Paul, I really connected with your observations about the DQs not being due until Day 3.  I found it to be true in my own experiences and really appreciate your wisdom in some of the solutions offered.  I think that by you detailing some of the troubleshooting you have done in order to make your classroom the optimal place for learning; it can save the newcomers to on-line teaching some frustration and heartache.  The same goes for their students. Sheila Shaver- College of Education

Paul, thanks for a very thought-provoking paper!

For my first three years, I had been routinely announcing to students (in a welcoming email and in my first-week announcements) that DQs would be due on Tuesday and Thursdays. I found this was instrumental in encouraging early engagement in the topic of discussion. 

I was recently trounced upon for this practice, and now comply to the Wednesday-Friday model. I find this leads to minimal discussion of DQ1. DQ2 initial responses pretty much sit there over the weekend, and then the module is through. It's very disappointing! Maria Mahon COLA

Paul, you bring up some valid points for online learning. I also like to add links and comments from current events that connect to that week's topic. Sometimes it sparks conversation and sometimes it gets ignored since it isn't "required."  You mention the busy nature of online learners and if the grade is the only motivation - the minimum seems to be what is put in. There are students and even whole classes that are the exception to that and finding how to get that same excitement in the learning and discussing in all of my classes would be a great tool to develop.

Paul, I appreciate your work. You really had some interesting insight on the topic.  Please use headings to organize the paper a bit more. I have attached the paper below with some feedback.I applaud your work! Thanks so much for sharing!

Hi Paul,

            You chose an intriguing aspect of teaching in an online learning environment to address in your paper!  I appreciated the importance you placed on the use of the discussion forums and the positive impact such forums can have if used artfully by an instructor.   A do agree with Lisa (prior post) that the paper may need some more organization.  With appropriate APA titles and subtitles the paper will be more eye-catching and an easier read. I would additionally like to see an expansion on a few of the sections; first, a deeper discussion of what aspects are missing from the sense of community and suggestions for improving that sense beyond use of the discussion forums.  Additionally, if it is of interest to you, consider addressing motivational interviewing with students (perhaps in the section where you discuss mentoring students and promoting their own success).  Last, you stated in the beginning of the paper that "the online classroom demands special attention" in regards to assessing foundational skills of students when compared to face-to-face classrooms.  An expansion on why this is true, and how to provide the special attention would be a nice addition to the section.

Bravo on choosing an important topic that needs some exposure!

Best,

Amanda Laster-Loftus

Paul,

I enjoyed reading your comments about online education.  I completed my Master's through an online program and now am working on completing my Ed.D. through an online program.  I have found that the discussion forums do take time and effort to make sure that I complete them well.  As a faculty member you have to have a passion for online education for it to be successful.  Your point that communication is essential for the program to be effective is true.  Organizing your paper with specific headings and subheadings would make it easier to follow.  Also including recommendations from both faculty and students in how to create a better learning opportunity would add more to your idea.  Thanks for sharing with us your passion and love for the online learning community.

Shannon Watkins

In my experiences, lots of people look down upon online learning because it is thought to be less of an educational experience. However, online learning is growing to be more prevalent and more accepted in society as a whole. I am an online student as well, and I do notice a huge difference between the online classroom and a traditional setting. Online learning requires much more self-discipline, but allows for flexibility. In the traditional setting, all we have to do is show up and we are halfway there. I think that online education appeals to most adult learners because our schedules do not allow us to report to a classroom at a certain day and time.

Great information. You have touched on many of the things that I also find as  issue for online students and the courses. The writing skills and attitudes of  "is this really a needed class?" are paramount to whether a student will take seriously the work they need to complete to be successful in the course. I have promoted good writing skills for years, much to the dismay of some of my students. I also have tried to provide students with feedback that is not only personal but also directs them to those university services where they can be helped to improve their skills. Motivation is also important. I still struggle with this aspect of the online classroom. You have brought out many good points that are a good reminder to me of what I need to do to better connect with my students.

Thank you,

Dr. Sandi Oravetz

Greetings Paul

 I do not see this article as ready for publication. I have outlined some of my reasons below:

" ..there is significant evidence that online education is inferior because of the prevalence of current online universities that are more like diploma factories [http://www.stthomas.edu/rimeonline/vol5/hebert.htm]…. ." Several steps can be taken to work on overcoming the community disconnects.  First, online colleges and universities can work toward hiring better faculty members. Second, learning institutions can work on improving and maintaining high academic standards.

