Interesting article but your sources you are parpahrasing are not incorret APA format. You don't use the weblink but the author of the article or web link as the author, followed by the yerar, and then the paragraph number or page number. The exception, I believe is when you are furnishing them for a resource to the reader, like the Owl from Purdue. Which is awesome by the way! LOL. Also, your reference formatting is not in correct APA format either. I am not trying to take away from your paper but if this is to be published, you probably need to ascertain it is in proper APA formatting,

I enjoyed reading your paper, Paul.

Many of the points you mention are critically important in the online environment. I especially recommend the use of Socratic method in the discussion threads, that is, including a question to class in most instructor posts. This promotes further discussion and challenges students to participate and think critically about their responses.

I think many online faculty members have experienced non-substantive responses from students - an exchange of 'I agree' or 'Good post' type of responses. These posts do not substantively contribute to the class discussion. While I promote all communication in the threads, as long as it is respectful and appropriate, it's best to re-direct students to the topic discussed and to encourage them to contribute substantively. Using the Socratic Method is very helpful in this respect.

The content of the article was interesting and reflected the way most dedicated online educators feel about online teaching.  I noted improper APA formatting throughout the paper and some grammatical errors, and so these issues need to be addressed before publication.  I liked how you pointed out that brevity can at times be more beneficial to the student than droning on and on in a long post.  The same could most likely be said for a seated classroom as well!  This paper would be very beneficial to someone beginning their career in online teaching.

Hello;

Interesting article and points well-supported! I am not sure; however, that the first part of the title matches. I think removing the question from the title and maintaining "Crafting an Approach to Online Teaching" would suffice just fine. I would also suggest maintaining consistency across the article with regard to "online teaching" and "internet education" as it is mentioned in the title and abstract. Also, I would capitalize Internet and replace cheer leaders. My last suggestion would be to employ an introduction and a conclusion to the article. The first paragraph just jumps at the reader without introducing the problem or the issue the article will examine. Similarly, a conclusion is likely to summarize the article and present to the reader a take away from the main points presented.

Indeed online learning requires much attention and dedication to foster the learning experience for our students. You have done an excellent job in presenting techniques that could do just that providing a commitment from both the teacher as well as the student.

Thank you;

Riyad

Interesting paper! I really enjoyed reading this.

 I think that section headings common to academic papers would help a reader follow this writing better.

There are extensive APA issues. For example, website addresses do not appear in-text with standard APA format, and in addition direct quotes also require a page or paragraph number be included in the citation. The reference list is also not in correct APA format.

There are extensive general editing problems as well. For example you wrote: "GCU online Classroom policies…"  I am confused by the use of Classroom as a capitalized proper noun there. Editing problems persist through the entire work and this is just one example.

My overall comment is that the content is excellent and the editing needs extensive work. Thanks for sharing this paper wtih us!

Paul, you offer students and faculty a number of resources that can be used to enhance the online learning experience.  You mention motivating student attention and diligence within your paper.  I suggest looking at this from an engagement point of view.  Look at the tools, of which you mention a number, and how they engage the student in the learning. 

I noticed someone already mentioned the headings and I support those comments.  For the flow of the paper it is good to have headings so that the reader is not distracted and can follow the logical flow more easily.

Thank you for your insightful paper. 

Paul, this was a very interesting and relevant article. I noticed many of same things others have already commented on such as incorrect APA format and some grammatical errors. For example, the sentence that begins, "There is however online grammar websites. . ." needs to be edited. I like how you consistently referred to student attention and diligence as we all know online students who are not serious learners and would just like to get through a course as quickly as possible. The attitude of just getting it over with is certainly detrimental to the learning process and doesn't help those who are serious learners, especially in the discussion forums. You make a good point that online education is in its adolescence and will continue to grow and mature. You also made a good point that an online instructor must truly care about his/her students. Like others, I appreciated your paper and thank you for taking the time to share it.

Paul,

It's obvious that you enjoy teaching and have gleaned effective online instruction techniques throughout your career. 

Proper in-text citations and referencing in the Reference page would make the essay more scholarly.

I truly enjoyed your comment about conversing with the mirror during the first few days of discussion!  That definitely hit home and I appreciate your tips on garnering elaborate discussions.

Paul,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on online education with us.  I would definately suggest your re-format the paper as an APA work.  I would also suggest favoring peer reviewed sources over internet sources.  When you talk about about the challenges of online education and its success rate vs. traditional educational their are other topics one might explore such as:

The type of students that generally apply to online private institutions, their academic backgrounds and preparedness.

