Online course structure
I feel as a current Master's Online degree pursuing stuent and soon to be Online Instructor that the Course Structure is very important to any successful online class. It is important for the student to understand the interaction required for online classes and how to navigate thru the course.
Hi Marcey, you're so right! Every online course should have an information section that introduces the student to the particular online environment; clearly states the requirements for successful completion; provides appropriate guidelines, tips and resources; and lists the course's learning objectives or desired learning outcomes. The structure, as you suggest, is crucial to online participant success.
Thanks for your comments!
Jay
EL102
As a first time Online Instructor myself, I would imagine a great deal of interaction is required for an online course, especially to keep the student engaged. What types of interaction do you suggest?
Generally, I think you have it correct in that you, as the teacher, need to continually reach out to your students to engage them. The discussion postings are a great way to start. My students are required to submit a posting every week (in response to a specific question from me) and then respond to at least two postings from other students. I have found that as the course progresses, I have students responding to many more than the required amount and providing their peers with a great deal of support. I also try to respond to each of the students postings myself.
There are several other things that you can do, but there are some fabulous suggestions already in this discussion, so I would you suggest you start there with reviewing some of the great ideas from your peers. As you review the other postings, can you find something that you could use in your class?
I believe that the course structure originates at the inception of it and that there is no way a course should be offered/opened up to students if it is not completely finished. I have had incidents of courses that I have agreed to teach in a partial classroom/partial online setting and the bulk of the online component of the class was not complete and the students could not view the future material and it created huge student satisfaction problems and made it seem that the instructors/coordinators had no idea what was going on. On the flip side of that coin is when the classes are fully developed prior to launch and have been reviewed by the respective instructors and approved. By allowing instructor access and review, the course is assured to be in good working order and not patched together seemingly at the last minute. A thorough orientation is crucial to making sure that the students can navigate the course material and submit assignments or forum posts in an efficient manner. Ease of use of the course management system is key for the instructor as well as it can make our delivery and evaluation of material for the students extremely streamlined or very rocky. Student comprehension of thier responsibilities is key to timely assignments and continued success as well.
You bring up an interesting point Matt and that is who is responsible for the "creation" of an online course? In a residential classroom, an instructor may receive a standard syllabus, and the instructor then creates the class by writing assignments, exams, lectures, classroom activities, etc. For an online class, whose responsibility is it? Many of the career colleges that I have worked for and with have a curriculum writer that creates the online course in its entirety so the instructor becomes a facilitator. I have read several articles about faculty in the traditional sector complaining about the amount of work that goes into teaching an online class because they have to create the class from the very beginning. Many of them don't want to teach on online class because of it.
From what you have written, it sounds like you think the schools should create the online class. Is that correct Matt?
I do think that the schools should have the bulk of the responsibility of the class creation, but with input from the instructor. The schools are acutely aware of accreditation rules and parameters and will make sure that they are met within the course content/curriculum, but the instructors being the content experts need to have a voice in what is taught in the online classroom too. There are course designers that can design a great course but not include the pertinent material/skills/practical knowledge that it will take to pass a certification exam or apply to the workplace when the student is outside of the responsibilities of the school. The instructors are the people who are usually held responsible for the success or lack thereof in their classroom, not the course designers, I think that it is only prudent and fair to let them have a voice in the design of the course.
Great points Matt. The best of both worlds is when the course designer is also the faculty member teaching the class or a faculty member qualified to teach the class.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Matt!
Preparation is the key. I fully understand the frustrations involved in not being prepared on the first day of class. I was teaching residential classes up until September of this year. The school I was at didn't hand out the instructors syllabus until the Friday before class began. That would be the time when the program director also let us know which courses we would be teaching. Many times it would change or the books would change. We had the weekend to learn our new books, review the syllabus and cram to make the first week of class look as if we had been teaching from the same syllabus and books all along.I am so proud to be with the online staff with a new school. They have thought of everything in making this transition smooth for me as well as my students. I am looking forward to a wonderful new teaching experience.
Welcome to online learning Sheila. I am sure you will be great!
Michele
All great points from everyone!
