I think that it is vital to the online/distance learning for the students to engage and help each other. So having students post questions and then rewarding other students for correctly answering them is really important to the learning process. It really develops critical thinking and the communication process, which will help all the students with their future career goals.

I have dealt with many student in a classroom setting that dominate the discussions with off-topic revelations. I was confident in my methods of handling those students by being respectful to them, but also getting them back on topic. I had not considered this type of student being online and how I would handle it. This situtation could be very difficuly especially if you have several noisy students and several quiet students.

I was thinking about the different learning styles and how some may decrease a student's participation in an online class. It may be an ineteresting exercice for student's to individually assess their own learning styles so th ones who may be avoiding or dependent may recognize it and work past their natural tendencies to not participate. Also praising the student's who are not as quick to post as the more outgoing students may boost confidence and increase their participation.

I really liked the idea of having students create their own bios as a first assignment. It starts them out with an easy assignment to get started with high marks and it allows them to get to know each other and allows me to get to know them. I was thinking this would also work in my on-campus courses as well. Especially my Intro courses where the students are generally new to the school.

I am new to online classes and I thought that taking these courses would prepare me if I ever received the chance to teach online. I am concerned about underestimating the amount of time it takes daily or weekly to successfully manage an online class. I would like feedback and any suggestions on how professors are able to manage it while working a full-time job elsewhere.

What are some of the ways other instructors become active participants in their class discussion boards?

The module recommends saving a transcript of remediation chat sessions. Do you also recommend saving video files of these sessions, if that is a capability of the system?

The synchronous course that I will be facilitating consists of video and audio of the instructor AND students. The students will be muted and will be able to "raise their hand" to get my attention (an on-screen icon). Core concepts will be transmitted in this manner, but students will be given detailed schedules and outlines for all sessions. Feedback will be immediate and similar to an in-class environment, or so I hope. Am I fighting a losing battle?

The module on projecting authority mentions using video, audio, photo and/or text (in that order) information about the instructor to familiarize students with his (my) capabilities and background. Would you recommend creating an on-line presence (blog, forum, etc.) and directing students to that site?

Which is most effective with undergraduate students?

Hello to the forum. I will be teaching a synchronous on-line paramedic program that will consist of "traditional" lectures and demonstrations of practical skills. The didactic portion will have upwards of 25 students and practical demonstrations will have a student:instructor ratio of 6:1. I have taught pre-hospital providers for 25 years in traditional face-to-face settings and have developed teaching idiosyncracies that will not work on-line, such as walking around while on video camera. I was wondering if anyone had experience with, what to me is, a major change in presentation style and how they worked around it. I find that moving around in front of a class helps me work off nervous energy and I am concerned with not having that crutch to aid me.

It is so important that we as instructors attempt to build a report with our students. In an F2F classroom this can be easy but in an online format this can be more challenging.

How teachers are going to cope with the fast pace of the new 21st century technology and integrate it into online virtual classrooms?

The first impression means thousands of words. As an instructor it is very important to give a postive impression of self at the beginning of class or on line learning. This reflects professionalism, integrity,enthusiasm, and respect.

Is it important to respond to our students in a timely manner? Yes, definitely. Our students present their topic or answers to question and depend on the instructor to get a response. This demonstrates to the learner the instructor is interested,engaged in the learners success.

You can show respect through on line, from your voice and if there is camera also you can show it to the students

I wonder if course revisions are also dependent upon the student cohort. In other words, if it is noted that the student are not familiar with material from a prerequisite course,then would it be necessary to provide remediation from the prerequisite course?

I am concerned that peer assessment exposes students to their peers shortcomings and errors. Could this defeat the purpose of learning from one another and encouraging one another?

Scaffolding involves building upon a students prior knowledge. One way to determine students prior knowledge is to conduct a pretest or prerequisites assessment. Would you agree?

I generally view a framework as a foundation upon which you build the course. So, how is the framework different from a course outline?