Interaction

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…

Description Project-based learning is a method of inquiry-based learning where students are required to develop an end product using their knowledge of a specific topic. In most cases, the product is directly applicable or usable in the real world. Larmer and Mergendoller (2010) cite seven requisites that a good project-based learning experience must have: 1)…

Supporting college students to develop critical thinking skills is an overarching goal in higher education. Students with developed critical thinking skills have the ability to evaluate their own arguments as well as others, resolve conflicts, and generate well-reasoned resolutions to complex problems (Behar-Horenstein & Niu, 2011). Given that there is an exponential increase in the…

One of the major goals of higher education is to cultivate students’ critical thinking skills (Roth, 2010). In order to be prepared for the workplace and to be an informed citizen, students need to be able to base judgments, make decisions, and solve problems based on the careful critique of available evidence. Engagement, defined as…

Video self-modeling (VSM) is an effective and engaging method for strengthening a student’s reading and speaking fluency; it has been a popular tool used for decades to effectively improve individuals’ behaviors and skills (Prater, Carter, Hitchcock, & Dowrick, 2012). This activity provides students with an opportunity to watch and listen as they model a skill…

Description One of the primary concerns reported by online students is feelings of isolation (Abrami & Bures, 1996), and according to Wang et al. (2009), one of the most effective predictors for student satisfaction is their perceived ability to respect students and show genuine interest in their learning. One way to bridge the distance is…

Description Using mobile devices for class activities to give students hands-on experience with applications they may use in their professional career. A wide-range of mobile applications (apps) have been created specifically for discipline-specific activities or may be adapted easily for such purposes. Link to example artifact(s) Link to scholarly reference(s) Cradler, J., McNabb, M., Freeman,…

Description The concept of “Three Before Me” pushes the responsibility of locating an answer to commonly asked questions to the student. The student must prove to the professor that he/she has contacted three different sources prior to contacting the professor. Link to example artifact(s) If you have questions regarding the material, assignments, technical issues, and/or…

Student generated video; have students create their own videos to illustrate course concepts or ideas. Share not only with other fellow students, but also with family and friends. Benefits: student-centered learning; motivation; anchored instruction Copyright concerns: Increase students’ awareness of intellectual property; cannot use whatever they can find online Learn about Fair use; educational &…

Description A social networking service (SNS) is an online site that focuses on building social relations among people. Through social networking services, such as Facebook and Twitter, people or groups can share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their networks. Besides communicating with family and friends, SNSs can be used to interact with students and…