Tina Connelly

Guidelines are important for students new to e-learning.  It is easy to misinterpret tone in text, so students need to understand netiquette.

Using a variety of communication modes is important.  It helps increase the chance of actually making contact with a student.

Online courses need to be user-friendly (organization, repetition of format) but also intriguing and interesting enough to keep student focus.

Online courses need to be user-friendly (organization, repetition of format) but also intriguing and interesting to keep student focus.

The point about no nonverbal cues in e-learning is important.  It is easy to misread tone in emails and messages.  If you can speak with a student while having visual access (like Zoom) it gives an opportunity for a clearer conversation.

Just as in the brick-and-mortar classroom, organization and clear expectations are essential for success.  I like to think of the asynchronous and synchronous discussions as similar to individual check-ins with students while they work and the teacher walks around vs. whole group discussions.  They each serve their own purposes.

Matching teaching tools to teaching styles can streamline output of content.

Constantly evaluating and making appropriate changes to the online course is a necessary reality of distance learning, just as it would be in the brick-and-mortar classroom.

Formative assessments are a great tool to help guide a student to success on a summative assessment.

Setting clear procedures for contacting the instructor for various needs can help streamline request and response.