George, Michele, Debra, and Others, I also post follow up questions to the discussion, comments to correct behavior (like using the spell check feature), and new information (i.e. websites or questions to advance the discussion when it has be exhausted). Being actively engaged in my opinion, demonstrates that you are there for the students, care about their success, and are a role model for the desired outcomes.
How many posts do you require a student to respond to? I have been having difficulty getting students to revisit a threaded discussion after they have posted a comment and would like to get more interaction between the students. Thanks.
Terrific reasons to interact with students Carol. Thanks for sharing them with the group!
I require students to respond to two postings of other students. I, however, respond to every post. I usually have several students in a class that respond to more than two postings.
I agree with what you say 100%. I think that E-learning or class room the student needs to know that the instructor is intrested in their questions, answers and them as a student
Absolutely Jeff! Thanks for the comment.
I'm fairly new to online teaching, but have incorporated many of the ideas you've listed, George. My problem is getting students to attend Live Chats. I conduct two chats per week using multimedia formats, and invite all students by email, as well as put the times and subject matter into an announcement. I also try to entice them into attending by asking a question about their projects and promising to expand on it and answer questions during the Chat. However, the Chats are recorded, and the students would rather just listen to the recording than attend. There I sit alone, lecturing rather than interacting with students. (By the way, at my institute, Chats are encouraged, but not mandatory.) Does anyone have additional ideas?
I think one of the challenges you are going up against Sherrie is the idea that having a student sit in a live chat at a time that is predetermined by the teacher goes against one of the major advantages of online learning--that the student is allowed to take the course when it works best in their schedule. This makes expecting students to participate in the class during a specific time very difficult. I think you need to ask yourself why you want your students to participate in an online live chat in the first place. Lecturing is just one way of teaching, but there are so many others that you don't have to rely just on this one. I would encourage you to try other methods.
Thank you for your response, Dr. Ernst. I use many different methods of teaching including forums, announcements, very specific and individual feedback on projects and faculty discussions whenever I'm online and students wish to contact me. However, my institute requires that I hold two Live Chats per week, and it would be a great place for students to interact and with me and other students. I also email students at the start of class to find out what times are advantageous for them and vary the chat time through out the week to accommodate their schedules. I don't restrict my interaction or teaching methods to chats; I was just wondering if anyone had any new ideas to entice students to attend as I am required to hold them.
A few things that come to mind would be to make sure you have the chats on the same day and times each week so that students know when they are scheduled throughout the term and can make necessary plans. Another suggestion would be to provide students that participate in the chat with a hint on an upcoming assignment or something else that might give them a reason to attend (in addition to you sharing your knowledge!).
