Setting Up An Online Learning Experience

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

So the old saying goes.  This is why the first two weeks of an online class are so critical.  As Dr. Pratt mentions in the video, if a student is not engaged in a positive way at the outset of the class, then it more likely that the student will drop out of the class.

There are four key areas that the instructor must focus on to insure early success.

Technology

There is no online learning unless the online component is in place.  The first step is to make sure that basic elements of the course management system (CMS) such as setting up discussion forums, the gradebook, teams and groups and uploading documents and media (Boettcher  p.57).  In addition, other online tools that add to the student experience such as multimedia, blogs and wikis must be selected and available to the students.

Moreover, the instructor needs to be familiar with the technology deployed in the class in order to understand the capabilities and limitations of the online tools.  Also, the instructor needs be able to provide basic assistance with technology in case the students run into problems.

Clear expectations

From the outset of the course, students need to know exactly what is expected of them and when it is expected.  That is why a course syllabus, weekly teaching guides and assignment rubrics are important.  These items must be as unambiguous as possible to avoid any potential misunderstandings.

Social Presence

The students need to feel comfortable that the class is populated with “real people”.  Moreover, an environment of trust and collaboration must be established.  This why the icebreaker exercises are so valuable.  They help break down the walls between each student and with the instructor.  In addition, as Dr.Palloff mentions in the video, the icebreakers help establish a tone for the course.  If the course starts off with an activity that is fun and engaging, then the students can feel at ease with the rest of the course.

Community

Once the instructor and the students have established a social presence, then these individuals can start to build a learning community. The online community builds student satisfaction by reducing the sense of isolation and by providing feedback to the student as they are learning the material.

References:

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Palloff, R.  & Pratt, K. (2010). Launching the online le

Reflections on the video "Online Learning Communities" (Pratt and Paloff)

Building an online learning community is an essential part of a successful online course.  The online community is where the students, along with their instructor and student peers, construct meaning from the course materials.  In addition, the online community builds student satisfaction by reducing the sense of isolation and by providing feedback to the student as they are learning the material.

There are five essential elements of building an online community.  The first is people – you need to have a quorum of individuals participating in the discussion.  The second is a method of communication.  There must be an established forum (e.g. threaded discussion board, wiki, chat room) for communication to take place.  The next element is process – guidelines and expectations on how discussion is conducted.  The fourth element is purpose.  In other words, the community needs a reason to exist and an end goal to succeed.  In an online course, the purpose is usually to complete the weekly assignment.  The final element is social presence.  In other words, the online identity of the student or instructor.  This presence is established by participating in the forum often enough that they are recognized as a regular member.  But more importantly, the individual thoughts and experience expressed through the forum creates an online personality that other members will recognize and want to engage.

It is really these last two elements, purpose and presence, that sustain an online community.  Without a purpose, the online community will quickly disintegrate.  Therefore, it is crucial to continually renew the purpose of the community by introducing new assignments or new challenges on a regular basis.  In addition, the participants must continually assert their social presence to keep everyone engaged and looking forward to the contributions of the other members.

Once the online community is established, this becomes the delivery vehicle for the course.  The community is where learning takes place.  This is where the student can safely express their ideas and get constructive feedback from student peers and the instructor.   This in turn gives the student a sense that they have learned something.  Another benefit of an online community is that is creates social pressure to succeed.  The student will feel compelled to contribute something worthwhile, something that will move the discussion forward rather than just tossing in a minimal contribution.

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