Comments on: It’s more than convenience. Online instruction needs help.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:10:56 +0000

Thanks for the responses to the post. Online courses need to have clearly defined expectations or objectives. The wording of the objectives need not be done haphazardly, because this is when learners interpret the expectations differently. For example, we probably have all had to rewrite instructions because we found that others interpreted the wording differently.

Jeremy, in my readings of Web posts and through other social media, I have learned that teachers will have their students use pseudo names. This helps with their real identity. A couple of people you might follow to get suggestions are Tom Barrett and Mrs. Durff. Both have blogs and are on Twitter.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:38:14 +0000

This was a great post Amanda. I totally agree with you on your four recommendations. The two things I have struggled the most with when delivering instruction online are content and feedback. When I develop instruction online I frequently try to put my existing content online. I believe there are many resources to be utilized when delivering instruction online and that instructors needs to utilize those resources to get the most out of online instruction. This does mean more time and more effort on the instructors end, but there will likely be great results for students. The second thing that I seem to struggle with is feedback. When working with middle school students the most common form of feedback is giving students a written response on their paper-based assignment. When I have students complete assignments online (and therefore no paper-based assignments to write their comments on) I find myself struggling to find ways to give them feedback. Although most of these students have e-mails, we (as a school) can not require students to have e-mail addresses for communication. I have also thought about giving students feedback digitally on blogs or wikis, but because of privacy issues I do not want to give students specific feedback about their work online. I think if I could come up with an efficient, fair, and private way to give students feedback on online assignments I would be more apt to having students do their work online.

By: Suha

Suha — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:28:51 +0000

Amanda, thank you for the great post. I particularly like your point on Discussion/Collaboration. The Web 2.0 tools available nowadays offer teachers several alternatives for collaboration. Maybe the challenge lies in the comfort level of the teachers in using those tools as well as in their learning philosophies. Also, great point on the importance of feedback. In the absence of face-to-face interaction, prompt and meaningful feedback is essential to keep learners on track.

By: Kristy

Kristy — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:49:52 +0000

Amanda, I definitely agree with the comments you have made regarding navigation and feedback. In previous online courses I’ve taken, navigation and feedback are the two areas I’ve experienced frustration with. Endless clicks not only aggravate me but for some reason can actually get me off track. It seems like in the process of all the clicks, I come across other links/resources and end up wandering off my original path.

Regarding feedback, I’m much like you. I like to know if I’m meeting expectations or if I need to make improvements in some manner. I think this is even more critical in an online course. In a face-to-face class setting, one-on-one “live”communication with not only the instructor but fellow students, helps me to gauge my own progress and performace. Providing feedback can take more effort in an online class, but I feel it is critical to my success as a student.