December, 2007

Online Classroom - December, 2007 - Full Issue PDF
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10 Ways to Engage Students in an Online Course
By Mingsheng Dai, PhD
The success of an online course depends greatly on how actively engaged students are with the instructor, with their classmates, with the content, with technology, and with course management tools. Interactivity in any teaching and learning context involves students responding to information, seeking instructors’ feedback, reflecting on the feedback, and acting to appropriately tailor personal learning experience.

Tips from the Pros: Hybrid Course Design Considerations
Creating a hybrid course poses challenges that differ from those of creating a face-to-face or online course. Here are some questions to keep in mind as you create a hybrid course.

Blogs or Discussion Boards?
Blogs and discussion boards both provide opportunities for interaction in online courses, but there are instances when one is more appropriate than the other, says Matt Crosslin, instructional designer at the University of Texas at Arlington’s Center for Distance Education.

Retention of Online Students
By Riad S. Aisami, PhD
Isolation, disengagement, disconnectedness, dissatisfaction, and technology issues are key factors that contribute to students dropping out of online courses. While attracting students to enroll in an online course is the prime responsibility of the academic institution, retaining students is the responsibility of the online instructor.

Online Teaching Fundamentals: If You Build It (or Link to It), Can They Use It?
By Patti Shank, PhD, CPT
In the last few articles, I have discussed using media in online courses and how to overcome numerous obstacles to getting the right kinds of media for your online courses. This month, I’ll finish the series by discussing some learner-centered obstacles that need to be considered so the media elements you build or link to will have the desired impact.

Teaching Online With Errol: Online Teaching: Perfect for Student-Centered Learning!
By Errol Craig Sull
Bob Dylan said it best: “The times they are a-changin’.” The tradition of education has always dictated what we now know as faculty-centered instruction (FCI). Here, the teacher has the role of Lord of the Manor, holding the class together through lectures, designing assignments and tests, grading, and dictating what material was to be learned and when.