Jim Henry and Jeff Meadows, An absolutely riveting online course: Nine principles for excellence in web-based teaching CJLT/RCAT V34(1) Winter / hiver, 2008

1.g Google Hang Out "Nine Principles" Discussion (6/23 10:00 a.m.):

James Spragins, Michael Ehrenfried, Chris Young, Kevin O’Brien, facilitator Jen Uhl

Participating in the conversations: We will discuss the following topics:

· Ice-Breaker: What is your favorite thing about the start of the school year? Why did you choose to take this course?

· Awkward Question: What is a strength you have as a teacher or administrator?

· Less Awkward Question: What is an area of your teaching or administrating that you hope to improve upon in the next few years?

· Hopefully even Less Awkward Question: What was one of the 9 principles from the article ‘An Absolutely Riveting...’ that resonated with you: either it was surprising or it affirmed something you already suspected about online teaching. Why?

Principle 1: The online world is a medium unto itself.

There are vastly different dynamics in online versus on campus courses. To name a few: students review material, read instructions and participate in activities without classmates and instructors physically present. There isn’t someone standing nearby to offer comment and clarification. Communication is often asynchronous and commonly in written form.

· Most material needs to be developed and integrated ahead of time before the course is even offered

· Distinct pathways through the material with different routes for those who want to explore the material more fully

· Supplementary materials such as PowerPoint™ slides, course notes and handouts usually need to be adapted, with explanatory content for multimedia added.

· Lengthy lectures don’t tend to work online: the lecture is no longer a “live” presentation with the potential for interaction – questions, further discussion, spontaneous comments, and the involvement of classmates, smiles and groans around the room. Rather, the material tends to be more static, reduced to a frame of content; a talking head. Shorter clips were created, using brief excerpts of important points along with the addition of visual material.

· Preparation of their course material will be the most time-consuming part of the online teacher’s process.

Principle 2: In the online world content is a verb.

Content alone is not sufficient to result in or to guarantee excellence. Rather than merely presenting learners with content, online instruction needs to purposefully and strategically engage learners in activities which provide interaction, dialogue, and coaching and interaction.

· the instructor role is moving from provider of content to designer of student learning experiences and a facilitator who structures a learning environment where students actually contribute to course content facilitation of both social and cognitive processes

· classes centered on a set of student tasks and assignments that make up the learning experiences that students will engage in

Principle 3: Technology is a vehicle, not a destination.

It is only through constant evaluation and examination of the tools that we use that we will continue to make sound pedagogical decisions for their implementation.

Principle 4: Great online courses are defined by teaching, not technology.

Successful online teachers have a good sense of humour, are excited about their content areas, and have high, clearly articulated expectations. They cared about their students, were confident, fair and were masters of effective feedback.

· quick turnaround time by instructor on email and assignments

· frequent and engaged contact and individual feedback

· goals and objectives must be clearly stated and detailed enough to clarify “what the student should be able to do, the conditions under which the student should produce the desired behavior and how well the student must be able to perform it”.

· great communication skills

· regular use of student names

· the capacity to be real and genuine

Principle 5: Sense of community and social presence are essential to online excellence.

Creating a sense of community is one of the main objectives in any class and is also an essential part of the online learning environment. It is through sustained communication that participants construct meaning. Teachers need to work to connect with and help students develop a social presence to achieve a sense of realness and immediacy.

· collaborative learning activities

· enhanced communication

· use of humour

· small group activities

Principle 6: Excellence requires multiple areas of expertise.

Developing and offering online courses simply requires more skills than are usually found in a single person. Excellence in online education requires multiple areas of expertise. A content expert is necessary but not even close to sufficient.

Ideally, courses would be designed by a team of experts: content expert, instructional designer, editor, team manager, graphics and media designer, webmaster, library consultant and external reviewer.

In particular:

· An expert on learning theory and educational processes to offer advice on matters of course design: what tools, resources, activities and forms of assessment best help students meet the course objectives

· A technical expert who may handle things such as HTML coding, getting the material uploaded and helping with the sorts of questions that invariably arise: Why does the assignment link say ‘404 Page not found?’ Why do the online readings say the links have expired? Why don’t the menu bars work on my Mac?

Principle 7: A great web interface will not save a poor course; but a poor web interface will destroy a potentially great course.

In the online world students essentially go to class alone and there is no one there when they arrive.

Even in well-organized courses it is not uncommon to find out, part way through the course, that one or more students have not found some of the essential information. They weren’t just quiet or shy; they were lost.

· a central document, or syllabus, to explain the entire geography of the course

· well-developed and articulate study guides to help students along the way

· The instructor needs to anticipate where students will go wrong or get lost in the course and either modify the course design to minimize these areas or address these questions with tips and Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) areas.

· the instructor must request that students respond once they have found the required information

Principle 8: Excellence comes from ongoing assessment and refinement.

“educational technology expands more rapidly than anything else that we have encountered and can morph into educational forms that we have not encountered”

Assessment should provide diagnostic feedback via

· discussion forums,

· feedback assignments,

· daily or weekly reflections,

· journaling assignments

· formal course evaluations

Principle 9: Sometimes the little extras go a long way.

Many online courses are extremely text heavy and instructors need to understand that this is often intimidating for students. The teacher should also include exemplars, rubrics, guides, tutorials, personal email messages, calendar reminders, audio clips and video segments

· detailed rubrics that outline the methods for evaluation will help to reduce the anxiety that students have

· brief guides and tutorials placed throughout the course

· Brief personal email messages which include short queries about their activity level and “friendly” reminders of the course expectations

· discussion forums

· brief audio clips. There is something particularly connecting and compelling about hearing a voice. This seems to be especially so when the audio segment is directed specifically to the students as opposed to being a recorded lecture segment. The integration of audio helps create social presence by reflecting the emotions and establishing the friendliness of the instructor to the students: edited podcasts, complete with musical introductions and RSS feeds, to simple audio clips that are recorded on a computer and uploaded as an attachment

· The integration of related video material also provides another little extra, especially for those students who tend to be auditory or visual in nature.

Conclusion

It is not sufficient to be a content expert. Nor is it sufficient to be “tech-savvy”. It is not even sufficient to be an excellent traditional classroom teacher. The online world is a categorically different environment which requires a particular blend of skills and knowledge.

· the online world is a medium unto itself and that the delivery of content requires action;

· technology must be used wisely and that a sense of community is essential

· many areas of expertise are needed

· an effective web interface must be provided;

· ongoing assessment and refinement must be carried out,

· little extras often go a long way,