Faculty members who are new to teaching online often don’t know the important role that an instructional designer plays in helping create effective learning experiences. Creating an online course entails more than simply posting materials online. For the faculty member, it requires an understanding of
Many institutions offer an orientation to online learning, providing students a general overview of the learning management system and resources available to help them succeed. It’s a nice start, but it doesn’t go far enough, argues Anna Stirling, adjunct computer information systems instructor at Mount
Instructional designers play a critical role in helping faculty members move their courses to the online environment. However, it’s important to respect each faculty member’s academic freedom.
“We, as humans, are social beings. Whether we are going to communicate in an online environment or face-to-face, we like to have contact with each other,” says Karyn Holt, associate clinical professor and director of online quality in the College of Nursing and Health Professions
If you want to lose your audience’s attention right off the bat, be it at a conference or in a classroom, here is a tip: start by outlining what you will cover. “Today I will cover these eight points …” By the time the sentence
A lot of faculty worry that they do. Given the cheating epidemic in college courses, why wouldn’t students be even more inclined to cheat in an unmonitored exam situation? Add to that how tech-savvy most college students are. Many know their way around computers and
Managing instructor presence—students’ perceptions of how instructors interact with them and guide their learning during a course—is the key to overcoming frustration. It’s not unusual for instructors and students to have widely different perceptions of instructor presence during the same course.
With today’s technologically savvy student, the online learning environment should be an effective platform for course delivery. And it is—for some. But attrition rates for online courses remain high. How is it possible to have a nation of higher-education students who understand how to operate
Motivation and engagement are important elements of an online course. This newsletter has featured many tips on how to improve student motivation and engagement. Here are a few more from a recent Magna Online Seminar led by Barbi Honeycutt, founder of Flip It Consulting.
A wise teacher once told me that half of college success is just being organized, and I’m sure the same is true for any work. Yet we provide precious little guidance to students on this critical life skill. Lack of organization leads to students who
