Teaching Highlights
OfflineThe online classroom is filled with text-based information competing for students' attention. The use of students' names provides a quick, easy means of grabbing their attention and ensuring that they have noticed key information.
One quick, easy way of integrating individual students' names into announcements and mass emails is to utilize the token feature. Tokens are shortcut codes that, when posted, inserts each respective student's name in place of the code.
To utilize tokens in your announcements, follow these steps:
Step 1: Write an announcement/email/discussion/feedback and enter the token below where you would like the students' respective names to show up.
$FIRST_NAME$
Step 2: Save or post the announcement…
OfflineBringing your teaching into the modern, techno-savvy era takes more than simply grabbing the latest gadgets or downloading the coolest new software... the design and layout of the room is an essential consideration as well.
The article "Six Ingredients for the 21st Century Classroom" highlights the following key transformations for shifting to next-generation learning spaces:
- Start with the physical shell.
- Eliminate shadows and dark spots.
- Maximize seating arrangements.
- Get faculty involved in the process.
- Provide easy ways to "power up."
- Design with the student-instructor dynamic in mind.
Read the complete article at Campus Technology.
OfflineThe answer to this question seems simple enough... it is a course offered without face-to-face interaction. But, what, EXACTLY, differentiates online information from an online course? One can view a lecture (or even a series of lectures) on the internet; does this constitute an online course?
Read the following educational blog from IDEA.org for a comprehensive look at the question "What is an online course?":
http://www.idea.org/blog/2012/01/11/what-is-an-online-course/
OfflineDoes consistency of participation really matter in the online classroom?
GCU requires students to participate regularly in the online classroom. But, does this really matter? Do students that participate consistently learn more than those who do not? Does regular participation in threaded discussions impact their motivation or engagement in the course?
Recent research finds that when examining factors impacting learning in the online classroom, "consistency, or less time variation, is a statistically significant explanatory variable, whereas effort, or total minutes spent online, is not" (Patron & Lopez, 2011, pg. 1). As such, perhaps the key to effectively learning in a virtual environment rests not in total time investment in the course, but rather in consistently engaging in learning activities over time to maxime the cognitive gains…
OfflineSign up for YouTube for Schools to bring the power of video to your classrooms for free. Access thousands of free high quality educational videos on YouTube in a controlled environment.
OfflineAs highlighted in the article by Zepke and Leach (2010), there are a range of ways in which instructors and institutions can promote student engagement.
Strategies for promoting student engagement:
- enhance students' self-belief
- enable students to work autonomously, enjoy learning relationships with others, and feel they are competent to achieve their own objectives
- recognize that teaching and teachers are central to engagement
- create learning that is active, collaborative and fosters learning relationships
- create educational experiences for students that are challenging and enriching and that extend their academic abilities
- ensure that…
OfflineHow much time do you spend in your threaded discussions? Have you ever wondered what impact your participation really has on student learning, motivation and performance?
In their 2011 publication, "Instructor's Discussion Forum Effort: Is It Worth It?" in the Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, Michelle Cranney, Lisa Wallace, Jeffrey L. Alexander, and Laura Alfano report:
The popularity of virtual education resulted in institutions seeking best practices as a guide to providing a quality education to online students. The purpose of this retrospective, correlation study was to examine online instructors' discussion forum participation, including time spent…
OfflineAs you progress through your course, it can be difficult to gauge whether or not students are still "with you". Integrating a "reality check" at the mid-point of your course not only provides you with great feedback to modify and enhance your teaching, but it is a wonderful probe to encourage students' self-reflection on the learning process.
Here is an example of a reality check:
Now that we are a month into the semester and you have completed your first test, it is time to reflect on what you have accomplished in this course thus far. Use this form to report on your reflections (please write legibly and use complete sentences). Completion of this "reality check" is worth 5 class participation points.
Evaluate your progress as it relates to each of the following factors. In addition, comment briefly to indicate the quality and/or…
OfflineLooking for a way to video chat with your students? Check out these free options!
OfflineTeaching is teaching, right? Well... maybe! Recent research looks at the impact that teaching online can have on traditional face-to-face instruction. The results just may surprise you...
A recent article, The Benefits of Online Teaching For Traditional Classroom Pedagogy: A Case Study For Improving Face-to-Face Instruction, published in the Journal of Online Learning and Teaching finds:
Much of the literature concerned with online education has focused on the development and implementation of strategies and techniques for improving learner outcomes. Other studies have examined the varying levels of expertise both students and instructors possess in using online technology, or…
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