Because online instructors do not have the ability to conduct 'face to face' question/answer sessions, asking questions is conducted in several ways. First, one can ask a direct quesiton and wait for the reasponse. Second, questions can be developed as a 'poll' that participating students answer. The results are viewed by the class and further discussion can ensue from the results. Finally, the instructor can e-mail a list of discussion "questions" to students prior to the Live Chat - this way the students have time to either research the answers or have their answers ready for the discussion. This last… >>>

There is nothing harder than maintaining focus (both the student and your own) when there is no eye contact, low attendence at Live Chats, and little communication with students. One way is to continutally change your presentations to keep them fresh and to keep you on your toes mentally. Second, continue to bombard your absent students with information - be the 'drippy facuet' in their lives. For some the ability to ignore all those messages gets weaker and they actually start to participate. Finally, there is always the 'shock' treatment method. Some students will only become engaged in the learning… >>>

One of the instructional 'tricks' that I have developed for myself over the years is to use visual aids in the classroom (virtual or brick and mortar) that provide the student with a 'story' or 'cartoon' of the material i am trying to present. Since the majority of my students over the years have been older teens and adults this is not as easy as it sounds. I use PowerPoint to convey informamtion - I mix it up with photos, clip art (both static and animated), video clips and of course some text. But the text is minimal - I… >>>