Accessibility is always important, but it might be even more so in an entirely online or a hybrid course. Ensuring students have access to everything they need to succeed is absolutely doable! Universal Design for Learning (UDL): UDL is a framework that helps to maximize learning and remove barriers for everyone involved. The idea is …
Help Students Be Effective Online Learners
Introduction Successful teaching online means teaching your students how to be effective online learners. Much of this instruction happens early in the course and then gets repeated throughout the semester. A successful online learner is a student who: Practices time management Engages with online discussions Applies material being learned rather than memorizes Asks questions about …
Selected Bibliography
ONLINE DISCUSSIONS Covelli, B. (2017) Online discussion boards: The practice of building community for adult learners. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 65, 139-145. DOI: 10.1080/07377363.2017.1274616 This article looks at discussion boards in the context of older learners, but its ideas are applicable to all online learning. In particular, it outlines the community of inquiry …
Engagement in the online class
Engagement is key to all teaching modalities, but it’s harder to implement in an online course. The Community of Inquiry Framework contends that there are three aspects of online learning that must converge: teaching presence (instructor presence and course design), social presence (peer-to-peer, peer-to-instructor, peer-to-content), and cognitive presence (learning stimulated through social interaction). High teaching …
Best Practices
To prepare students: Have them fill out a survey in the first few days of class about challenges, accessibility of technology and internet, jobs, family responsibilities, military service A general “is there anything you want me to know” question can be very fruitful Create an intro video. It’s important to establish online instructor presence as …
Student Resources
Here are some resources for our school, as an example. What are we missing? Academic Calendar Libraries Writing Center Campus Learning Center Focused Inquiry Learning Lounge Career Center SAEO: accommodations for students with disabilities TRIO: support for first-generation and low-income college students You First: support for first-gen college students Military Student Services Financial Aid Office …