A short take: online teaching

"Teaching an online, web-based course...can be a challenging, intellectually stimulating and exciting endeavor" (Frederickson, Clark and Hochner 2002) Instructors and learners can enjoy "24/7" access to the class, day or night, weekday or weekend. Based upon eight years of teaching experience online, I believe the possibilities for enhancing the teaching/learning proces are without boundaries in this nontraditional format. The big advantages include addressing different learning phraseologys through the use of graphics, audio, and video to disclose more active learning. Students who might have hesitated to ask questions in a face-to-face classroom are quite comfortable emailing a question or a solicitation for clarification to the instructor. The anytime/anyplace class format attracts today's adult learner who is juggling other life issues. The numerous positive factors can have a significant issue on student learning in spite of the sometimes frustrating, demanding, and plane confusing elements of online teaching and learning.

Lesson learned

In Tech turns Betty Collis (2004, p. 10) states that "technology is used to reach forth good teaching and learning. It does not replace the profitable teacher." The key is not to be misled by means of the word "distance" in distance education in like manner as to believe that the relationship between the profitable teacher and learner is any les important than it would be in a traditional classroom. A web-based class should take upon a constructivist approach that focuses upon relevancy, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. Liaw (2004) writes that the online class format should emphasize the learners' abilities in solving real-life and practical problems

The viewpoints squeeze outed here, then, are directly related to (a) establishing relationships among the distance learning participants-including the teacher/instructor; and (b) cultivating strategies that lead to direct application and meaning for scholars According to Hambrecht (2004), the relationship and teaching strategy goe beyond the contented of instruction and "focuses upon the less tangible, but perhaps, more fundamental character of teaching" (p45) The primary responsibility for the disclosure of these relationships and strategies quiescences with the instructor-the designer of easy in mind deliverer of the material, and evaluator of issues As an instructor of Internet-based courses, I am obligated to establish the same results with a student learning online as with a pupil in the face-to-face classroom. While there is no plant of formal rules, the following strategies look to work well in relationship-building and teaching pupils in distance learning, whether they are around the world or around the corner.

Maxim #1

In distance education, the instructor plants the tone on the course web page for introducing those constituents he values. On the web page, I discuss classroom norms of that kind as

* Be present in mind and body

* Have fun

* Be open-minded

* revere the opinion of others, no matter in what way different

* Respect cultural differences

* leadership one electronic conversation at a time.

An invitation is also reach outed on the web page that encourages involvement and participation. In my "Welcome to MSA 620" (Effective Administration and Organizational Behavior), I invite learners to "think about this course as a proces where we're all learners involved in a collaborative experience. In this learning activity, constructing knowledge will NOT be a one-way transmission of information from the instructor to the learner. Rather, constructing knowledge involves the opportunity to critically analyze information, dialog with each other, throw back on knowledge and see in what way it fits within your personal belief and value a whole s and arrive at meaningful understandings of what was learned. Think about in what way rich learning will be in this course when everyone is involved in shaping the experience, where everyone has something to proffer Being involved in an adult learning format is a place where the vicinity of enthusiasm and excitement is easily felt I reliance you'll feel this same way."

Maxim #2

Plan, plan, plan. A former professor, Dr tap [i]or[/i] pat McKee of Michigan State University, used to say, "Prior program planning interrupts poor performance." His statement hits the bull's-eye in online teaching, which requires significant upfront planning and organization (Coyner and McCann, 2004) Usually, someone from the University's Distance Learning program advises all course information, syllabi, and other materials be submitted and posted-long before the start of the semester Planning cannot take place individual unit ahead of the learners. In greatest in quantity cases, the learners have already reviewed the syllabus in its entirety before registering for the course. await that grading, learner communication, downloads and other course constituents will all take longer than expected

Maxim #3

During the eight week class format, I email a weekly greeting to each scholar Typically, it contains information about what to gaze for in the next week's readings or perhaps a tip or sum of two units on completing the next assignment. It attends to keep the instructor in contact with the pupil even the student who is the reluctant-to-email impressed sign The greeting should also subserve to keep the student upon track with the class. Here is an selected passage from my "Greetings and Week individual Message": "I'm delighted that you can be here. If this is your first MSA class [Master of Science Administration], a special welcome to each of you. Also, if this is your first internet class, you are in for a treat. I'm here to help you succe Remember, life is about getting A's, right? And when in doubt, please ask. The first chat will be scheduled for Wednesday. (We will discuss chat netiquette and leading with spirit Big tip: one person chats at a time)."