
Principle 9: Practice what you
preach prior to evaluating credit activities.
For example, assign preliminary noncredit work
for students to complete and submit.
Provide detailed feedback on such assignments in a formative manner to
emphasize the importance of peer review.
Principle 10: Provide a
statement of understanding form with your syllabus and have students “sign off”
on the form.
A signed statement of understanding indicates the
importance of actually reading
the course syllabus to the student.
Principle 11: Require exercises
that demonstrate competent skills, leading up to major or complex assignments.
If possible, give students a thorough face-to-face
orientation to the course. Following
that orientation, require them to complete an introductory assignment (quiz)
that focuses on the class format, navigation of the course site, and syllabus
content. To check their
technological readiness, consider giving a four-pronged technology skill
assessment—computer files management skills, Web browsing skills, word
processing skills, and e-mail skills.
Principle 12: Integrate writing
into the curriculum as early as possible.
In the first week of the Web-based course, include a
discussion topic that focuses on e-introductions and community building. Students can engage in storytelling through
posting of autobiographies, in which they highlight past, present,
and future educational goals and aspirations.
As the course migrates toward content material, require students to
write narrative, scholarly posts. If a
particular stylistic convention is common in coursework, e.g., APA format,
require it as well. In courses where
students are required to submit scholarly papers, this type of frequent
practice helps to improve writing skills in a formative manner throughout the
semester.
Another way to build writing
skills in the curriculum is to require students to submit an outline for work
(project, paper, etc.) by a reasonable due date. Then provide feedback on the scope and
structure of the proposed project/paper, prior to grading a final manuscript.
Principle 13: Hold students responsible for their thinking through peer
assessment.
Peer review -- of a scholarly paper, for example --
and the process it entails can be used to build trust among student
participants, as well as to enhance instruction. The process of peer review can be used to build
trust among student participants, as well as to enhance instruction. This process
can be designed as an interactive and collaborative learning experience, with
opportunities for students to take a leadership role in the class
discussion. As a community building
technique, consider requiring students to submit evidence of peer review by
target dates. While only a few points
should be assigned to this type of peer review, it is important that the
activity have credit attached.
With credit awarded, students will be more likely to
participate in the process (Collier & Morse, n.d.). [Are you thinking of English
composition classes or any class?]
Principle 14: Build in learner
use of higher order thinking skills—analysis, synthesis, evaluation.
Accomplish this principle through assignments
of short readings or brief assignments, such as an examination of case studies
to compare contrasting viewpoints.
Principle 15: Over-organize each
activity and provide detailed specifications on requirements.
For each activity, provide students with
clear expectations—samples, if possible—and a grading rubric, preferably in
advance of each assignment and/or its submission. Allow reasonable flexibility
in student completion of assignments.
Principle 16: Test what you
teach and teach what you test.
While using a course planning grid at course startup
(preparing for takeoff) is a good way to check whether a planned assessment
matches course objectives, remember that it is just as important that faculty
test students on material that is taught. Once assignments are submitted, give prompt
feedback to students, whether publicly or privately, depending on the nature of
the assignment.
Principle 17: Use a
clear/consistent presentation template for course content:
ochange toa hollow bullet
o
Title
of Module;
o
Organizing Theme/Central Idea (Introduction);
o
Materials or Resources Needed (Textbooks, E-readings,
URLs, references);
o
Essential Question (Discussion prompt);
o
Activity/Assessment/Assignment;
o
Exit outcomes;
o
The specific goal measured by the assessment in this
module;
o
Performance criteria (grading rubric, checklist, etc.)
Principle 18: Incorporate
multiple pathways through the learning materials.
Some best practice examples that
represent multiple pathways through learning materials include autobiographical storytelling, case
studies, discussion prompts, mastery quizzes, required peer reviews,
self-assessments, and short readings with required interactive
replies
between students.y,[To
students or to instructor?] and
autobiographical storytelling.
Principle 19: Solicit student
evaluate mid-flight.
During the course, ask students what they would like
to see more of, less of, and for any other comments related
to instructional improvement.
Principle 20: Evaluate after
course ends (don’t use scantron evaluation only).
