different roles in a classroom
Most online instructors use a discussion board, but not all are active in participation. It is important to get involved in the discussion and engaged in the conversation, commenting on students' posts and guiding their learning. The instructor should always continue to explore how to use discussions effectively.
Anita,
True, but what about other roles? Do you have to handle technology issues or do you have institution resources that deal with that?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Hi Dr. W.,
Good point, instructors most of the time need to be their own IT professional--tech mishaps and/or issues inevitably happen within a course so each instructor must be tech savvy enough and fend for themselves!
Michael,
Hopefully you have an institution that will help you with the technical stuff; that can be frustrating.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I think the instructor should ask open ended questions that require thought and application of the learning. That way the student doesn't put what they think is the right anwer, but expresses what he/she learned.
Jeff,
Great point! I too, like open ended questions. You can put students answers to questions in a word cloud and get a infographic about the answer. It is kind of interesting. . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jeff, I too think that open ended questions are good. I think open ended questions lead students to think critically and analytically, while also furthering discussion and debate. I think open ended questions instill a sense of independence and autonomy, which lead to engagement and investment in the class.
Kendrick,
Great post! I agree with you, but you do need to think about workload on your part.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I couldn't agree more. Students really like it when know their instructor is involved. It makes them feel their instructor is really concerned and involved with their learning as opposed to just being their to grade their assignments sort of speak.
Tracey,
That is such an important strategy to engage students also. When students know the instructor is engaged and students will understand the importance of the interaction.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
