Providing clear instruction is sometimes difficult bacause what you find clear and understandable the student may not. You have to make sure that the instructions are clear before allowing the students to move on with the task presented.
Building blocks are key and essential.
Create a strong online community but using discusssion boards, email, etc. Create a postive envirnoment so students feel safe and that they belong, use all the different channels when creating modules, give the students a reason to effectively communicate such as credit, anonymity, etc. and use scaffolding to link the know to the unknown.
Having the most descriptive and straight forward syllabus allows students to be confident and understanding every step of the way during the course.
Having a detailed syllabus with specific information on expectations for assignments, discussions, assessments, group work, etc. will benefit the students more than one would do for a f2f course. Having students "actively" participate in the course through discussions makes them feel part of a community. As an instructor replying to student comments/feedback within the discussions can also help stimulate others to participate.
I learned the importance of design of the syllabus for maximum student success. I definitely plan on revamping mine if i continue to teacch online this Fall.
Delivering a syllibus with detailed expectations of online communication can help the Students succeed in online learning.
It looks like our school system will have a combination of face to face and distance learning this fall. I will need to include specific ways to communicate and address the expections in the syllabus. I also liked the idea of a FAQ section so that the students use the resources before asking me.
Scaffolding allows the student to move toward stronger understanding and, ultimately, greater independence in the learning process
I was unaware of the idea of allowing students to use an alias to participate in sensitive activities.
I use Blackboard as the LMS. I often start off a semester or session with the best intentions of using the tool effectively and consistently. But my efforts can be inconsistent and my expectations for student use is inconsistent. Communicating with students is vital, and leveraging this tool to it full potential will provide a better experience.
Plan robust discussion boards only for topics you know merit a lot of discussion, so it's not just busy work. Let students know how you are assessing their online participation, and participatein discussions as needed. Also: offer extra credit for students who answer others' questions on the FAQ page!
I have learned that consistency and building a syllabus that is detailed will help the course go much more smoothly. Everything should build. I think this will be easier as we return to school in the fall, as we will be able to start from scratch from the beginning with online learning. Giving grades and hopefully studnets will take it much more seriously.
Various types of on-line interactions & discussions to fit the course & student.
I learned of the importance of making a syllabus a dynamic document that involves links and interactivity.
Knowing where your Capstone will end up can help drive your syllabus, and using the scaffolding technique makes for easier continuity for the course.
I agree with many of the other comments that using scaffolding to help build on prior knowledge will engage the student and increase their involvment.
It's important that the information online be used to encourage and clarify purpose to the students by enhancing their experience with the use of technology, and not simply using technology as a replacement for teaching in the classroom.
Instructors who use scaffolding typically use the following eight tasks to ensure students are building appropriate scaffolding related to the module or course learning objectives. These tasks are:
- Provide clear instructions
- Clarify purpose
- Keep students on task
- Offer assessment to clarify purpose
- Direct students to worthy sources
- Reduce uncertainty and disappointment
- Deliver efficiency
- Create momentum
A good syllabus is one that is ever changing based on feedback from the students. You should routinely ask what should we stop doing and what should we start doing in an effort to help the students reach their learning objectives
