8 tips for successful online course facilitation
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Tech Fiesta presentation for Region 20, San Antonio, Texas
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8 tips for successful online course facilitation
- 1. Learn about successful online course facilitation. View some active examples of these practices for adult and student learners. San Antonio ISD Office of Instructional Technology and Learning Services
- 4. Based on our own experiences as students and facilitators, we would like to share eight valuable tips with you…
Editor's Notes
- Learning is social. Acknowledge the “social dimension” of learning from the beginning by introducing yourself and “touring the room”/give a brief introduction. Create a warm, welcoming, and supportive atmosphere with a startup forum introducing participants. Respond individually to email questions as quickly as possible. Use names. Support learning conversations (rather than dominate or lecture) with praise, question responses, and summarizing or “librarying” lengthy points. Encourage participants who connect learning experiences to workshop content. Assume good intent, and remind others of this with praise and recognition of effort. Irony and humor rarely translates well online, so think about using emoticons to clarify points. Role model participation.
- Learning is social. Acknowledge the “social dimension” of learning from the beginning by introducing yourself and “touring the room”/give a brief introduction. Create a warm, welcoming, and supportive atmosphere with a startup forum introducing participants. Respond individually to email questions as quickly as possible. Use names. Support learning conversations (rather than dominate or lecture) with praise, question responses, and summarizing or “librarying” lengthy points. Encourage participants who connect learning experiences to workshop content. Assume good intent, and remind others of this with praise and recognition of effort. Irony and humor rarely translates well online, so think about using emoticons to clarify points. Role model participation.
- Goals & Expectations Explain basic expectations from the beginning. What does successful participation look like? Anything that will be graded or evaluated must have the evaluation criteria or rubric posted before a response is required. Structure Chunk learning into predictable modules, blocks, or lessons. Weekly checklists our calendars are awesome guideposts for students. Part of guiding your students through the course is releasing information on a measured timetable (aka pacing). Resources Start every course with a resources section containing announcements, resource links, facilitator contact information, and a general course outline.
- Goals & Expectations Explain basic expectations from the beginning. What does successful participation look like? Anything that will be graded or evaluated must have the evaluation criteria or rubric posted before a response is required. Structure Chunk learning into predictable modules, blocks, or lessons. Weekly checklists our calendars are awesome guideposts for students. Part of guiding your students through the course is releasing information on a measured timetable (aka pacing). Resources Start every course with a resources section containing announcements, resource links, facilitator contact information, and a general course outline.
- Goals & Expectations Explain basic expectations from the beginning. What does successful participation look like? Anything that will be graded or evaluated must have the evaluation criteria or rubric posted before a response is required. Structure Chunk learning into predictable modules, blocks, or lessons. Weekly checklists our calendars are awesome guideposts for students. Part of guiding your students through the course is releasing information on a measured timetable (aka pacing). Resources Start every course with a resources section containing announcements, resource links, facilitator contact information, and a general course outline.
- Participate Students can occasionally get off topic. Gently redirect off-topic responses by responding to group forums with quick summaries, highlights of key points, or questions. Students who know you are involved in the lesson will generally stay on point. Bring closure to each and every forum. Stagnancy Prevention Acknowledge good conversation contributions by name. Be creative by using graphics, photos, or links to brighten discussion board topics. Rewrite dull topics from a too-predictable format by writing from the viewpoint of a character. Occasionally require small group/partner pairs’ response to forums. Make sure the discussion is in sync with the curriculum. If participation is low, introduce a new resource or allow different response types (video, audio, mind map, etc.) Prevent Dropout Reply to messages that get no other recognition, even if it is a “treading water” reply. Call students who have not checked into the course for more than 3 days. Let your students know if you will be out of contact for more than 24 hours. Give reminders so major deadlines do not creep by participants.
- Participate Students can occasionally get off topic. Gently redirect off-topic responses by responding to group forums with quick summaries, highlights of key points, or questions. Students who know you are involved in the lesson will generally stay on point. Bring closure to each and every forum. Stagnancy Prevention Acknowledge good conversation contributions by name. Be creative by using graphics, photos, or links to brighten discussion board topics. Rewrite dull topics from a too-predictable format by writing from the viewpoint of a character. Occasionally require small group/partner pairs’ response to forums. Make sure the discussion is in sync with the curriculum. If participation is low, introduce a new resource or allow different response types (video, audio, mind map, etc.) Prevent Dropout Reply to messages that get no other recognition, even if it is a “treading water” reply. Call students who have not checked into the course for more than 3 days. Let your students know if you will be out of contact for more than 24 hours. Give reminders so major deadlines do not creep by participants.
- Be Sensitive Not everyone in your class is a techno-genius. Especially in the first few weeks, be aware of participants who are last to respond or late. Make one-to-one contact with them in a supportive manner. Some students are hyperaware of their written communication skills. If this seems to be a problem, try allowing for bulleted or visual responses (mind maps, audio recordings, photos, etc.) Some students are easily bored by simple layouts, and others are overwhelmed by complicated ones. Get to know your students; accelerate/expect more from the bored ones, and give more support to those that are visually overwhelmed. Some students will not ask for help if they get stuck or frustrated. These should be referred, gently, to a scaffold, such as a checklist, guide, or additional resource.
- Be Sensitive Not everyone in your class is a techno-genius. Especially in the first few weeks, be aware of participants who are last to respond or late. Make one-to-one contact with them in a supportive manner. Some students are hyperaware of their written communication skills. If this seems to be a problem, try allowing for bulleted or visual responses (mind maps, audio recordings, photos, etc.) Some students are easily bored by simple layouts, and others are overwhelmed by complicated ones. Get to know your students; accelerate/expect more from the bored ones, and give more support to those that are visually overwhelmed. Some students will not ask for help if they get stuck or frustrated. These should be referred, gently, to a scaffold, such as a checklist, guide, or additional resource.
- Another way to be responsive is to create an FAQ section in your resources. This will allow you to put information “out there” that your students have been asking about on a one-to-one basis without singling out any particular student.
- Another way to be responsive is to create an FAQ section in your resources. This will allow you to put information “out there” that your students have been asking about on a one-to-one basis without singling out any particular student.
- Start with small group activities that clearly define roles and expectations. Remind everyone that w orking in isolation is an employment rarity. Use good instruction design … see the schematic about “what people remember”. Foster communication among group members that is purposeful and polite. Hey, use games!
- Start with small groups, and clearly define roles and expectations. Reminder: w orking in isolation is an employment rarity.
- Start with small group activities that clearly define roles and expectations. Remind everyone that w orking in isolation is an employment rarity. Use good instruction design … see the schematic about “what people remember”. Foster communication among group members that is purposeful and polite. Hey, use games!
- Most online students have needs that are not being met in the classroom, or they are seeking opportunities not available locally. Play the Forest Gump “shrimp” here. Mention BrainPop and United Streaming.
- Most online students have needs that are not being met in the classroom, or they are seeking opportunities not available locally. Play the Forest Gump “shrimp” here. Mention BrainPop and United Streaming.
- http://elearnmag.org/
- http://elearnmag.org/
- http://elearnmag.org/
- http://elearnmag.org/