Online Best Practices Teachers Presented at: STEMtech 2011 by: Craig Gilman American Public University System Community College Outreach Manager COLL100

Online Best Practices Teachers

Presented at: STEMtech 2011

by: Craig GilmanAmerican Public University System

Community College Outreach ManagerCOLL100 Instructor

Online Best Practices for Instructors

Introducing your speaker.Craig Gilman

On the same sheet of music:

• fully online v. hybrid/blended v. web-assisted

• synchronous v. asynchronous

• K-12 v. traditional v. non-traditional students

My perspective is from the fully online, asynchronous, post-secondary environment with a larger percentage of non-traditional students.


Where it begins - the Learning Management System (LMS)

Simply put – the LMS is a virtual classroom.

Some more robust than others.• open source v. closed

All will have similar features: • “Landing page” often either campus or classroom• Announcements (when entering the “classroom”)• Syllabus• Course materials (weekly packets)• Assignments• Discussion boards/Email/Chat• Tests/Quizzes/Assessment & Gradebook• Analytics (what the students don’t see)


RULE #1 - Students must know there is a human behind the computer!

•Put your picture in the syllabus along with your contact information.

•Add a personalized introductory video/link.

•Include your “virtual” introduction in a week one discussion board topic.

• Include and encourage the inclusion of something personal, such as

hobbies, along with degree, career, community information.

•Empathy goes a long way. “I know how you feel.”

•The light interjection of humor goes even further.

•Share personal experiences, examples, anecdotes.

•Have a signature tag line – “keep your eyes on the prize!”


RULE #2 - Clearly set policies and procedures from day 1!

Procedural (for instructors) • Classroom readiness

• Class size

• Response times (student inquires)

• Turnaround time (assignments)

• Feedback on assignments

• Posting of grades

• Proctoring requirements

• Course extensions

Instructional (for students)• Must be clear to students

• Must be concise

• Office hours

• Methods of preferred contact

• Expectations for participation

• Submission requirements

• Late turn-in procedures

• Netiquette


RULE #3 – It is about Interaction!

More importantly, it is about providing access to a rich and diverse

selection of resources with which learners can interact to construct

new understandings that leads to learning. Empower the student!

It is about creating an interactive virtual environment in which

students, the professor and other community members feel

comfortable interacting, sharing and learning. (COI)


RULE #4 – Written communication skills are essential!

New, younger and lower level (100 – 200 level)

students may need support in regards to both the

written communication skills required for academic

success

and the social skills and

netiquette required for civil, sometimes lively,

academic debate.


Community of InquiryThree “presences” contribute to the learning experience.

Social Presence

Cognitive Presence

Teaching Presence

There is really no difference between the brick & mortar and virtual classroom in regards to instructional

presence. The difference is in how it is achieved.



Social Presence: participants in an online course help establish a community of learning by projecting their personal characteristics into the discussion. In that way they present themselves as ‘real people’.

Three forms of social presence

•Affective - The expression of emotion, feelings, and mood.

•Interactive - Evidence of reading, attending, understanding, thinking about others‘ responses.

•Cohesive - Responses that build and sustain a sense of belonging, group commitment, or common goals and objectives


• Can be demonstrated by introducing factual, conceptual, and theoretical knowledge into the discussions and classroom.

•While the professor may be the primary subject matter expert within the community of inquiry, expert outside resources and contributions of students are to be included.

Cognitive Presence: The extent to which the professor and the students are able to construct and confirm meaning through sustained discourse in a community of inquiry.


Teaching Presence: the facilitation and direction of cognitive and social process leading to the mastery of learning outcomes. Two ways that the professor and the students can add teaching presence to a discussion:

• Directing the Instruction

• Facilitating the Instruction


Directing the Instruction•Presenting content and questions •Focusing the discussion •Confirming understanding •Diagnosing misperceptions •Injecting knowledge from diverse sources •Summarizing the discussion •Responding to technical concerns

Facilitating the discussion•Identifying areas of agreement and disagreement •Seeking consensus / understanding •Encouraging, acknowledging and reinforcing student contributions •Setting a climate for learning •Drawing in participants / prompting discussion •Assessing the efficacy of the process



Online Course DesignQuality Matters is a rubric that identifies key areas to consider.

• Course overview and introduction • Learning objectives• Measurement and assessment• Resources and materials• Learner engagement• Course technology• Learner support • Accessibility

Continual course/program review leads to continual improvement.


http://qminstitute.org/home/Public%20Library/About%20QM/RubricStandards2008-2010.pdf


Design your classroom so that all necessary tools and information is readily available to students.


Use announcements to provide group information and personal email to provide private commentary to students.


Use video as a means of presenting information or accepting student work.


Use document sharing software to provide comments on graphical representations.


Use discussion boards, not only to discuss subjects related to current learning objectives, but also to build class cohesion and student confidence.


QUESTIONS?

Contact:Craig Gilman

Community College Outreach ManagerAmerican Public University System

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Resources: Community of Inquiry: http://communitiesofinquiry.com/introductionThis site documents the work completed during a Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities research funded project entitled "A Study of the Characteristics and Qualities of Text-Based Computer Conferencing for Educational Purposes".

Quality Matters Program: http://www.qmprogram.org/Quality Matters (QM) is a faculty-centered, peer review process that is designed to certify the quality of online and blended courses. Note: QM has recently partnered with Blackboard.

SLOAN-C: http://sloanconsortium.orgA Consortium of Individuals, Institutions and Organizations Committed to Quality Online EducationExcellent free resources: http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/freedownloads#EffectivePractices

Viddler: http://www.viddler.com/Free basic product; lets you record video & audio with your computer camera and microphone, edit sharing options, and embed link in classroom.

Voicethread: http://voicethread.com/Free basic product; lets you upload slides, docs or pics and make text, audio, and video comments while writing on the screen. Allows students to post their text, audio, and video comments.

National Technology Goals: http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/NETP-2010-final-report.pdf“Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology” Author’s note: these are samples of resources I often use and are no means meant to be an exclusive list. Connect Safely: http://www.connectsafely.org/Social network safety tips for teens and parents.

http://www.connectsafely.org/

Documents

Online Best Practices Teachers Presented at: STEMtech 2011 by: Craig Gilman American Public University System Community College Outreach Manager COLL100