Jesse Richter

Having many years of both classroom and online instruction experience, I know that fostering an active learning environment online is much different, and often much more difficult, than in traditional classrooms. In online classes, I engage students by allowing them to co-teach at times: they prepare a few minutes of material and present to the class in a virtual meeting. I also ask them to peer-assess and self-assess their work before submitting to me for the final grade. These allow active learning even in an online environment.

Dr. Crews, Wow, I must say I'm impressed to have received responses from you as my instructor! After taking literally dozens of online mini-courses like this, you are the first to actually respond to a post. Thank you! I enjoyed the course and look forward to developing my skills more as the years tick by. Best, Jesse

I'm a big fan of formative assessment: it allows the teacher to better understand students' progress before quizzes and examinations. Also, it is critical for students in that it gives them road markers to see what their progress is and what they need to practice more. Formative methods are endless: the teacher may be creative in finding new ways to constantly assess students at all stages of learning.

It is critical to match feedback methods to the nature of the assignment. Discussion Boards demand a much different approach to feedback than do individual assignments. Different formats, such as with a PowerPoint project, will also require different feedback (comments on the layout/format of the file in addition to writing skills and task completion).

I've noticed that with online environments, the syllabus needs to be even more detailed than in a traditional classroom. The idea is that it is difficult to have a real-time discussion (when ALL students are present) to address questions and concerns. The more time and detail that goes into an online syllabus, the less confusion there will be on the part of the students.

Having many years of experience teaching both online and ground courses, I see that the teaching methods are very different: in an online environment, students receive information in very different ways. The teacher must keep these in mind when designing the course so as to ensure that the same learning outcomes will unfold as with a traditional course.

I find that it is best to vary instructional methods within a class, as well as the delivery format, in order to keep the lesson fresh and interesting. This is especially true in longer classes or when teaching seminars (such as some 6-hour seminars I've delivered). Planning, of course, is very necessary. The teacher needs to have a clear idea of when and how to change the dynamics of the classroom so as to provide a smooth and interesting lesson.

There are so many methods of starting the first class. The aims are many: to relax the students, to provide introductions, to explain the course, etc. I find that it really depends on the student population. For example, more experienced and older students (e.g. adults) usually like to cut to the chase and trim out all of the unnecessary introduction material. Younger and less experienced students usually need more time to adjust to the new environment, and they require more assurance.

One thing I've learned from teaching is the importance of the syllabus document: having a very well-developed, detailed, and informative syllabus helps not only the students, but also the teacher in terms of understanding the overall nature, structure and direction of the course as it unfolds. I recommend putting a lot of time and thought into developing this critical document. It should also be continually updated and improved as the instructor learns what works and what doesn't.

One thing I noticed about one's instructional style is that culture is often important. While teaching in the public secondary system in the US, I noticed that it's usually more effective to be stern with students at first, and then permit flexibility later. In other cultures, for example when I taught in Asia, it was the opposite: it paid off more to be very warm and open with students at first and then be strict later in the school year. I think it is important to note this important cultural difference in terms of instructional approaches.