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NLU eCampus  Support For Faculty Teaching Online About the Faculty |
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About the Faculty Teaching Online
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Jane Moore, Ed.D.
Associate Professor
Curriculum and Instruction
National College of Education
I began teaching fully online courses three years ago, but had been using blended courses for two years prior to that. I have always been an early adopter and enjoy technology, but realized its value in education after having taken four online courses myself, the most recent a semester-length course, totally online.
I'm much more conservative about jumping into discussions online because I think that that can stop a discussion cold. I certainly read every response that students post, but I give them a chance to answer each other's questions, unless they ask me directly. I think I've become a better facilitator in all my courses by teaching online.
Make your (faculty) presence known-students don't want to feel that they are "out there" and that no one is paying attention. I change the announcement on the course every day, using a different color background, and I make sure that I post several times a day as well, so there's a presence. I also realize how important it is to make expectations very, very clear.
Technology has provided me with wonderful frameworks that allow me to teach in a more organized manner-I can send the syllabus to face-to-face students before the quarter begins with all the required work contained therein; I can quickly answer questions via email. Using a course delivery system allows me to receive and grade work as students complete it, rather than all in one pile once a week. This allows me to return it to students in a much timelier manner and gives them the opportunity to make corrections, all sometimes before the project is actually due. It does make more work for me, but I think it gives my students far more opportunities for learning.
I think there is a great future for online learning. While I believe that face-to-face classes are not a thing of the past, I believe that we will see more blended courses, perhaps not meeting every week, but having meetings supplemented by online teaching and learning.
My totally online course is about how death impacts a school community. The online environment provides for some anonymity and students are more comfortable talking about their feelings and experiences regarding death than when I taught this same course face to face. Surprisingly, the community that can be built online supports that personal revelation. I am also able to have students connect with authors of articles they read for the class via pre-arranged email.
Web supported courses in mathematics education and curriculum and instruction are helpful because of the tremendous array of web resources that are available. I am able to connect my students to sites in England that provide resources on number sense, articles written by practicing teachers, and even video clips of theory into practice.
Online programs greatly benefit from online community building. But developing communites online takes a lot of work... you need to deliberately build in ways for students to get to know and trust each other. I model that by requiring an introduction. I respond to each introduction, welcoming the student to the class, and making connections between students -- "Like Bonnie, you've had to deal with that situation yourself." One of my students posted a note today -- "... I found the course online to be much more personable than actually being in a classroom."
I can certainly monitor participation far better than in a face to face class where a student can deliberately or inadvertently disappear. I can more easily connect with students and deal with misconceptions about the topic because they are written there, rather than just being alluded to by one student, while others nod their heads.
Online coursework is not for everyone, but the students who are not afraid of it really see the benefits of technology in deepening their learning and having access to so much more.
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