July, 2007

Online Classroom - July, 2007 - Full Issue PDF
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Strategies for Online Concept Mapping, Part 2
By Kevin Oliver, PhD, and C. Dianne Raubenheimer, PhD
In the last issue, we introduced online concept mapping as a valuable teaching strategy for distance instruction. We shared several strategies for generating concept maps, from fill-in-the-blank maps to preselected, seeded, and open-ended maps (see Figure 1). In part two, we discuss several strategies for using concept maps in the classroom after a concept map has been generated. Again, we use the free Cmap Tools software to support all listed activities (IHMC, 2007).

Tips from the Pros:Ensuring Online Course Quality
When reviewing online courses for quality assurance, the focus should be on the course, not the instructor, says Mary Wells, development director for Quality Matters, a peer-based approach to quality assurance in online education. Faculty are far more accepting of quality assurance processes that are not tied to faculty evaluation. They are more likely to participate in a process that is not a “pass/fail test,” but a chance to improve course design in a supportive environment, Wells said.

Lurking: A Valid Learning Style?
By Jennifer Freeman and Michael Anderson
What are we to do about students who do not post in the discussion area or participate in chat sessions? Are these “lurkers” accurately labeled as passive or lazy? Are they robbing their peers or themselves of valuable interaction? Or are we, in our zeal to engage our students, employing an overly narrow definition of interactivity that results in a prohibitive environment for certain types of learners? Therefore, most online courses require students to interact with each other using asynchronous discussion areas, chats, and other tools.

Online Teaching Fundamentals: (Not) Making it Hard(er) to Learn, Part 5
By Patti Shank, PhD, CPT
Learning online can be an incredibly valuable experience but it is not without frustrations. This article, the last in a series on reducing frustrations for online learners (and online instructors too, as they have to deal with frustrated online learners), will discuss a common theme around frustration in learning, online or not. The term for this common source of frustration is cognitive load.

Teaching Online With Errol: On The Road Again: Keep Your Computer Happy!
By Errol Craig Sull
Well, it’s that time again: summertime, and thus more online instructors are on the road than at any other time of the year. In this annual summer column, I offer you the latest tips to keep your hassles with online teaching to a minimum while you enjoy a well-deserved break or two during these warm months.

Making Visible the Invisible
By Denise Tolan
Online teaching is in a double bind as to how to balance the freedom of relative anonymity with potential isolation or the loss of diversity. Much has been written about the online classroom being a level playing field, but I wonder if a level playing field necessitates the stripping away of gender, age, and racial and ethnic identities. How do we honor diversity when we can’t see it? Should we even try?