September, 2007

Online Classroom - September, 2007 - Full Issue PDF
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Teaching the Same Literacy Course Online and On Campus: Keeping the Balance
By Julie H. Lester, PhD
Communicating course content can sometimes be difficult for on-campus instructors, and communicating the same content via online instruction can be overwhelming! My charge was to design and teach a course for master’s level students to be offered online and on campus during the same semester. Several issues were involved. This was a prerequisite course for education majors that required specific competencies be met to prepare them for the next level of coursework. Distance students could choose to take subsequent courses on campus. Additionally, student-centered instruction with field experiences was an integral component of the course.

Tips from the Pros - How to Reduce Social Loafing
At this year’s Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning, Sherry Piezon, a doctoral student at Florida State University, and William Ferree, manager of Web-enabled programs at the Naval War College, offered recommendations for reducing social loafing in online groups.

Syllabus Template Development for Online Course Success
By Ken Hess, James Falkofske, and Carol Bormann Young - Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis, Minn.
Investing time up front specifically detailing all aspects of the online course will reduce the need for follow-up and will provide students with a greater sense of security and a more accurate set of expectations about the course. Student anxiety can be reduced when clear expectations are detailed at the start of the course.

Online Teaching Fundamentals: Taking Advantage of the Natural Characteristics of Media for Online Instruction, Part 2
By Patti Shank, PhD, CPT
Each type of media has its own natural characteristics that can be used to help learners achieve desired learning outcomes. This means that the medium with the characteristics that help learners achieve the learning objectives is typically the ideal one to use for instruction.

Teaching Online with Errol: Keeping Teamwork Alive, Motivated, and Enthused!
By Errol Craig Sull
Teamwork: it is a specified or non-specified section of so many online courses where students have the opportunity to “speak” with one another in an asynchronous environment. Yet online instructors often overlook its importance, and it can be the most difficult section to “maintain.”