Week 3: Setting Up An Online Learning Experience

It is important to know what technology is available to you when designing an online course. It is especially important when designing activities and other learning assignments. Knowing which activities you can utilize or create may vary depending on the tools available to you. According to Boettcher and Conrad (2010), there is a variety of tools that can be used for virtually any learning experience. Additionally, you can simply choose the one that is best suited for you and your class. Without know what is available, it would be harder to design activities.

It is very important for learners to know what is expected from them. In an online learning environment, it may be harder for an instructor to tell if a student is clear or has a misunderstanding until after the project of activity has already been completed. “Clear and unambiguous guidelines about what is expected of learners and what they should expect from an instructor make a significant contribution to ensuring understanding and satisfaction in an online course (Boettcher and Conrad, 2010, page 55).”

In addition to knowing your technology tools and communicating clear expectations to learners, it is also important to have a sense of presence and community online. According to Boettcher and Conrad (2010), an online community builds knowledge and competencies among the students and is a network for mutual respect and encourages the sharing of ideas.

It is important to try and make the online learning experience as successful as possible. Some individuals will struggle with online technology and how it varies from traditional face-to-face classroom instruction. Knowing this ahead of time can help you prepare your learners for the online environment. Helping them achieve their learning goals and objectives is significant.

After further research, it is clear that a social presence, community and clear expectations are important factors in the overall success of the online class. While this has been mentioned quite often, I didn’t realize how it can impact successful learning. “Presence is the most important best practice for an online course (Boettcher and Conrad, 2010, page 53).”

I will keep this in mind as a requirement for the class, not just an added value.

 

Reference:

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). Phase One: What's Happening, Themes, and Tools. The online teaching survival guide: simple and practical pedagogical tips (pp. 51-70). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.