Chris Huber

The difference between the two may require different technologies used.  Where synchronous may be using a blog to promote an online discussion, this would not be the case in an asynchronous classroom where students are learning and participating at different times.

The instructor must find his/her role in the online class.  Be it authoritative or facilitator.  A facilitator is a person who makes the process effortless.  They help a group to reach common goals and reduce barriers that my hinder online learning.

Multiple assessments from multiple sources provide the best data to 'close the loop' enabling growth of your online course.

A balance between formative and summative assessment is important to have an effective online course.  Formative assessment is embedded in the instruction and is helpful in learning the material whereas summative assessments come towards the end and are designed to confirm understanding of course.

You syllabus should be dynamic.  An online course should not have just a paper syllabus.  It should provide students an outline or summary of topics, information about the instructor, tools, expectations and assignments.  Scaffolding is also important and allows students to build upon their own experiences prior to starting modules.

Course modules should be consistent and easy to follow.  They should also be similar in length.  Course materials should be kept in an organized fashion and made readily available for students to access.  I plan to take a look at my on-line modules for my course to ensure consistency, length or organization.

Keeping up with emails, assignments, chat logs and other forms of communications is an important part to any online course.  Open communication is a valuable asset to not only encourage students, but also to council.  Communication is a valuable tool to reduce student attrition and to keep the course on track.

There is a big difference between asynchronous and synchronous on-line classrooms.  Asyncrhonous discussions are a viable procedure in an online course.  With a larger class size, the more information is shared, creating a larger window of time for discussions and evaluation. Synchronous discussions should be limited to a few students to encourage interaction by all students.

Treat the students like they are in a physical classroom with you, one where you meet everyday.  Establish a relationship with them.  Get to know them and what they are like outside of class.  Do not treat them like just an on-line identity.  This will establish not only trust, but an enthusiams for the course.

The instructor should be well versed with the CMS and course structure.  The course should be laid out by modules and then broken down accordingly.  Navigation should be easy along with a well-planned time frame for work.