The first post in The Best in Online Teaching Series
Whether you’re a seasoned online instructor or just getting started in the world of online teaching, all of us have the same goal: student success. Three key practices can support student success in your online course: clear and structured course design, visible instructor presence, and effective communication.
Key Practice 1: Make It Easy to Find Stuff
When a student signs up for an online English course, she probably expects to spend most of her time learning about concepts related to English, not learning about how to navigate the learning environment itself. Of course, with any new learning environment, there will be a learning curve. However, instructors can reduce stress and learning roadblocks by making courses as intuitive as possible for students to navigate. This is where course design and organization comes into play.
- Clear, consistent structure helps students navigate a new course more intuitively.
- Labeling of course elements helps students quickly locate what they need.
- Many online courses are divided into modules, and it helps the learner immensely when the modules are laid out consistently. Each module should have a similar structure, with the module’s overview, learning outcomes, resources, tasks, and assignments in the same order and format. (For more guidance on this, check out Quality Matters and the Online Learning Consortium, both of which offer rubrics to help guide online course design.)
Key Practice 2: Show Up for Class
Some people may be under the impression that online courses “teach themselves.” We, of course, know this is not true! The effective online classroom requires the instructor to be an active participant: not only are you a teacher of content, but you’re also the guide to the class structure and the facilitator of online communication. Research suggests that student persistence is correlated with instructor engagement.
If a course has been well-designed, then the instructor can focus on interacting with students:
- Be present through interaction, such as regularly participating in online discussions, answering questions about course content, providing timely feedback on student work, and guiding students to additional resources.
- Log in frequently (look at those recent discussion posts, check for assignment submissions, grade student work, etc.) to identify when you may need to reach out to a student.
- Create a Course Questions discussion thread and check it at least every other day, if not daily. Encourage students to post questions about the course in this thread instead of emailing you individually.
Key Practice 3: Be a Person, Not a Robot
The instructor’s communication style is critical. Some online instructors have been surprised and discomfited to discover that many online students seem to expect a response to emails or messages immediately, at any time of day or night. Letting students know a reasonable response time for communication and grading is key to setting students’ expectations at the beginning of the class.
Communication style can also play a large part in how students feel about their courses. Creating a video in which you introduce yourself to the class or explain a concept is a great way to connect with students since text on a page can’t fully convey tone or your excitement for a topic. When posting in online discussions, using a respectful and conversational tone will model for your students the type of interaction you expect from them. If you were teaching face-to-face, you’d likely be reminding students about upcoming deadlines, making small talk, and connecting with your students on a personal level. Any of this you can bring to the online classroom will help students develop a connection with you.
Suggested Actions
Students do better in classes when they feel engaged. Clear, structured, easy-to-navigate online courses with instructors who communicate with students frequently and warmly are more likely to result in student success. Consider trying one or more of the following suggested items to make a difference in your courses right now:
- Use “student view” to experience the flow of your course, or ask a couple of students to tell you about their experience navigating the course.
- Let students know early what your response times will be for communication and grading (The syllabus is a great place to put this information.)
- As a general rule, schedule two hours for every one credit hour you are teaching. Use this time for facilitating discussions, answering emails, proactively reaching out to students, and providing meaningful feedback.
For further research, check out:
- “How to Be a Better Online Teacher” by Flower Darby (https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/advice-online-teaching)
- Quality Matters (http://qualitymatters.org)
- Online Learning Consortium (http://onlinelearningconsortium.org)
Biographies:
Eli Collins-Brown is the director of the Coulter Faculty Commons at Western Carolina University. She has served in leadership positions at multiple institutions and is an instructional designer, instructional technologist at heart. She has served in various leadership positions in the PODNetwork and is currently the Communication Officer for the UNC System Faculty and Academic Developers Consortium. Eli has been teaching online since 2003, currently in the Learning Design and Technology masters degree at the University of Maryland Global College. She has an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Illinois State University.
Erin McCully is the E-Learning Specialist at Southwestern Community College, where she has worked for five years. She holds a Masters of Instructional Systems Technology as well as degrees in Music Education and taught K-12 music for 12 years.
