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?

"Which of the following items is not crucial to the success of your course? A quality course should: Answer: A) Be well-organized and easy to navigate. Students should be able to clearly understand all components and the structure of the course B) Include a course syllabus that identifies and clearly delineates the role that the online environment will play in the total course C) Include an aesthetic design that presents and communicates course information clearly throughout the course D) Always include online lectures with synchronous and asynchronous component." This question is asking both which of the items are NOT crucial, as well as which of the items are crucial to a successful course. Please revise.

One of the things to consider is if the students/professors will have the capability of using the tool. For example, if the tool requires a camera and a microphone and the student does not have this equipment, then it creates a major problem. Another thing to consider is if the tool is supported by the operating system that the students'/professors' computers have. Lastly, is the tool effective to accomplish the task that it is meant to.

I had a student who had emailed me the second day of class and "told" me that all of her assignments would be late due to her work schedule and that she only had an afternoon and evening one day a week to do all of the week's homework. She further informed me that she did not expect to lose any points for her late submissions. I responded to her email with a constructive reply about how the class was set up, pointed her to the late submission policy, and asked in that email if there were other times she could participate in the class. I received a "very angry" reply that I did not "dictate" to her how she would do her homework and that I was "disrespecting" her. I responded calmly, but firmly that she was the student in the class and would need to follow the course and institution rules like everyone else. This student dropped the course at the end of the first week and blamed me for "not working with her." My questions: How would you respond to a student like this? Raymond Lombardi

It is critical to level-set students' expectation of the course and keep them motivated and focused on each week's objectives and results. Matt

In my current position of instructing, we teach in an accelerated, asynchronous environment. Included in the courses are "live chat" sessions. Student can attend the true, live chat session on its presentation day or choose to access and review the archive of the session at their leisure 24/7 within the weekly parameters for a given topic. I have found that few people attend the live chat session at its initial taping. I have experimented with various times and days to hold these sessions, but never have more than 20% of a given class attend. All of the student must either attend the live chat or review the archive because there is an assignment associated with each live chat. The questions is: Should one or more of these sessions be mandatory? This is a difficult question because there are pro and cons on both sides. AS the instructor, it can be disheartening to give a "lecture" with so few in attendance. On the other hand, one of the primary reasons students take an online, asynchronous course is for its flexible schedule. What do you think? Raymond Lombardi

With today's technology, online instructor can leverage both synchronous and asynchronous technology to engage with students through live chat session as well as forums. Matt

Online instructor can effectively leverage technology such as live chat, and forum to engage with students on a daily basis. This is one thing that a physical class does NOT have. Matt

I admit that I hate rubrics. I am a very non-linear, intuitive grader and find that the linear nature of rubrics is very difficult for me. It's similar to the difference between cooking from a recipe or from scratch. You end up with the same result through two different methods.