August, 2006

Online Classroom - August, 2006 - Full Issue PDF
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5 Ways to Create Nonthreatening Courses While Maintaining High Academic Standards
Instructors who are new to the online classroom often struggle with the issue of how to be rigorous while creating a safe learning environment, and mistakenly think, “You can be nice or demanding, but somehow you can’t be both.” “That’s absolutely not true,” says Andrea Sanders, associate professor of English at Chattanooga State Technical Community College.

Tips from the Pros - Seek Improvement
During each semester it is important to keep an eye toward the future. Kaye Shelton and George Saltsman offer advice on how to do this.

Identity Gift: The Opposite of Identity Theft?
By Aimee J. Luebben, EdD, OTR, FAOTA
The media are full of scary tales of identity theft. Aware of vulnerability, people are becoming increasingly cognizant of what might happen if their electronic identities are stolen. But what happens when a student shares his or her identity with a classsmate?

Confessions of a Faculty Telecommuter: The Freedom Paradox
By B. Jean Mandernach, PhD
Family obligations pulled me unexpectedly from the familiar comfort of my traditional, tenure-track faculty appointment into the unknown world of telecommuting. As such, only two years into the tenure process I relocated 317 miles away from campus and made the dramatic shift from my classic, academic office in the ivory tower to the personalized, informal confines of my home workplace

Activities 101: Getting Off to a Good Start
By Patti Shank, PhD, CPT
Some think that online learning is inherently impersonal and therefore inferior to a “real” classroom. If an online course is impersonal, it’s usually because it wasn’t designed to take advantage of the rich social interactions that are quite possible online.

11 Great Time-Saving Tips for Teaching Online!
By Errol Craig Sull
Let’s be honest: as much as each of us truly enjoys and is committed to teaching online, not one of us would pass by a teaching tip if it could save us time and effort. Well, for this column I bring you some of these online teaching tips that are what you might call the “blue chips” of teaching tips: they’ve been tried by hundreds of online instructors, and each has proved its worth by always saving time and effort—and sometimes preventing potential problems. Use them as presented or adapt them for your specific needs.