Teaching Online

1. Distance learning
2. Preparing to teach online
3. Overview
4. Tips for Online Instruction
5. Implementing the SevenPrinciples
6. Georgia ONmyLINE

oneDistance learning

Distance learning is "a formal educational process in which some or all of the instructional interaction occurs when student and instructor are not in the same place."

There is nothing new about this: The University of Chicago began teaching correspondence courses by mail in the 1880's, and the BBC has run the TV-based Open University in England since the 60's.

Online instruction, however, allows teacher and students to communicate and interact, and thus has significant advantages over previous delivery methods.

Teaching online has unique advantages and challenges: "Creating a distance learning course involves more than replicating familiar classroom strategies in a different form.

Distance education "requires a different approach - one that focuses less on the amount of time students spend together in a particular place, and more on facilitating a distance community and on activities designed for students working individually." (U. of Washington, 2004)
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threeOverview of online teaching

Before you commit the time and energy needed to develop an online course, read the overview of distance learning at the link below. It includes sections on planning and course design, on building your course and on teaching at a distance in general.

Online Learning
Here's how they put it at this site:
"Because the dynamics of teaching and learning at a distance are unique, Catalyst and University of Washington Distance Learning have developed these online resources to guide you through the steps of designing, developing, and teaching a successful distance learning course" (2004).

 

Teaching Techniques

Consensus is emerging about strategies that work best in an online environment, and about effective teaching techniques and the challenges facing an online instructor. The resources below and opposite address these issues.

Ideas for Distance Learning
These succinct "ideas" are excellent, experience-based suggestions for building online community, increasing participation, facilitating communication, and enhancing the use of chat rooms, discussion boards, etc. in online courses.

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fourTips for Online instruction

Assessing student readiness
SORT is a Web-based questionnaire for students who are considering an online course. Students fil lin self-rating scales, submit them, and receive suggestions.


Developing effective components of online courses such as discussion groups,chat rooms and syllabi.

Optimizing Your Syllabus for Online Students

Strategies for Promoting Discussion in Your Online Course

Sample Student Handout
General gudelines for students taking online courses.

 

Teaching Distance Learning at Georgia Highlands

There are four ways you can teach distance learning courses at the college:

1. College by DVD courses taught by GHC instructors;
2. FCTV "cablecasts" GHC courses live;
3. Web-based and hybrid/blended courses;
4. eCore courses can also be taught by GHC instructors.

Contact your Department head or Instructional Resource Center staff for more information about these opportunities.

Many GHC instructors augment face-to-face instruction with elements of Web-based instruction such as discussion groups, chat rooms and white boards. A recent development combines both modes of instruction into "hybrid" courses, which meet part face-to-face, and part of the time online .

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sixGeorgia OnmyLINE


Georgia ONmyLINE provides access to a full array of online and distance education offerings from the 35 colleges and universities in the University System of Georgia (USG).

Through this site prospective and enrolled students can quickly find programs and/or courses that meet their career or degree needs.

They can apply for admission to colleges and universities, and once accepted, register for courses.

The offerings listed in this site will serve both students who seek fully online solutions for their education needs, as well as on-campus students who seek occasional online formats to meet their content, time, and scheduling needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

twoPreparing to teach online

You don't need to be a tech wizard to teach online, but there are minimum skill levels. Any one of the self-assessment forms below will enable you to assess the adequacy of your skills.


Is Online Teaching for Me?
Self-evaluation Quiz. This 20-item questionnaire addresses many of the pertinent areas for self-evaluation.

Facilitating Learning Online
FLO is an online course offered by North Georgia College for faculty who are or may be facilitating online courses as well as faculty augmenting classroom teaching with online course materials.

FLO provides a self-contained, facilitated, experiential learning environment that shares a spectrum of online learning concepts, theories, and principles using interactive and collaborative experiences."

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Overview of online teaching, (cont'd)

Meeting the Challenges
Teaching online poses different challenges than face-to-face instruction. The following sites describe such challenges and offer suggestions for overcoming them.

Meeting the Challenges of Becoming an Online Course Developer
www.umuc.edu/facdev/resources/challenges.html

"Despite a number of similarities between teaching college courses in a classroom (called face-to-face teaching or "f2f"), one major difference will either "make you" or break you" as you transition from articulate, well-poised, charming classroom instructor to master typist, HTML-savvy online pedagogue. That one difference is how you design your classroom activities."

(My) Three Principles of Effective Online Pedagogy, Bill Pelz, JALN, Volume 8, Issue 3, 2004 When you get to the Table of Contents Page, scroll down to the "Three Principles" article and click the title.

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fiveImplementing the Seven Principles

In March 1987, the AAHE Bulletin first published Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson's article Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education.

 

The Seven Principles assert that "Good Practice" does the following:

1. Encourages Contacts Between Students and Faculty

2. Develops Reciprocity and Cooperation Among Students

3. Uses Active Learning Techniques

4. Gives Prompt Feedback

5. Emphasizes Time on Task

6. Communicates High Expectations

7. Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning

Revisiting the article in 1996 and 2008, Chickering and Ehrman write: "Since the Seven Principles of Good Practice were created in 1987, new communication and information technologies have become major resources for teaching and learning in higher education. If the power of the new technologies is to be fully realized, they should be employed in ways consistent with the Seven Principles."

 

The essay describes some of the most cost-effective and appropriate ways to use computers, video, and telecommunications technologies to advance the Seven Principles.

Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever

Seven Principles Ideas and Resources site.

Ideas based on the 7 Principles