Dede
(2001) recommends an end-of-term course evaluation based on these three
criteria—instructor, student learning, and course
activities:
oInstructor: In what ways was the instructor most
effective? Why? What recommendations
o
would
you make to the instructor to strengthen his or her teaching and/or to make the
course more valuable?
o
Student
Learning: What are the most valuable things that
you have gained from this course?
oCourse Activities: What specific
course activities and materials did you find most valuable?
o
How did these activities or
materials help you learn?
Reflect on your present course. Record your past mistakes. Think of future delivery of your course. Reflect on the summative query: “What did I learn this semester that will
alter my teaching of the course the next time?”
The proliferation of distance learning programs in
higher education is a direct consequence of the
demands of an information-based
society. The new literacy for the
twenty-first century and beyond is
clearly the ability to use
appropriate technological tools in an information society (Evans, 1999). Faculty
who are preparing to teach online
can demonstrate best practice examples by providing students with
opportunities
to do the following:
o
Access resources and information (e. g., reading lists,
Web quests);
o
Publish stories on the site (e. g., electronic news
letter, op-ed);
o
Ask questions (e. g., private course mail or online
office hours);
o
Have a say (e. g., forum, discussion topic);
0.Dialogue with invited guests with
experience in the online environment (e.g., chats hosted by
o
guest speakers) (Weatherley &
Ellis, 2000, para. 16, p. 3).
Whether teaching face-to-face or at a distance,
building community is a key ingredient for successful teaching and learning
(Brown, 2002). Weatherley and Ellis (2000, see abstract, ¶ abstract,
para. 3) add, “People are the most
important part of the online equation. The
professional challenge is developing the appropriate communication style to
build the learning relationship within the new learning environment.” For those faculty preparing to teach online,
both faculty and learner success are inextricably linked to administrative
vision, resources, commitment, technical support, program development, and
authentic measurement (Hons, 2002).
Almeda, M. B. & Rose, K. (2000).
Instructor satisfaction in
curriculum. Journal
of Asynchronous Learning Network, 4 (3).
Retrieved
Brown, D. G. (2002).
The role you play in online discussions.
Syllabus 16(5), 9.
Collier, C. & Morse, F. K. (n.d.). Requiring
independent learners to collaborate: Redesign of an online course.
Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 1(1). Retrieved
Collier, C. & Morse, F. (1999). Integrating technology: Issues for
traditional and constructivist pedagogies.
Journal
of
Computing in Teacher Education, 15(2),
14-18.
Dede, C. (2001).
Course evaluation: Emerging educational technologies. Retrieved March 31,
2004, from
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~dedech/561/561evals.pdf
Evans, R. (1999).
Serving modern students in a modern society at
the community college: Incorporating basic
technological
literacy." T.H.E. Journal, 27(3),
102-108.
Hons, C. (2002, January). Big ten school in cyberspace. The
Journal. Retrieved
http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/articleprintversion.cfm?aid=3839
Martin-Kniep, G. O. (2000). Becoming
a better teacher: Eight innovations that work.
for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Simpson,
C. (1996). The school librarian’s role in the electronic
age. (ERIC Digest). Eric Clearinghouse on
Information and Technology. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.
ED402928). Retrieved
Weatherley, R. & Ellis, A. (2000). Online learning: What do teachers need to
know about communicating online?
Retrieved
Author Note
Ruby Evans,
Associate Professor and Coordinator for the fully Web-based Graduate
Certificate in Community College Education, University of Central Florida,
Orlando, E-mail: revans@mail.ucf.edu this ought to be at the top, see layout
http://rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/layout.htm
The author acknowledges the
internal peer review provided by Iris Rose Hart, Professor of English, Santa Fe
Community College, Gainesville, Florida.
Submission Number: 2867
Submission Title: Preparing to Teach Online
A: 1
B: 1
C: 1
D: 1
E: 1
F: 1
G: 1
H: 1
Comments:
This manuscript presents a very creative way of looking at online
teaching. It is well
written and easy to understand and apply to almost any online teaching
environment.
mec
Accept
with requested revision plus
1. remove
pagination
2. make one
line space between paragraphs
SSG