Completing the Last Class and Earning Certification!

Producing Digital Content is the last course in the series students complete to earn certification in online teaching from Governor State University. Only graduate students are accepted into this challenging  program. As any working graduate student will tell you, juggling the demands of work and school is no joke.  Being a mom prepares you for nonstop demands and multitasking but it was hard.

That being said, this was very rewarding.  The skills I have developed has already made an impact on my work.  I have improved the navigation of my courses, added audio lectures to complement transcripts, learning agreements and the organization of my course is more intuitive.  In addition, I have plans to add Blackboard collaborate and captivate in the very near future.   

The audio and presentation software products are a great addition to my courses.  I have always used graphics and video content but now student access in seamless.  Even accessibility issues have improved.  I have moved all my exams to Blackboard.  Last term I discovered from a blind student that her reader software works best with Blackboard.  So by moving exams and adding audio transcripts sight impaired students can take my course.  When offering course components for disabled students, all students benefit.  Students who are auditory learners will also increase comprehension with audio components.

This is an exciting time for teaching online.  The area is filled with instructors who do not have my credentials.  I find that my traditional classes have also  improved from the Online Teaching  and Learning certification education process.  This course, and the three previous courses have been well worth the effort.  I did it!

Producing Digital Content: My Expectations and Aspirations

In 2010, while I was a graduate student working as a graduate assistant I completed the first 3 courses toward earning my Online Teaching Certificate. Since that time I have been trying to find the perfect moment to finish the final course. My schedule teaching psychology at Governors State University and Moraine Valley Community College did not allot much time for me to continue my studies.  

I have learned many things the last 4 years.  One thing I learned was there is not a perfect time to take this class.  So instead I registered at a time that is not ideal.  Maybe some of my classmates can relate?  It is not a lack of desire to learn, but a constant juggling of work and family that stood in my way.

I have been asked reflect on my expectations and aspirations regarding this course.  To be honest one part of me just wants to get it completed.  But a less harried and stressed part of me is looking forward to honing my online design skills. I have been teaching online at GSU and in the traditional classroom at MVCC since 2010.  

So I asked myself what tools do I possess, and what do I hope to gain from this course?

After self analysis and self evaluating my online course designs, I came to some conclusions.  I strive to be proficient in student-student and student-to-instructor interactions. And I look forward to learning more ways to provide such interactions. I have experience in creating assignments and tests which assess student learning and evaluate student content comprehension. I believe completing this course will help me improve in both areas.  

In concordance with standard teaching practice I provide an online syllabus and orientation.  However, I am looking forward to providing my students an interactive version using the learning module.  

When self-evaluating the courses I have designed, I feel my students will benefit from a more organized format with intuitive navigation.  I would like to update my courses in a way that stresses consideration of the student experience to a higher level.  

Looking at my course designs and creating modules from a designer and instructors perspective intrigues me.  I assume I will be able to take some of my skills and apply them toward succeeding in this course.  But my expectation from this course is that I improve my design abilities.  My aspiration is to take what I learn in this course and apply it toward creating more stimulating courses. 

I asked myself what is the most important skill I want to gain from completing the producing digital content course?  

My answer is that I want to make my courses easier for students to navigate so they can concentrate on learning.

Final Blog for Designing Online Courses, Evaluation of Online Courses

Class is almost over, and this is my last blog entry for this trimester. I decided to write this post about evaluation of online courses. I chose the evaluation process because personally, evaluation was the most important concept in my journey through the design course. As I learned how to evaluated online courses, I saw my course from another perspective. I feel certain that this skill will change the way I design and teach online courses.

When I look at courses, I check to see if they include information regarding learner support, and links to campus and technology resources. In addition, I look for access to a wide variety of resources to support the course content and different learning styles. Courses that provide visual, textual, kinesthetic and auditory activities enhance student learning.

Other areas I consider are whether the syllabus is clear, the site well organized, the links maintained and the pages are consistent in style. The pages should be aesthetically pleasing, easy to read and navigation should be logical and intuitive. In addition, the design of the course should offer ample opportunities for student interactions. Exemplary courses offer student-student, student-content, and student-instructor interactive activities.

Learning objectives should be clearly stated, and appropriate for student academic level. All course readings, assignments, discussions and assessments should align with the objectives. Effort should be made to offer activities that help students develop problem solving and critical thinking skills.

The course should have multiple ongoing assessments that measure knowledge of course content, and skills. Adding formative, summative and authentic assessment enhances online courses. Because feedback is so important to the facilitation of online courses, regular feedback of student performance should be planned in the design. Student self assessments and peer feedback assignments can make a course more effective.

