October, 2006

Online Classroom - October, 2006 - Full Issue PDF
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5 Suggestions for Equitable Online Facilitation
By Marianne Castano Bishop, Indiana University South Bend
Handling equity and diversity issues sensitively can be a key to retention in online programs. In asynchronous discussion forums, participants usually come from diverse backgrounds, including gender and culture, and the textual cues they post online are usually reflections of their own diversity. Such postings sometimes disclose personal information, whether the authors are consciously doing so or not. These disclosures could impact the interaction online in meaningful ways.

Tips from the Pros: Survey Students to Help Them Know What to Expect
Barbara Carpenter, an online instructor at Temple College in Texas since 1996, has made it a point to survey students to find ways to improve her courses. This feedback has focused her attention on the interaction with students rather than the technology.

Building Community in Online Classes through Group Work
By Roxann Humbert, EdD
Students’ sense of isolation is often cited as one of the reasons for low retention rates in online classes. One way to combat this is to build group work into your online class. When built properly, group projects will also require students to use higher-level critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.

Activities 101: New Tools for Collaboration, Part 1
By Patti Shank, PhD, CPT
Instructional designers like me often advise faculty to add collaborative activities to their courses because of the learning benefits that can accrue from these activities. These benefits are especially valuable in online courses because they also help learners avoid feelings of isolation and improve motivation and persistence.

If You Are Not a Writing Teacher, Why Should You Care About Your Students’ Writing?
By Errol Craig Sull
Lately, it seems that a discussion du jour for online teachers’ Listservs, blogs, and conference presentations focuses on just how much emphasis non-writing instructors should place on teaching at least the rudiments of good writing. Viewed for years as the nearly sole responsibility of English and writing departments, recent private and public surveys of employers where writing is listed as one of the weakest skills employees bring to the workforce has forced a new emphasis on writing across the curriculum in college.