What is the best way to pick these hours?

#1 Ask a series of questions (gentle probing) to get them to talk. Some students do not like to participate, even online. Some just want to listen. So how do we get more students to participate in the live chat discussion so we can get to know them. Some students will participate if you ask them to sent their questions via an email for discussion during the live chats. #2 - Another problem is many students do not read text books, course materials and etc. At best they just scan the information. How many times have we heard a student say, “I have read the material three times and I still do not understand it”? They will not tell you that they are the product of a poor educational system, or they came from a family environment that did not support their educational goals. You have to get to know them first. They still need to understand the contents so they can complete their assignments at a university level. Some of the things I do is teach them how to create a Mind Map, which is a flexible outline of the contents in a pictorial layout of the contents. Another thing they can do is create questions/answer Flash Cards of key topics and concepts. This way they can have their spouse or a friend, ask them the questions. Or they can take them to work and use them to remind themselves during the day which will help re-enforce the topic or content. Granville Jones

Question? What is the skill level necessary for college success? I teach 5.5 week accelerated leadership courses, project management courses and computer courses. Most of the students understand the course platform, they understand how to navigate it, and most of them understand the instructions for how to complete the assignment and do a great job with the assignments. But every now and then there is a student was obviously adding more basic level than the other students. In most cases the students are at a very elementary level with English grammar, computer skills, and research skills (Library and Internet). Question? How do we help the students before they get to a point where they are for totally frustrated and want to drop out of school? What can we do as a university, as a faculty to help these students succeed in college? Granville Jones

The course mentions giving time management ideas to students. What would you consider to be some useful and more importantly, workable ones?

In your opinion, does the facilitation of online courses take more time than facilitation of the traditional classroom?

Question: What types of threads work best -- multiple threads by topic or one super-thread for all to converse in? I have have tried both I prefer the multipe thread approach for discussion content purposes but the super thread is good for socializing.

Have tried adding or enclosing video clips etc many times the issue becomes the bandwidth avaible to the student. If they do not have the bandwidth the student becomes easily fustrated.

The question how critical is technical support to online learning being a fulfilling and successful experience. I have found if tech suport is not top notch the learning experience can really suffer.

I ask this because I have found that this is the keystone to many of my chats to make them enjoyable for the students. I encourage them to make humourous (British English spelling)comments too about what we are doing in the class in the chat box. I think it helps with participation and just basically showing up for class.

Should participation in sycronous discussions be mandatory?

Have you found that students are becoming more demanding and challenging when one earns a grade less than anticipated? If so, how should we use our authority to handle these students.

I feel that my biggest challenge will be the technology support for my students. This will be my first online class that I teach, and since the program is different than the one I use at my present school, I hope I will be able to assist my students in a timely manner when they are confronted with a problem. I have already dealt with the technology group for gaining access to my class because they were having trouble for some reason in putting me into the system. I must say that the technical support has been very supportive; therefore, I feel pretty confident, I will be able to lead or guide my students in the right direction. I definetly need to look into the student orienation class for CMS.

My experience has indicated the importance of the discussion threads within the online format. As a rule, I reply to every student within a given course at least once per week. The level and complexity of interaction is vital, but ensuring all students are recognized for their individual contributions is key to retention. Lisa

As this module pointed out it it wise to keep students engaged in the classroom in the virtual world the same as the physical classroom for retention. I find that having a high presence in the classroom; being involved in discussions giving feedback on assignments and launching further questions all help the students to be more engaged. If I want students to be active then I need to model that behavior.

I have a passion for and love teaching online courses. I know that the online environment can be daunting for some students and like to make the CMS as easy as possible to navigate. I like the fact that our institution uses the same design for all of the courses that are offered to our students. The content is obviously different but the navigation of each course is similar. I have found that once a student is familiar with the CMS and has a professional relationship with the instructor that they (the students) gain the confidence to be successful in all courses.

In my findings, giving students as much flexibility as possible while still holding them to the constraints of the class breeds a more positive, encouraging experience. What do you all think? Do you think that you need to "rule with an iron fist", or do you think that some leeway is a better idea?

Though I am learning to appreciate the online posting of points received for written assignments and the reflection of "model" responses, I do wonder about posting feedback. I have sent individual emails to students about corrections and feedback (like written feedback in traditional classrooms), to avoid "losing face" or embarassment, though this is quite time-consuming. My training regarding confidentiality may also be playing a large role in my reluctance. Any suggestions offered regarding how best to utilize online, public feedback?

I am going to be teaching an online course for the first time beginning at the end of this month. I have five years of in-classroom experience, and have heard many excuses as to why assignments are not ready on time, and I'm sure not all of them were completely truthful. It's because of our technology that we are able to offer online courses. For those of you that have taught online in the past, how do you handle technology related excuses for late assignments? In other words, do you often run into student issues such as "my internet connection went down", "my computer kept rebooting and I couldn't email my work on time", etc?

Hello Colleagues, These are some of the tools I have been using. Let me know your feedbacks. Motivation in the classroom I believe that it starts from the beginning of the class as we first encounter the students. The teacher/facilitator sets the tone in the classroom and students take their cues from him/her. I will illustrate step by step how motivation can actually be “created “and sustained in the online class. I have already used most of these tools and intend to “tweak” them even more in the upcoming sessions. 1-First impressions are key: I send each of my students a welcome note on the first day of class discussing the benefits of the course for their career and the best way to succeed in a distance learning environment. Spell check and on time assignment submissions are mentioned. I make this email upbeat and helpful. I set a tone of clear expectations and camaraderie. 2- Announcements: I place fun or enticing titles to spark their curiosities. I like to place a very happy “Welcome to class” post. I want them to feel as if they are part of a team. 3-Weekly notes: Every Sunday, I post a note in the classroom and reiterate how far the students have come and congratulate them for their participation. I am also proactive and discuss in advance difficult assignments and give them tools to be successful. 4-Webliography updates: It is important to keep refreshing the Webliography and send students to different links to reinforce certain topics and assist them in their research. Students feel that the instructor is really coaching them and that they are not alone in their learning process. 5-Discussions: I post additional questions regarding the weekly subjects to further the information or ask their opinions on related matters. 6- Gradebook: I use the comment section to acknowledge success and place many exclamations points (Great job!!!, Excellent effort!!!). I gently give them advice to better their grades and reinforce what is well done in their posts. I offer my assistance if I see that they are struggling with a particular subject. 7- Emails during the session: I email students who are behind/not passing on a weekly basis. I let them know that we can find options for them and that I am here to help them. I want them to know that their success matters and I remind them of their ultimate goals…a new career! 8-Prompt responses: Nothing is more important for a student that to have their concern addressed promptly. I sign in my classes every day to answer questions. I have used the above tools so far and have gotten good results. I want to continue these but also add more positive reinforcements and a more personal approach.

Because you don't "see" students completing their work in an online class, how can you be sure they aren't having someone else do the work for them? What can you do to prevent cheating from happening in your online class?