There is an opportunity to add a variety of technology tools and applications to a course that can increase communication and learning. Provided the core content is established, these additions can be very effective. As in a face to face class, any activity engages students will make content more relevant to students.

Several articles on course evaluation I found were interesting.

This link provides an easy to follow checklist that covers many areas of online course evaluation. http://opi.mt.gov/pdf/advplacement/OLC_Checklist.pdf

This article offers a concise article about online evaluation.
http://www.fastrak-consulting.co.uk/tactix/Features/evaluate/evaluate.htm

Lessons Learnt from...My First Facilitation Session.

The week I played the role of the facilitator in the Facilitating Online Teaching Course.

I was required to respond to the asynchronous discussion board and facilitate a synchronous Wimba session. I have to say I enjoyed the discussion board experience. I felt confident that I could keep a constant instructor presence, be responsive, ask questions to encourage further depth of concepts, be supportive and provide information and links to valuable information. However,...The idea of the Wimba session, I found daunting.

What is it about being in charge of a Wimba session that made me so nervous? I have been in charge of classrooms, and given presentations to my peers. Maybe it was my inexperience with the subject matter that threw me. My plan to do extensive research was sound, but it was obvious to me that my nerves were in high gear.

None-the-less, I finished the session and learned valuable lessons from the experience. My topic was Common Problems in Online Teaching. My research yielded solutions from experts on problem students, university policies, and class preparation tools to head off problems.

Having a great deal so of content to address, my presentation was in a lecture format for the first half of class. The second half was interactive with a question and answer session. If I had to do it all over again, I would have made the first half more interactive.

From this experience, I found that interacting with the class is even more important in Wimba sessions. These discussions enable the facilitator to gauge whether students are engaged in the content. In addition, I found by the end of the session being nervous was unnecessary. As long as you prepare, you will be in good shape. The Wimba class facilitation requires many of the same skills as the face to face classroom.

I am glad I had the opportunity to lead a class on Wimba. While the facilitation class prepares students by exposing them to the skills and tools necessary, there is not substitute for actually jumping in and teaching a class on Wimba.

Lessons learnt, I cannot wait to teach a class on Wimba in my chosen field.

Facilitating Online Courses

Everyone who teaches has pedagogy, a style that expresses their “art and science of teaching.” So what has changed with the additional information and experience I have gained from online teaching? My pedagogy has become more purposeful and focused. Teaching and designing online classes requires instructors to plan for many eventualities and challenges. Therefore the pedagogical style changes to a less intuitive and more conscious intentional approach to make the class more effective in an online environment.

An unplanned additional benefit to becoming certified in online teaching is that my education now includes pedagogical principles, and educational strategies. Like many instructors in higher education, my degrees are in the field I will teach. Despite my content experience and exposure to teaching I have gained from being a graduate assistant, I decided to gain this certification to give me an edge in the currently depressed job market. I believed it would provide a certification and skills that some of my fellow job seekers lack. I hoped it would qualify me to more opportunities and I would not be restricted to local jobs.At the time I had not considered that I would be gaining knowledge and experience in education, or that the new skills I have gained would transfer to make my face 2 face teaching more effective.

Many teachers have a natural gift for providing a dynamic and engaging experience for their students. Sometimes they intuitively offer active learning experiences to the class. Because providing these experiences in the online environment must be planned and requires extra clarification and clear directions, I will never approach the face 2 face teaching without these factors consciously considered or implemented in my traditional classes.

The Seven Principles of Effective Teaching have found a new home in online teaching. Student-instructor interactions are some of the most satisfactory components in teaching. The myth that these interactions are diminished in online teaching is simply not true. As a student I knew that interactions, when a class is designed and facilitated correctly could be extremely effective. The process begins with simple tools like welcome emails. The interactions continue throughout the course in feedback, responses, synchronous lectures, asynchronous discussion, and assessments that are compliant with syllabus and rubrics.

Student to student interactions should be incorporated into the course. Ice breakers, group activities, student introductions and class rosters with pictures begin to build a sense of community in the classroom. When students feel part of this learning community they are more successful. There is an assumption that online classrooms lack a learning community and that student’s feel isolated. I have found this is not always the case. In the majority of my internet classes, I have interacted more with my peers than I do in a classroom. Some of my more introverted peers feel more comfortable contributing to class in a online written format.

A well-organized class includes more than these interactions. It includes an intuitive navigation, a syllabus, an orientation, links to resources, and an accurate class calendar that reinforces due dates, deadlines and class events. A course question discussion topic and a chat discussion topic should be included. Course question that are posted and answered, save students and instructors from asking and answering the same questions twice. Chats improve setting the stage for a learning community.

