July, 2006

Online Classroom - July, 2006 - Full Issue PDF
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Successful Discussions in Online Mathematics and Science Courses
By Kathleen Offenholley
Successful online discussions can build community, keep students on time with their coursework, help students when they have trouble with material, and encourage analysis and synthesis, not just knowledge-telling. They are essential to making an online class into more than a correspondence course. Yet it can seem as though our colleagues in English and history are the ones with all the good discussion ideas, while those of us in math and science are limited to the relatively dull task of asking students to post a homework problem. Recently,

Tips from the Pros--A Team Approach to Developing Online Courses
In 2003, the Savannah College of Art and Design set a goal of developing fully online programs to serve students at a distance. Mona Meyer, director of instructional design, is part of the team of three people charged with this undertaking. Since the project’s inception, the team has developed 50 courses, with 29 more in development. The team achieved its results by using the following “Five Simple Rules” for creating e-learning programs that are clear and scalable—rules that allow for tremendous productivity in a short time and with little person-power.

Activities Aren’t Optional
By Patti Shank, PhD, CPT
Have you ever noticed the dazed stupor that comes over learners’ faces when an instructor’s monologue drones on and on? The fact that we cannot see this happening online doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. It does. Here are a few signs: learners are disengaged and some become MIA, there’s very little discussion in the discussion areas, and learners only do what’s graded and not one bit more.

Teaching on the Road: Your Complete Wi-Fi Guide
By Errol Craig Sull
It’s summertime, and that means that many of us will be hitting the road to points hither and yon. But teaching online often means no summer vacation from classes; indeed, many online courses just keep on rolling, and you’re expected you to roll with them—regardless of where you might be. Enter Wi-Fi (a shortened form of “wireless fidelity”), a technological way for you to connect to your server from nearly anywhere you might travel and stay online with your students so you can remain current with your syllabus and other teaching responsibilities.

The Evolution of Online Course Development: From Basics to Bells and Back Again
By B. Jean Mandernach, PhD
The venture into online course development can be a daunting journey. Not only must you navigate the nuances and strategies of effective online course facilitation, but this must be accomplished in harmony with the creation of an online course structure that allows you to stimulate, inspire, and educate students in the novel environment of the virtual classroom.