I plan to use the Chat Discussion feature more with my students.
I've learned that e-learning courses can be set up in more ways than just multiple choice formats. I intend to look into other methods of communicating with students for distance learning.
The teacher must know how to use the teaching platform and all of its functions. Organization is key. Students need to able to easily navigate and find what they are looking for.
There are many questions that need to be considered when it comes to elearning. Sometimes the answers might be institutional, sometimes they might be individual to the instructor. It is super important to have clear communication with students about expectations.
Our approach and techniques will impact studentlearning.
we must be knowledgeble not only in the course material but also the on line platform.
I will make clear expectations for myself to my students to ensure their understanding of the aid they will have access to.
Many institutions have been thrown into an e-learning experience, and need to step-up and quickly learn how to teach in an online enviroment...far too many think that throwing a student a free laptop and calling it a day will work- the content, and how it is presented, to engage the student, is more important. Having said that, I don't think anything can be more frustrating for a motivated student than to have a elearning device that's sketchy in function...
I think my major take away from this is that students will feel more confident about the course subject when they feel confident navigating the Course Management System. I think what I need to apply is to make sure that very early on everyone has a complete working knowledge of Google Classroom. One of the things that I think would work in an in person class is to open it up to the class to find out exactly what everybody knows and follow up with making sure every body else knows that. Post scenarios and make sure all students respond with how to complete the scenario.
Instructors of online courses need familiarity with the Course Management System being used by the institution for which they are associated with from both the instructor's and the students' viewpoint.
It is crucial that courses are structured properly and instructors have full knowledge of the course.
I will learn to amiliarize myself to the CMS that my institutin uses, as well as be cognizant of the fact that many students have different knowledge levels regarding on line courses and their delivery system. I will take into account that students have a level of comfort when they know all the instructions and how to use the online format.
The importance of having a full understanding of the online platform to effectively convey information.
It is interesting to see all of the options available to an instructor in an online course environment. The same course can be taught in multiple ways depending on what the instructor chooses. This can be good or bad depending on an individual's learning style, so it is important that instructors be flexible and willing to change based on student needs.
I learned how important it is to understand all the areas of the CMS and the many factors that teachers must be aware of and stay on top of to be an effective on-line instructor.
I have realized that students can become so frustrated that they drop the course. As an instructor, I need to take time to listen to and to help the students get passed this glitch.
I am prompted by this material to find out if some of this information is covered in the college wide new student orientation session. This would be helpful for the students to know IT basics and resources if many of their courses are going to be on-line.
For an E-learning environment to be successful for my students, I need to support them, give immediate feedback, and keep my content up to date and interesting.
Support is the key to success
I've learned that there are many ways that an online instructor can deliver content, but they should also be aware of the format of the CMS. They should be understanding of students and their technical abilities while completing this class skiing many other things as well.
I have learned that I need to know how to use the CMS in order to support students so that students do not become frustrated. Clear innstructions (including example screen shots) need to be provided to students so that they know how to use the CMS effectively and understand the requirements/goals for the course. This should be the first information provided to students.
