Well structured platform, clear instruction and open orientation, optimize feedback, provide supports and quick and continual feedback to students. As I went through this, I remembered some of the online courses taken in the past...the good ones and the bad.
That with e-learning you can post assignments and grade asiignments. As an instructor, I need to be timely in my response to grading students work.
I learned it is important to have structure, to ensure constant communication and provide frequent feedback. Also to provide orientation to all new students on the CMS and LMS
It reinforced to me the importance of laying things out clearly and concisely and having some type of guidance process for students who are unsure of what to do.
It shared the need for a clear path for students to work their way through and offered suggestions on how to frame the content according to what students need.
Consistency and communication are the two main things I will choose to focus on during my initial implementations.
Prior planning prevents poor performace. In the past I didn't allow students to post publically to discussion boards because I was unsure how to moderate and implement consequences that would be supported by administration. I think it is something to re-think now that all learning is online for the likely the rest of the school year.
What i have learned is the importance of the following:
Comprehending course structure
Comprehending the couurse delivery platform
Comprehending the support infrastructure
Comprehending the course content and the course delivery format.
Understanding the impotance of these things will ensure the success in online course delivery.
I found it interesting to see all the different tasks and support that will be on us as instructors.
I found it interesting to see all the different tasks and support that will be on us as instructors.
Similar to face-to-face instruction, e-Learning can be delivered with CMS and technical support, instructor creativity, and knowlege of resources locations.
online teaching takes a lot more structuring for a teacher that is not too acclamated with computers ;great way of delivering distance instructions. Very helpful if you are planning to start an online teaching mode,
The structure of the CMS does include technical support which is an area for improvement. I affirmed some ideas of providing audio as a structural support as well as transcribed; create simplistic complexity that allows learners to think and increase their knowledge. Other additions or adjustements that need to happend is a tutorial content on the CMS and providing a list of "need to dos" at the beginning of the course as part as the welcome rather than jumping into the learning on the content.
Using a CMS requires us to have a full understanding of the platform and know the organization of the CMS and how to use all the tools that are available in the CMS. We should ensure, as we normally would, that we use structure and set clear dates and expectations. We also need to be sensitive to the frustrations our students may face and be knowledgable enough to help and have IT numbers handy when we cannot solve the problem. I also feel it is alright to let our students know we have to find an answer. We are human and may need help sometimes as well. I have found that when I let them know I will find out the answer, they respond well.
I didnt realize how much prep went into preparing an online course.
Learning how the CMS works as well as the expectations of the programs will help to ensure the students' expectations are met for the course. I plan to learn the platform as thoroughly as possible.
I learned that it would be valuable for students to have an orientation to the CMS and that module structure is important.
Be sure to go thru the system as a a student would so that you understnad what they will be viewing as they complete tasks.
I learned that the structure of the course is important for the teacher to have organized by the use of modules and topics etc. It is also important for the student to have a complete understanding of the structure of the course.
I learned that it in online learning it is important for the instructor to understand the delivery of instructional side as well as the technology support side of online learning in order to support students and reduce the likelyhood of student's frustrations. I also learned that teachers can deliver intruction in several different ways.
Making sure there is interaction between instructor and students during synchronous or asynchronous sessions is a key component. Attending to and understanding student needs and challenges will lead to increased students success rates. The instructor needs to have flexibility, compassion, and be accessible to the students.
The key thing is to have "curb appeal". E-Learning has to not only be effective in the content delivery, it needs to be visually engaging. To teach online is different than designing online courses, although many teachers are taksed with both.
As a teacher and developer, always think with the end in mind and then build it... they will come !
