Setting Up Effective Online Learning Experiences

This week, I will give my reaction to the following questions regarding setting up effective online learning experiences.

What steps are most essential for setting up effective online learning experiences for adult learners?

The most essential elements for online courses according to Boettcher and Conrad (2010) are “the syllabus, the weekly plans and discussion postings for the first weeks, and the course site” (p. 63).  The syllabus for an online course provides the big picture of the course for learners and having this information helps them to plan their lives accordingly.  This is essential to learners and promotes a sense of control for them.  The syllabus for an online course is similar to that of a face-to-face class, and also includes policies and procedures that learners must understand about communicating effectively with other students and the instructor in the online environment (p. 64, 72).  “In the online classroom…teaching presence is expressed in the weekly plans, teaching guides, discussions, and faculty comments and observations” (p. 64).  The educator in the online setting transforms the time used to prepare lectures in the face-to-face class into the preparation of “text, audio, or video pieces” which familiarize the students with the week’s goals as well as the reasons behind the use of the week’s activities (p. 64).  Moreover, the discussion board and other online tools are the places where educators come to really “see” their learners.  These are the places where real student-to-student interaction, dialogue, and discussion occur.  “Investing time in developing good questions for the discussion boards and planning out the scoring rubrics and evaluation of the discussion boards makes a real difference in how quickly a learning community starts to form in a course” (p. 65).  The course site is the place where learners gather to share experiences, perform class activities, make meaning, and interact with each other.  The instructor acts as the host and is the glue that holds the learning community together (p. 65).  Because of this, it is the educator’s responsibility to make sure that everything is in place for the course site to run smoothly for everyone using it. 

Why is it necessary to communicate clear expectations to online learners?

One component of an online course that significantly impacts learner understanding and satisfaction is the educator giving clear and explicit guidelines about what is expected from learners while in the class.  Clarifying how a course “will work and sometimes might not work can help create a smooth and trusting learning environment” (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010, p. 55).  The instructor should also communicate what the student can expect from her like the time involved for responding to students’ emails and discussions, how frequently students should log into the course management system, how many discussions to respond to and by what day in the week, and depth and length of posts (p. 74).

What additional considerations should the instructor take into account when setting up an online learning experience, especially one that targets adult learning?

One additional consideration would be to focus on activities that promote social presence.  “Social presence…is the foundation of building trust and presence for the teaching and learning experiences” (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010, p. 51).  Connecting on a social level sets the tone for developing trust and understanding that culminates in learners “reaching out and risking beliefs in the content discussions” (p. 51).  This can be accomplished by the educator and students posting personal introductions and bios.  The instructor lets learners become acquainted with her and gives them the opportunity to make their presence known—bringing the human element into the exchange.  Icebreaker activities also help promote social presence and are fun and great ways to let students know how the class will be moving forward (Laureate Education, Inc., 2012).  After social interaction has been encouraged, learners should be ready for to focus on content.  The instructor should thoroughly plan activities that will encourage social presences when setting up an online learning experience for adult learning (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010). 

Another consideration would be to devise ways to get learners to focus on their own learning goals as they relate to the course content.  This could be accomplished to asking students to identify these goals.  “This is the early launching of cognitive presence” (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010, p. 52).  This activity will help the instructor gain insight into how ready students are to learn. 

The instructor should also plan to take the responsibility to make sure that all students “are engaged, present, and participating” (p. 52).  The educator becomes what Conrad and Donaldson (2004; as cited in Boettcher & Conrad, 2010, p. 52) called a “social and cognitive negotiator.”  Initiating the learning community is also up to the instructor and means trying to make sure that students are engaged in and thinking about core concepts.  The educator should also have a good grasp of the basic skills and tools involved in using whatever course management system is being used by the institution and how they are relevant to pedagogical purposes.  The teacher should also spend time developing good, open-ended questions to promote active discussion exchanges between students.  The questions should require the learners to explore and “integrate information for multiple resources, including their own work or life environments” (p. 89).  Lastly, for this blog posting, teachers should plan how to manage, evaluate, and assess discussion postings (p. 93).

All of the above suggestions will help ensure that an online course and the learning community become effective and significant experiences for the online learner.

References

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2012). Launching the online learning experience. [Video webcast].  Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com