Timely replies, appropriate turn around time on grading and proper management techniques that are employed from start to finish leaves instructors more time to teach. Course management systems help instructors manage their class, so being proficient in this technology is key. To complement my technical skills I have become proficient in basic html, using search engines efficiently and various external tools like google documents and wiki’s. Obviously, the technical abilities I gain will be a lifelong process due to the ever-changing computer world.

Self Selected Blog...Motivating Online Students

While it has been said "Good Teaching is Good Teaching, whether face to face or online.", designing an effective online class can lay the foundation for successful online facilitation and learning.

Instructional design principles can be used to create lessons for online classes in abnormal psychology, history, art appreciation, ect. The basics of good design can be applied to almost any subject.

Many students may come to class with little or no experience. This class could be the student's first online class. This class could conceivably be their first college class, period.

Helping students stay on schedule, interested, and motivated can go a long way.

Incorporating motivational elements in your design, and stimulating student interest in the subject can offer students reasons to dedicate time and effort to learning.

While motivation and encouraging student interest can be offered to students through facilitation skills, such and encouraging feedback. Design issues can also influence motivation.

In the process of my first class design Abnormal Psychology Online , I have included case studies and supplemental videos to encourage interest and relevance to mental disorders.


According to Pintrich and DeGroot (1990), motivation depends on three variables:

Value -- Student question: Why should I spend the time and effort on this lesson?

Expectancy -- Student question: Can I achieve the objectives of this lesson?

Emotions -- Student question: How do I feel about myself and the work required in this lesson?

httpp://cvc3.coastline.edu/Telelearning2001Web/Default.htm


If we, as designers, remember... that when students consider information relevant or meaningful, they value the information and remember it more easily,.. our design will be more effective.

Design plans should include assessments throughout the course. Assessments determine if students are learning the material , and provide information on what they have mastered and what areas need further study.

Designing activities in class lessons to promote students staying on time with assignments and requirements can help new students stay on task. Journals, weekly quizzes and clear deadlines are just a few tools that can help the student stay current,and organized.

These activities also provide self assessment information to students. Nothing can be more disheartening and frustrating to a student than when they unclear of their progress, and confused on whether they are achieving the course objectives and goals. They begin to feel lost, and motivation and learning will diminish.

Supplemental resources regarding student motivation:

http://community.flexiblelearning.net.au/TEachingTrainingLearners/content/article_3340.htm

http://advancedacademics.blogspot.com/2007/04/keeping-students-motivated.html

Changing Roles and Pedagogy

It's a Bird?.... It's a Plane?... No,.. It's Super Online Instructor.....!!!

While it is true that good teaching is effective regardless of the setting, there are several differences between teaching face to face as opposed to online teaching. The consistent presence of the instructor and the facilitation in the online discussion process is a valuable asset to promote desired student learning outcomes.

Every educator hopes for their students to succeed. When students are required to to participate and receive feedback on their discussion posts, the class in enriched. Online discussions are more effective when student grades are tied to their efforts, discussion groups stay small and posts are focused. By providing both informational and acknowledgement feedback students will be provided as clear idea of what is required of them. Instructors should be clear about what they expect from discussions, and students should be evaluated and guided toward those standards.

Facilitators of online classes should strive to project sincerity and flexibility. The job requires instructors to be comfortable with written communication. A instructor that is not an advocate of the effectiveness of teaching online, compromises the learning experience.

When students not only having credentials in the subject matter, but are trained in online teaching methods the class is improved. Online discussions should be used to share knowledge, increase reflection and challenge critical thinking.

The first week of class is the perfect time to address access and technology issues, while getting to know the students. Once class is up and running, instructors can introduce key concepts and provide new perspectives while reinforcing creative and insightful responses.

The asynchronous discussion board is the hub of the online course. Much like traditional classes, instructors will encounter difficult student behavior. Redirection and encouragement can be helpful in many of these situations. Group activities increase collaboration, and student to student interaction.

The online instructor has various roles. They guide and provide resources by asking questions designed to provoke thoughtful answers. Instructors provide a structure designed to be a launching pad toward self directed student learning. They emphasize key points, while introducing multiple perspectives. The online teacher sacrifices some control to encourage the student to take and active role in their educational experience. They are the guide to students, as they navigate their own role changes in the online learning process. The online student can not sit back and simply receive and memorize information in online learning. Students must be self-motivated, independent and manage their time.

Face to face instructors must stay current in their field, but online teachers must additionally stay current with online technologies enlisting any available faculty support. Instructors should take a frank self evaluation of their strengths and areas where they need to focus efforts toward successfully navigating the personal changes and challenges as the strive to become increasingly effective online instructors.

Then they will be on the road to becoming Super Online Instructors....