March, 2008

Online Classroom - March, 2008 - Full Issue PDF
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Student Moderators in Online Courses
By Joan Thormann, PhD
Several years ago, a colleague of mine suggested that having students lead discussions in the online classroom would be a good idea. I agreed and searched the literature for research on this topic but found nothing. No one at that point had been looking at having students moderate, or they hadn’t written about it. I still thought it was a good idea and decided to pursue this line of research by having my students moderate and follow up with an end-of-course student questionnaire.

5-4-3-2-1 Countdown to Course Management
By Shay Rahm-Barnett, MA, and Daniel P. Donaldson, PhD
The Online Course Design Team in the Center for Professional and Distance Education at the University of Central Oklahoma works with university faculty members as they learn the technical and pedagogical aspects of online education. Most of the instructors we assist report that their first online teaching experience will forever stand out in their minds as a time when they learned how to teach all over again.

Tips from the Pros - Plan Your Course for Reuse
The initial design of your course will have a big impact on how much time and effort will be required to update it in the future. Here are some tips from the University of Michigan School of Nursing to consider as you create your course to accommodate future changes.

Engaging Students beyond the Online Classroom: Virtual Student Organizations
By B. Jean Mandernach, PhD, and Teresa Mason, PhD
Membership in campus organizations has historically been limited to those students who are geographically colocated at a physical campus. Recently, however, the firm establishment of online learning, combined with advances in low-cost, convenient access to facilitative technology, has challenged historical barriers that limited online student participation in student organizations. Today, online students can experience the benefits of student organizations without having to be colocated.

Online Teaching Fundamentals: What to Evaluate, Part 2
By Patti Shank, PhD, CPT
In the last few articles, I have discussed evaluating online courses, programs, and instruction on an ongoing basis and not waiting for the end of each course (when it’s too late to improve that course) to make improvements. My contention is that improvement should be an ongoing process, not an event to be endured.

Teaching Online with Errol: Overcoming Hazards of Teaching Unfamiliar Courses
By Errol Craig Sull
It’s no secret that many folks who teach online are always hungry for additional courses. Ideally, the courses offered—and thus taught—are those the instructor is familiar with. The instructor can handle the course with ease because the subject matter, textbook(s), activities, and (usually) online delivery setup of the course are all familiar. But when an instructor is offered a course he or she has not previously taught, even being familiar with the subject matter may not be enough to result in a smooth and highly productive course.