From this module I have taken away that in order to successfully help the students in your courses an instructor must first be competent in the inner workings of the program itself. Your confidence in the systems will then translate into your ability to assist student with their technology needs. This start in the process will help build the student's confidence in you and confidence in being successful in the course.
It's important that the course structure is consistent across courses and makes sense to the students.
There are differences in quality of the online platforms and coursework. Students tend to learn better when they are able to look at the online coursework and also have an instructor who is readily available to answer questions/concerns they might have.
For me, some the most important aspect of an online course is to be prepared, have the learning modules ready, and know the course material. In addition, be available to answer questions, either during office hours or through email in a timely manner. Also, let the students know what is expected of them and the deadlines for submission.
I learned that an instructor must ensure all components of the CMS are working to avoid student frustration. Since I have taught predominantly in person, I did not consider the importance of double checking the access to and proper functioning of learning modules.
In reviewing the Online Teaching Techniques I found that comprehensive review course structure, course foundation, course content, and course delivery are all main techniques needed in online teaching.
Its incredible how body language can be expressed over emotions and words. It's a powerful way to deliver.
Online instructor has various ways of delivering instruction & how to effectively relay the information to the students.
It is very important to know the tools used in online courses, to make students fell safe and accompanied, you have to make the courses interactive to maintain attention and you always have to have clear objetives and goals of what you want to achieve at the end of the course
What I took away from this section on Course Delivery is that I need to become comfortable with the methods and expectations of my institution and students before I can/should make any revisions.
I think this is a great tool with basic explanation and understanding of diffrent types of communications and how they are perceived. In the end, is best to be prepared and know how to best communicate something, and how, to better emit a message.
I found really interesting the basic elements of structure and support for online courses.
Students need clear guidance about courses and the presentations need to fit the material to maximize learning.
As an instructor, I need to be familiar with the course management system and I need to know how to make announcements, see the class roster, review quizzes, and respond to students within the course.
I learned from this module:
That I will:
Post more announcements about our classroom
Be more diligent to remove students who is not responding in my class.
Create more energizers throughout the day to keep students involved and create more class assignments to keep the students engaged
Instructional awareness is very necessary to the success of the program. we should be very familiar with the course and its contents.
It is interesting to see different communication styles
To me, structure and a clearly communicated schedule remain of the utmost importance when e-learning. I will continue to keep active communication with my students in their BAND groups that also keeps the schedule of all due dates that is repeated from their syllabus given on day one. Reminders of what work is expected each week is also important to keep all virtual learning on track and on the same page so that all students feel prepared with materials and for discussions s a group.
Online learning takesa knowledge base that includes technical issues, a place where I do not feel confident. However, the technical support does exist, so getting over my fears will be part of my successful online teaching plan.
This module has reinforced the need to familiarize myself with all the course delivery techniques and strategies so that I can better support the students.
