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Instructional design is very important when developing online education. The role of the instructor and the design of the online course plays an important role in learning.
How Can We Facilitate Learning, and How Will We Know if Learning Occurs?
An online course used to supplement a face to face lecture (we will refer to this as “blended”) has different parameters than a true distance learning course (we will refer to this as “distance”). Since an online supplemental course allows the instructor to teach, interact, and conduct testing in the classroom, the instructor does not have to rely on Blackboard to assess their students. However, in the distance course the tools and methods implemented are crucial for faculty to be able to effectively assess their students.
Frequent student-faculty contact in and out of class is an important factor in student motivation and involvement. A discussion forum is a method to share concepts, ideas, questions and answers. Discussions can also extend class time discussion by providing tools outside of class.
A step to further communicate with distance leaners is to implement Virtual Classroom Software (VCS), such as Skype (free). Several people may communicate on a topic in the synchronous chat room while using a webcam or whiteboard tools for collaboration and off-site office hours.
Reciprocity and Cooperation Among Students
"Learning is enhanced when it is more like a team effort than a solo race". Good learning, like good work, is collaborative and social, not competitive and isolated, which can contribute to students participating in questionable academic integrity behaviors like cheating. Working with others often increases involvement in learning. Sharing one’s ideas and responding to others’ improves thinking and deepens understanding.
As just mentioned, VCS tools are an effective approach but also is the group tools feature in Blackboard. The group tools feature is a method to provide a collaborative area for student groups to meet with discussion board, chat, email, and it is all coordinated within a specific class and function.
Active Learning Techniques
"Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just sitting in classes listening to teachers, memorizing pre-packaged assignments, and spitting out answers. They must talk about what they are learning, write reflectively about it, relate it to past experiences, and apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves."
Interactive applications and simulations is a method of achieving interactivity in the distance classroom that face/to/face students accomplish in the classroom or laboratory.
"Expect more and you will get it. High expectations are important for everyone: for the poorly prepared, for those unwilling to exert themselves, and for the bright and well motivated. Expecting students to perform well becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."
Active Learning is a platform to ‘expect more’ and engage the student into the curriculum.
Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning
"Many roads lead to learning. Different students bring different talents and styles to college. Brilliant students in a seminar might be all thumbs in a lab; students rich in hands-on experience may not do so well with theory. Students need opportunities to show their talents and learn in ways that work for them. Then they can be pushed to learn in new ways that do not come so easily."
Providing multiple content formats (text, images, sound, audio, animations, graphs, etc.) allow for students to find learning based on their preferred learning style.
Finally, repetition in the online environment is your friend. Provide information about the course, assignments and exams in multiple locations. The learning path for students is directed by the organization and flow of the materials.
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