Gaining a way to get feedback from our students.
I use feedback from the students to monitor my work as a facilitator and adjust as neccessary. Giving student feedback is essential to guide them and keep them motivated.
I have learned that as the instructor, I play other roles such as the social administrator and technology helper. It is wise to always be aware of all of these roles when preparing the course content for teaching delivery and student expectations for assignments and feedback.
Learning virtually can be challenging so it is important for teachers to be facilitators. We need to communicate with our students and give appropriate feedback so that they are able to succeed.
Online learning involves that the instructor must wear many hats. Proper communication and student participation are essential for student learning.
Taking the holistic approach will help you assess learners needs and gain the appropriate feedback.
Create a Communication Framework that 1) Fosters learner centeredness. 2) Fosters "Buy-In" by stucturing the course to allow for students to pull from their own experiences and and interests (when possible). 3) Give informative and timely Feedback. 4)Make expectations for engagment clear. (Put it in the syllabus.) 5) Review effectiveness of how material is presented based on learning oucomes.
I want to make the shift from teacher to facilitator as I believe that will be most beneficial for my students. I believe we wear many "hats" while doing F2F teaching but it is even more heavily emphasized in the online environment.
I will need to remember to try giving the same level of immediate feedback as in classroom instruction. It's also important to remember that I have to be careful with my written communications as humor won't convey easily. Direct, informative feedback is necessary. Also, being sure to not let things pile up. Maybe having more discussions instead of submitting assignments. Then having exit tickets to allow quicker assessment and then feedback. Also, I will need to use polling more to see if students get concepts or need a change in content delivery.
As with regular F2F classroom standards, we must continually monitor the students interaction and ensure they are all involved. We must evaluate our process of directing and guiding the class to ensure we are in charge as well as listening to our students on they receiving the content.
This section clearly underscores the many facets of instruction. It's a good review of what we can easily take for granted as we perform our roles. I clearly remember awaiting my assignments to be graded and eagerly reading feedback. I think, since we are missing so many visual clues in the online environment, I'll be exploring audio and video feedback as well as written. Though this may be unworkable for every single assignment for every student, perhaps making a goal of providing video feedback to each student at least once a term, and audio as often as is feasible. However, clearly written feedback should happen for each assignment.
Student engagement is key for student learning. In my opinion, there should be a balance between teacher centric and student centric activities. Another take away is to realize that the instructor caries multiple roles in the online learnign environment and facilitator is one of them.
- Address the needs of learners by guiding self-directed, realistic, problem-based learning experience.
- Structure learning opportunities in which learners make their own meanings by discovering content on their own.
- Encourage a high degree of participation and interactivity.
- Offer prompt, informative feedback.
- Provide strong leadership.
- Help learners feel comfortable with technology.
Timely feedback is important to students. I think engaging the students and modeling behavior will help students learn the course objectives.
The instructor must relate communication expectations upfront with students.
It is necessary for an instructor to develop their own methods but remain flexible because what might work with one set of students doesn't necessarily work with another. Guidelines have to be set, I have found students need these guidelines.
Actually, I think this is exceptionally difficult for those just coming out of school where they are used to being taught to the test a lot of the time. They have a difficult time in taking that next step to say that I am in charge of what I learn and I am not going to be given a review sheet with every answer to a test on it. I kmnow this beacuse I have been asked for them MANY times. When you let them know that it is their job to take notes, do the work, and submit it correctly, they get confused sometimes. That is the biggest hurdle I have come across in both online and in-person instruction.
I learned that is is super important to make sure your text is understood as intended as body language will not be able to help a student determin your meaning. Also to make sure to accept feedback and make the learning environment safe for everyone.
Facilitating interaction is challenging in the synchronous enviroment because students often have competing issues in their environment and may not want to activate a microphone at times. I need to offer the tools such as chat and discussion board to fill in the gaps I notice in discussion from some students.
I learned that facilitator is a very important role in an online enviroment.
Having clear direction to course navigation is very important as well as student feed back about the the course .
Having set consequence for student for the lack of participation need to established early and be consistent .
