I like that analogy of the "Therapist" as another role or "pair of shoes" we wear. This just reminds me how each student is an individual and needs to be treated with care and concern. Each has their own needs, wants and conflicts and should be respected as it exist. We can be kind and still keep our students aware of the expectations we have for them and their responsibility to reach their goals. Our presence and approachability should be felt by them.

As online instructors we may spend some time reaching out to students by email and/or phone. What are your strategies to make sure you are capturing this time for the school and for your own accounting purposes?

I teach at a couple of online schools and the discussion forum can get hard for me. Many students don't know how to post responses to the questions. When they respond to my posts or classmates, it is even worse. They think that "you did a good job" or "I liked your post" are okay to put. I even correct the students by sending out directions on what makes a post substantive to all students in the class. Sometimes this helps, sometimes it doesn't. What are some tips you can give to get students to post correctly in the forum?

Greetings Colleagues, I have enjoyed reading the comments posted in this thread. One student issue that I have encountered much more lately is centered on the student expectations. I find more students approach online learning as if it is a commodity. Their tuition is paid and they have an expectation that equates to a degree. I find that sometimes students that receive negative feedback can take the feedback as a personal attack that reflects not the quality of their work, but rather an implication that they are not working hard. Of course, one can work very hard and still not achieve learning outcomes. I am curious how my colleagues handle these types of issues with their students.

When it comes to maintaining discussions transcripts and emails, etc, how long should faculty store this information? One semester, one term?

Students need to receive feed back that makes sense according to the assignment. That is, students ought to have had a guideline for what was expected in the assignment so they can see where they succeeded or fell short. Secondly, students should receive feedback relatively quickly. That is, if they have to wait a long time before seeing the responses, then they might have forgotten the assignment and what was expected of them in the first place. Third, students might benefit from a rubric-type of grade system so they can visually see where they need to make improvements. This would be especially true if they have the same problem one assignment after another. What do you think? Have I missed something vital?

In courses that are specialized with technical content containing dry, scientific materials developing engaging content could be difficult. Do you believe some courses should never be taught on-line? If you answered yes, which courses would you not recommend being on-line?

As a university professor, I have a hard time accepting as professionals in education we insist on using a pedagogy style to instruct adult learners. According to Malcolm Knowles chart, the andragogical learner is more suited for on-line learning because 1) Increasingly self-directed, 2) rich resource for learning by self and others, 3) develops from life tasks and problems, 4) task or problem-centered, and 5) internal incentives and curiosity driven. Keeping this in mind, as a facilitator I would allow my students to take turns selecting an appropriate topic for discussions and set up groups to work together on certain subjects. Do you instruct using a pedagogy or andragogy style? Is that style reflected in your online courses?

As a graduate student, I found a rubric to be extremely helpful. I now use it as an instructor for my students. When you develop your syllabus and on-line courses, do you implement a rubric? How detailed is the rubric? Do you send out reminders when certain projects or assignments are due?

Some publishing companies offer interactive portals that compliment the subject matter and/or textbook selected for a course. Are you currently using an interactive portal, in the decision process of whether to use an interactive portal, or have not considered using an interactive portal from a publishing company? If you have used an interactive portal as an instructor, do you believe the interactive portal enhances your course and instruction? Do you find yourself teaching the subject matter based upon the offering found in the interactive portal? Do you believe as an instructor, you should be provided decision-trees to determine what is offered in the interactive portal?

In my situation, the curriculum is set and I don't really have much chance to alter things in the course itself. The technology is provided by the institution as well. In other words, I don't get to build the course I am teaching. However, I do want to help students scaffold their learning. This is a great metaphor and I think it gives good direction for us as we work to help our students with their studies. But, lacking the ability to create the technology, what added suggestions do you have that can be helpful?

Research the different requirements for HIT Adjunct Instructors. After completing the research, give your feedback on the requirements.

Commenting on one of the other student's thoughts about instructions, I'll add my own. I've had several experiences of students who just struggle endlessly with reading and understanding instructions in the course I teach. Most students seem to do just fine, but each term it seems there is one who is just very "needy." That is, the student requires every instruction to be explained over and over. I am not sure if the student wants me to basically write the paper or whether it is genuine confusion. So, naturally, I want to be helpful...but not to be an enabler for poor study habits. Any ideas on this?

teaching a skill can sometimes be difficult when you have a classroom of 25. Most often, students do not see evrything that goes on. I would love to develop video tutorials and work on embedding questions for student participation so that the presentation is active and engaging

I have found most of the student drop out of the course due to other family of life issues. I have found contacting these students by phone and encouraging them and offer an extension helps to keep their committment to the course.

When attempting to keep students engaged on discussion forums, I try to take a piece of their thread and elaborate as to why it was good information and encourage them from it.

How do you know which pair of shoes to put on at any given time - how do you measure the effectiveness? Susan

When reflecting ask clarifying questions that encourage students to think about what they know and don't know. You can provide time for thought and reflection as well as written. Thank you, Christopher Davis

Developing Meaningful feedback Be the subject matter expert: Create open-ended questions that learners can explore and apply the concepts that they are learning Model good Socratic-type probing and follow-up questions. Why do you think that? What is your reasoning? Is there an alternative strategy? Thank you, Professor Davis

The online class should be set with a personal introduction posting so that students can get to know one another and you get to know "where students' heads are." The types of info often shared by faculty and students include info on professional experiences, personal information such as family/friends/pets, and a photograph. Faculty also often include a note about their teaching philosophy and research projects. Thank you, Christopher Davis