One of the most important components of active online learning is instructor attitude. Online instructors must come to online teaching with a positive attitude and be willing to put in the time and effort to develop two or three active learning activities. Student attitudes must also be managed by setting clear expectations, including the estimated amount of time needed to complete projects and how they will be graded on completion of those projects. Clear rubrics can address the challenges of grading activities such as role play and group discussion, and may be partially based on active participation and time on task. Relevance, targeted frequent feedback, inspiration and encouragement and clear boundaries that allow for individual creativity also increase effectiveness. Modifying traditional F2F to online also requires both instructors and students to explore and experiment with technologies that may be new to them, such as Skype, video production applications, and wikis or or other forums. I appreciated the "rule of thumb" of including two or three active learning activities into online courses, and look forward to applying this, and some of the other specific tactics mentioned to increase peer and instructor interaction and engagement in my online courses.
