Description Meeting the needs of students in online courses is essential in today’s educational landscape. When asked about aspects of online courses that are important to them, students repeatedly indicate that features that help them feel comfortable with the structure, format, and expectations of the course are of utmost importance (Hixson, Buckenmeyer, & Barczyk, 2015; …
Continue reading “Set the Stage with a Start Here Section: Orient Students to Course Purpose, Structure, and Expectations”
Related Tags:
Course Organization,
Expectations,
Instructor Presence,
Interaction,
Peer-Reviewed Entry,
Quality Matters
Description Screencasting refers to as a digitally recorded playback of computer screen output which often contains audio narration (Udell, 2005). Faculty choose to use them to record portions of lectures to provide overview, describe procedures, present concepts, focus attention and elaborate content (Sugar, Brown & Luterbach, 2010). Here are a few examples of instructional uses …
Continue reading “Create Screencasts to Present Content and Focus Attention”
Related Tags:
Content,
Instructor Presence,
Jing,
Powerpoint,
Problem-Based Learning,
Screencast,
Video
Description Use of mobile communication technology in the higher education setting is still a relatively new area of study. On brick and mortar campuses, students who have face-to-face interaction with their professors and peers can often be seen texting or “tweeting” between classes or in class. Such mobile messaging usage in class can be very …
Continue reading “Use Mobile Communication Technologies to Increase Students’ Feelings of Connectedness and Instructor Support”
Related Tags:
Connectivism,
Instructor Presence,
Interaction,
Social Media,
Social Presence
Description A welcome message to students before the course begins is an important step in establishing your online persona (Bellafiore, 2007; Gibson & Blackwell, 2005; Mensch & Ali, 2007; Phillips, 2011). The message should include vital information for the course and not be your entire syllabus. The purpose of this communication is to welcome the …
Continue reading “Send a Welcome Message”
Related Tags:
Communication,
Course Orientation,
Instructor Presence,
Interaction,
Peer-Reviewed Entry,
Social Presence
Description Many faculty members begin their online courses by contacting students in advance of the course start date or during the first week of classes with an introductory email message (Bellafiore, 2007; Gibson & Blackwell, 2005; Mensch & Ali, 2007). The purpose of this communication is to welcome the students, establish a comfortable class environment, …
Continue reading “Send Students an Introductory Email Message Before the Course Begins”
Related Tags:
Communication,
Email,
Instructor Presence,
Interaction,
Social Presence
Description Some faculty may find it useful to have their students access certain public online services (e.g., blogs, wikis, social media tools, etc.) as part of their course work. It is up to the faculty member to evaluate the educational value of such activities, but it is also a responsibility of the faculty member to …
Continue reading “Include FERPA Statements in Course”
Related Tags:
Cloud,
Content,
Course Administration,
Digital Citizenship,
FERPA,
Instructor Presence,
Policy,
Social Media,
Web2.0
Set the Stage with a Start Here Section: Orient Students to Course Purpose, Structure, and Expectations