What are the necessary ingredients?

Necessary Ingredients Design Considerations Design Considerations –Planning the media depends on lifestyle, lifestyle, lifestyle! –Choice of technologies must be matched to the needs of the learners. –Level of Administrative Support –Technical support systems available to faculty and students –Instructor and Facilitator Training

Necessary Ingredients The Online Course The Online Course –Students need to assess their mode of learning and online learning - self-assessment » –FAQ’s –Online Interactive Orientation » tID= tID= http:// tID= –Must maximize the learning and teaching process while using offered tools

Necessary Ingredients The Syllabus: What Structure? The Syllabus: What Structure? –Students’ lives should be accounted for –Expectations must be communicated with weekly schedule and assignments –Faculty need to keep schedule for interaction –Communication lines should be clear –Access to tutorials and assistance is clear –Discussion questions with readings –Variety is KEY! –Require assignments to be turned in. –Reasonable due dates

Necessary Ingredients Interaction Interaction –Interaction is essential!!! »Address group dynamics, encouraging student involvement in course activities, providing visuals and careful planning »Being invisible is not possible –Communication is essential!! »Must be ongoing, regular, continuous, and easy »Communicate confusion »Contact when invisible –Peer critique of assignments, chat rooms, online discussions, small-group projects and study groups

Necessary Ingredients Creating Community Creating Community –Faculty must work towards this!!!!! –Students need to feel connection to materials and others –Professor must comment on students’ comments –Many opportunities to build community and it is our job to do it!

Necessary Ingredients Feedback Feedback –Continual feedback mechanism is needed –Feedback is needed by student and instructor –Students provide feedback more often when they can do it anonymously –Mechanisms must be implemented to evaluation web- based environments, content, format design, and structure –Online feedback form

Necessary Ingredients Presenting Course Materials Presenting Course Materials –Array of possibilities exist –Instructors must KNOW the technology –Key Considerations for Video »Use long, medium, and close-up shots to establish visual introduction »Using zoom-in to focus the learner’s attention on a specific object »Focus on object long enough to “register” »Use various video formats - “walkthrough” »Use first-person to personalize video »Use audio and video together »Use video if learning requires movement

Necessary Ingredients –Key Considerations for Graphics »Use graphics to reduce nonapplicable detail »Avoid use of biases or stereotypes in graphics or animations »Use humor cautiously –Key Considerations for Text »Limit amount of text on screen »Position text appropriately »Create lists and headers when appropriate »Verify appropriate use of color

Necessary Ingredients –Key Considerations for Interactivity »Break content into small units and build in questions with postive and negative feedback »Move from content to practice to summary to keep learner from being bored »Provide opportunity for interaction every three to five screens »Base questions upon previously acquired knowledge »Present information through active exploration such as problem solving or learning through discovery

Necessary Ingredients Tracking Student Participation Tracking Student Participation –Identify what course a student is in –Questions should be cataloged into topics to limit individual typed responses –Utilize bulletin board whenever possible –Monitor online discussion but keep participation to minimum –Humor or self-disclosure will humanize the instructor Structuring Online Discussions Structuring Online Discussions –Utilize online discussion frequently –They foster community –Writing thoughts enhances thinking –Eliminates time restraints

Necessary Ingredients Structuring Online Discussions Structuring Online Discussions –Why use online discussions? »Facilitate overall discussion »Encourage group interaction on problems »Stimulate class discussion and build community »Facilitate after-hour discussion »Enourage ESL participation »Provide forum for discussion Assessment Assessment –Students must know how they are doing –Self-assessment tools should be made available –Faculty should monitor students and give personal feedback –Students also need to be able to provide professor with feedback