Tena Crews

KEVIN, Yes, we have to know who we are teaching and how to deliver the content appropriately. Thanks for you input.

Jennifer , Nice job. When you help the students see the themes/threads in the dicussion you can go deeper. And, your point about planning ahead is well taken. For the email burnout, try this - Set up a Frequently Asked Questions discussion board. Tell students NOT to email you but post their question on the discussion board so that all students may benefit from the question and answer. Then, provide a little extra credit for students who answer the posted questions correctly and completely. You'll be surprised how your email overload will lessen. Thanks!

cynthia, Good thoughts. Your syllabus is an essential element of the communicationn process and helps frame the course. Keep moving forward and you'll learn from your experience. Thanks!

Guerda, We do, as online instructors, have to stay up to date on th technology and figure out what works for us and our students. I love taking professional development and going to conferences to learn new things. Thanks for sharing.

Guerda, I think it's good to do something every week so the students see that something is going on. If you set everything up the first day and then just expect them to finish everything by the last day with no other interaction, they forget. So do I. ;-) Thanks for your input.

Guerda, I log in daily and I tell the students they should log in daily. I also tell them that if the post a question on the FAQ discussion board between Sunday and Thursday it will be answered in 24 hours. If they post Friday or Saturday, it will be Monday before the post will be answered. It's a system that works for me.

Guerda, Yes, I'm writing an article right now and found this resource of characteristics of successful online learners. Characteristics of successful online learners (listed in no particular order) include: 1. being open minded about sharing personal and professional experiences online; 2. having good written communication skills; 3. using proactive communication; 4. being self-motivated and self-disciplined; 5. having a commitment to learning; 6. having critical thinking and decision making skills; 7. believing there is quality learning taking place in an online environment; and 8. being spontaneous. (Illinois Online Network, 2010).

LE, Yes, we learn more from evaluations at multiple levels as you describe. Quantitative and qualitative data give us more of a well-rounded understanding. Thanks for your input.

LE, Definitely. No one likes feedback that simple attacks us and tells us everything we are doing wrong, but doesn't help us improve. The constructive feedback is essential. Thank you.

LE, Good job. Sounds like you are continually assessing the learning environment and trying to make improvements. This is an ongoing event. Thanks!