I have learned students in an online learning environment need technical and instructor support to enhance their learning experience and be successful. Instructor support is not just providing assistance with the course material, but also providing timely feedback to the student.
For students to be successful in online courses the instructor needs to be supportive, engaged and understand the material and the CMS. They need to be proficient in posting assignments, grading, responding to students and providing various types of assignments to keep students engaged.
I have been an online student and I can tell you that one of the most frustrating thing is when you email your instructor during office hours you sometimes don't get a response for a week.
One thing I will do is always be available to students during office hours and I will reassure them that they can count on me to be their support system.
I understand that as an instructor you need to be aware on how to navigate through your working platforms understand on how to use them. As an instructor you need to be able to understand the materials of what you are teaching and design awesome lessons plans to engage the students to improve retention.
You must familiarize yourself with the CMS, as it is vital in ensuring your success in leading your online course.
I have learned that the instructor must know the platform, and be highly interactive with the students.
The online learners have the ability to work from home and in the comfort of their schedule some of the drawbacks stem from socialization and the use of the discussion boards subvert those problems and assist in creating a community for the learner.
I took away from this module the importance of communication through different forms.
Orientation before the course begins can be eminently useful. Students will generally be more comfortable and can ensure a minimum of technical difficulties from the student's end.
What i have pulled away, is the importance of not only a good structure. But developing a support system for both instructor and student.
Body language, tone, and words are all key components of effectively communicating with others. Learning how to utilize all three components to compliment each other can help you have successful conversations.
I reviewed the importance of ensuring you are familiar with the course structure and assignments so you can best support your students.
This will be helpful in better organizing phone conversations as they come in and fielding the various questions from potential students.
It is important to be familiar with the content and the program that will be used to deliver content so that instructors may help with the ease of an online class.
The distance learning courses are more than one aim and it has been used as a teacher preparation method with teacher extensive face to face preparation.
I understand that a virtual course must have minimum elements to ensure its quality for student learning, however the key to the training process is in the CMS, as an online instructor, I must know the elements of the course and advise students during the process of learning promoting participation, responding to interventions according to institutional commitment
I have familiarized myself with the different tools and platforms, most importantly the CMS, available to the instructor. I understand the expectations of the course and the importance of following the preset structure. Additionally, good two way communication with the students to understand any challenges they may face.
I am taking away the importance of communication with students while using this online platforms. This means learning the different means of communication, being transparent with deadlines and expectations, and holding myself accountable to timely responses and deadlines.
I have learned that support, engagement, and instructor interaction is crucial to student success. Online learning is challenging especially if there is a fear of technology. Students will need as much support as possible to be successful and it starts with their instructors.
I learned that given the same goals for a course, different instructors are likely to take different approaches to teach toward those goals. They are likely to adopt different instructional strategies, examples, and assignments as well as assessment measures. Therefore, even though you bring extensive knowledge of the subject matter being addressed in the course, it is extremely important for you to comprehend the nature of the course content.
