February, 2008

Online Classroom - February, 2008 - Full Issue PDF
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11 Practice Priorities to Promote Empathy in Online Courses
By Richard G. Fuller, DEd
Some instructors generate and display great empathy in their online teaching, while others do not. Empathy allows an understanding of students’ reactions from the inside, a sensitive awareness of the way learning seems to students. Empathy promotes the motivation to learn and influences the learning process in a positive manner. Empathy is fostered by using a variety of techniques that promote friendly, conversational interaction in supporting learning opportunities.

Tips from the Pros - 7 Indicators of Community
The following are some questions to ask to determine whether or not your course has “the kind of communal infrastructure that makes learning fun and exciting.”

Difference = Flavor: Embracing Cultural Diversity in Online Learning
By Josefina (Josie) Lujan, PhD, RN
Increasing cultural diversity directly impacts the success of online collaboration. Therefore, it is critical that cultural diversity be embraced in order to promote online collaboration that will transform groups of online learners into effective online learning communities (Palloff & Pratt, 2005).

Online Teaching Fundamentals: What to Evaluate, Part 1
By Patti Shank, PhD, CPT
Continual improvement efforts are often implemented poorly, leaving the folks being “improved” feeling hostile and unappreciated. But improvement efforts do not have to be foolish or punitive. If we want to improve online programs, courses, and instruction, we have to first determine and gain consensus around the goals for these efforts, select metrics that will tell us what we want to know, and intelligently analyze these metrics for clues about needed changes. Sounds simple, but it isn’t.

Professors Online: The Best-Case Scenario for Discussion Group Success
By M. Louise Ripley, MBA, PhD
Lifelong learning is a necessity for an increasing number of people in the workforce, and online courses that utilize discussion groups moderated by the professor can provide excellent opportunities for students to acquire knowledge, skills, and abilities that they will need to be successful in their careers. This article examines the use of discussion groups in an online undergraduate course, using some specific examples from my own teaching website, and explores some guidelines for management of discussion groups, a topic not widely researched.

Online Teaching With Errol: Giving Positive Feedback Online—Even When It’s Negative!
By Errol Craig Sull
Students not only crave feedback on assignments but need it—and this is especially true with online teaching. Online vehicles used for feedback demand a careful scrutiny of words, tone, and approaches, for unlike a traditional classroom where an instructor can immediately clarify or amend oral feedback, the online instructor must get it right the first time, every time.