The mindset of these students as some are older and lots of work experience.

The time that may have passed between their last academic experience.

Their access to peers and study groups.

Just a few thoughts.

Jason

Paul,

Besides the APA format corrections mentioned in previous posts, your paper contained pertinent data to the success of an online instructor.  Your web sources were relative to the topic and supported your abstract.  Communicating with your students is definitely essential as this, in my opinion is the student/interaction that a ground student would receive.  The discussion forums are important for participation with classmates.  This is an area I try to motivate my students toward as interaction with other students provide a dialog for sharing of experience and knowledge.  To further expound on the topic of communication and motivation of a student; in my humble opinion, the mention of an instructor promoting this type of motivation should also be addressed in the article.  Very good article.  God bless! 

Greg Lehtimaki

Paul,

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your article entitled "What's Love God to do With It?" I am confident that all online instructors were immediately able to identify with the issues (overcoming a lock of fundamental skills, motivating student attention and diligence, and overcoming personal and communal disconnect) you outlined. Some of the suggestions (titling posts, cheerleading, etc.) I currently employ and find them highly beneficial in the online environment. Your suggestion to use smaller posts is a great reminder. The APA formatting issues have been enumerated by others. This was a very good article with a great title. Thank you for your presentation.

Ron Steadman

Thank you for taking the time to share your views on this topic with us!  I love the presentation of information in relation to content, as you raise important points for teaching.

Forgive me for being old school as I state the formatting of the submission was somewhat distracting.  I encourage a separate title page, double-spacing, and attention to overall APA formatting.  This, I think would support the visual/academic presentation.  Having addressed the writing process within this submission, I trust you accept this review in the spirit of support and encouragement.

In relation to the content, as an online instructor I think you are correct that we must heavily support learners to continue to engage in the online learning process.  When learners reflect upon past learning experiences, most think fondly upon those teachers/instructors who did more hand-holding than others.  Individual assistance, consideration, and support is a sign of caring on the part of the teacher/instructor.

I love the reference to online cheerleaders, as I believe this is necessary for many online learners!  As one who is by nature critical, I consistently remind myself to be a cheerleader for learners.  The response is often heartwarming when learners email me with words such as, "...this was one of the hardest course I have taken, but I have learned a lot..."  I am sure the hard is related to my consistent comments relating to writing skills and presentation of information. 

Thank you for reminding me that cheerleading gets the learners excited. "I think I can!  I think I can!

Rae Thompson

Makes me smile when you define 'diploma factory' as it was only a few years ago when several high level United States employees (Joint Commands, now Army War College, Col. Charles Allen was one of them) were found to have used diploma mills. It does put shame to places that are accredited and those who attend (earn) and those who serve (work for our money in the field).

I think the interaction and the classroom can really boil down to facilitation. Although at times it can be a challenge with some courses. Courses as with classes (and people)- can vary! Continual training and updating with new techniques, faculty can stay current with the latest trends. It is important for universities to continually research and pass the techniques along the line. When faculty model the best learned teaching practices and ethics, their students will too. If we wish our students to behave a certain way, we must model it!

There are some submission issues. Could be that it was uploaded in doc and not rtf. Rtf really helps support the transfer. Just a tip!

Even though online education is in its adolescence, this is also the time when the most interesting development occurs in most individuals, so if we are indeed comparing the online learning environment with adolescence, it is both frustrating and exciting. After teaching middle school for a number of years, I can tell you that age can be the most frustrating, but also the most exciting. Helping them develop to their full potential and reach new heights they never thought they could achieve can be a good sign for the future of online education.

Paul, I found your assessment of the online learning environment a worthy read; however, I noticed that you are not using APA formatting in your reporting. For instance, the use URL addresses as your reference citation is not sufficient because a broken link will leave your reader without a source. As an instructor, your ability to convey to your online students is impacted by your own writing techniques. Limit your in-text citation to (author, year) so you can reduce the clutter while giving currency with year. Also, I want to have the page number or paragraph number for your direct quotes to be able to look the information up.

With that being said, your discussion begins with generalization about online versus ground but credible sources would give strength to your position and avoid bias. Your reader cannot be convinced there is a problem without careful documentation. Your raise important points for consideration; yet, I would challenge the premise that online is inferior.  The moderating variable is the level of activity among participants engaging each other, supporting your dialogue on instructor participation. Another moderator might be time available as the adjunct instructor.

Thank you for beginning the list of best management practices for online instructors.