 1. I have serious issues with the above premise since it seems to be unsupported with facts. According to the U.S. Department of Education 2011 "Stats in Brief" (NCES 2012-154) 20% of all U.S. undergraduates take at least one distance education course. Long before there was an online format there was distance education - the Internet is an extension of this. Most schools have had a distance education program in one for or another for at least 40 years. Over 100 accredited schools offered distance degrees in 1982 as chronicled in John Bear's first guide, "How to get the college degree you want" - the 16^th edition of Bear's guide was just published.

    As far as "better faculty members" and "maintaining high academic standards" the only reference I see indicating it is a problem is a journal article you quote on distance music education. One article on distance music education does not fairly reflect the capabilities of all faculty members teaching in a distance education format.

"Participating in classroom discussion is paramount to the learning experience"… The difficulty in such forums can blossom to ridicule toward students who lack basic writing skills. 

3. I see you indicate you have been teaching online for three years - I have been doing so for ten. Perhaps it is a statistical anomaly, but all of my students could reply in a discussion forum. They might lack the skills for a college paper, but they all could write a sentence. Could you provide any study that shows that students lacking basic writing skills routinely enroll in online programs and this lack of skills is only discovered in discussion forums?

 "Other online universities undoubtedly have similar policies and programs to facilitate student learning."

4. Since this an academic article it would be helpful to check the policies of other schools. Also, GCU is not an online university, if you look at the website you will notice there is a residential population.

 "A second effective means would be reading the essay aloud to a family member or friend that has a better grasp on academic writing. "

 5. At this point in your article I am assuming you are studying for-profit schools. Did you review the demographics of students who enroll in for-profit schools? Many are the first in their family to enroll in a university. Which family member do you feel is going to have "a better grasp of academic writing"?

 "As a class progresses the faculty can use email, classroom messages, forums for students to pose questions to the instructor, Twitter, Facebook, personal websites, course announcements and phone calls [when necessary] in order to motivate student attention and diligence."

 6. Is Facebook an appropriate academic communication? Should the faculty, or student, be sharing personal information? If questions arise as to faculty conduct, is a record of non-university communication (tweets, FB) going to viewed as appropriate?

 I quit reading at this point.

Sincerely

 Denver

dmullican@my.gcu.edu

As an online student and online instructor I can relate to your points regarding the discussion questions. The third day post rule does indeed seem to stall the week in getting started.  I find that as a student my  attention is not distributed evenly, that is, I generally end up posting more to the subsequent discussion questions than the initial required posting.

Your critique of current practices and suggestions for improvement are thought provoking, however, I would have liked to have seen relevant current research included to support both the critique and your interesting suggestions.

Lucinda Edwards

Hello Paul,

  I applaud your work here in crafting an article that seeks to make online learning more personal and credible. Indeed, traditional educators view online programs as "McLearning" - generic in content and sterile in delivery. Your article highlighted practices that were structural, technical, and instructional in nature to help make online learning more authentic. In particular, your sections on improving discussion forums would be helpful for faculty new to the online environment. Toward this end I would encourage you to add sections on how online faculty can strengthen their online 'presence' - making the online classroom more credible and personal.

Sincerely,

Scott D. Edgar

PhD, DMin.

GCU Online Faculty, Graduate Program in Christian Studies

Paul, I agree with your comments on the DQs. I always required a day 2 and day 4 post, instead of the 3 and 5 now set by GCU. I am finding the same as others - DQ1 has quality initial posting information and more often than not, better responses and interaction among the learners. As for the format of your paper, APA needs to be followed, especially for references and citations.

Great premise for a paper!  The qualitative features of online instruction are rarely as important as the quantitative assessment features, to the educational institutions involved, but it is often the most important feature considered by students when evaluating their satisfaction with a course, in my experience.

Your comments about the importance of planning and organization are thoughtful. I appreciate your focus on instructor responsibility and vulnerability with students.  While this makes the job even more labor-intensive, I also find it very helpful in encouraging students.  Great job!

Structurally, there are many run-on, difficult-to-read sentences that could use better punctuation, and a few subject-verb disagreements.