The discussion forum plays a central role in our online graduate-level advanced research methods course, providing opportunities for students to demonstrate knowledge and connect and learn with each other and the instructor. It is often the closest approximation of the kinds of conversations that occur
Online instructors focus most of their teaching on curricular issues—what they will teach, how they will teach it, etc. But studies have found that differences in curriculum have little, if any, effect on student outcomes. John Hattie compared more than 100 factors related to student
Flawed pedagogy, lack of learner preparation, and reliance on extrinsic motivation can detract from the learning potential of discussion boards. In an interview with Online Classroom, Naomi Jeffery Petersen, associate professor of education at Central Washington University, discussed these problems and offered advice on getting
Valerie Powell, assistant professor of art at Sam Houston State University, decided to supplement her face-to-face courses to extend the classroom and provide opportunities for students who are not comfortable speaking up in the face-to-face environment. Rather than demanding that students interact using a specific
Students are often more comfortable doing course-related research online than in a library. Online research is convenient, and they’re used to it. But it’s not always the most reliable. One way to motivate students to do at least some of their work in physical libraries
Whenever Barbara Polnick teaches online, she pays special attention to fostering a community of learners, focusing both on the design of the course and the way she facilitates it. Polnick, associate professor in the educational leadership program at Sam Houston State University, bases her approach
Screencasting is an ideal way for instructors to add a visual component to voice feedback, and make the experience similar to the student sitting next to them in the office. The instructor records his or her comments while highlighting passages in the student’s work where
Susan Nix, program chair and associate professor of educational leadership at West Texas A&M University, uses Malcolm Knowles’ adult learning concepts when teaching adult online learners. This article describes ways she adapts her online courses to align with these principles.
In spring 2012 Angela Starrett, a mathematics instructor at the University of South Carolina Upstate, was teaching calculus, business calculus, and several other higher-level math courses. To provide students with extra support, she invited them to text her when they had questions. They took her
In a recent Magna Online Seminar, Ollie Dreon, associate professor in the School of Education at Millersville University of Pennsylvania, recommended varying assessment techniques in the online learning environment to motivate students and provide opportunities for multiple means of expression (a key principle of universal
