SME-Training

Welcome to Tips for successfully teaching with your DCDC course: 

Welcome to Tips for successfully teaching with your DCDC course August 17, 2011

Today’s Topics: 

Today’s Topics Overview of support site for instructors Additional advice for online teaching success Using synchronous time effectively Tips for online discussions

DCDC Support Site support.dcdcgroup.org : 

DCDC Support Site support.dcdcgroup.org Designed for instructors using DCDC courses Prepare, Teach, Evaluate To-do lists Tool how-tos Wordpress, Laulima, Elluminate (Blackboard Collaborate)

Get comfortable with the technologies: 

Get comfortable with the technologies Attend trainings Practice on own prior to course Laulima, WordPress Elluminate -> Blackboard Collaborate Online teaching competency - technology comfort

Create an FAQ: 

Create an FAQ When creating anything, think reusable Frequently asked questions Survey previous students Have current students create as assignment this semester Send students to when asking via email Build over time - save yourself time in answering over and over Technique - FAQs

Prepare Announcements: 

Prepare Announcements Announcements can be reused over semesters with minor adjustments Technique - Announcements

Prepare: thorough and specific instructions for students: 

Prepare: thorough and specific instructions for students To reduce student questions and your interventions Err on the side of “overly clear” Redundancy is ok Try to predict typical questions and pre-address Provide examples, grading rubrics/checklists rovide or direct students to established style guidelines (APA, MLA...)

Review Syllabus: 

Review Syllabus Update for current semester Define your individual norms and conduct expectations upfront

Defining norms and conduct: 

Defining norms and conduct In f2f certain norms are assumed one person talk at a time ask to be recognized before speaking Can’t assume norms online Communication Behavioral Expectations Student and instructor

Establish Your Communication Norms Upfront: 

Think “boundaries” on your time response policy to emails timing on grading how often you will log in and participate synchronous or asynchronous “office hours” stick to them Establish Your Communication Norms Upfront

Student Expectations: 

Student Expectations Online participation Time commitment Netiquette Email & Discussions File formats and naming conventions Examples

Instructor Expectations: 

Instructor Expectations What can students expect from you? Examples

Explain Course Structure: 

Explain Course Structure Can’t assume students understand the course’s/your routine or organization examples

Teach: 

Teach DCDC support site

COE online student evaluation comments: 

COE online student evaluation comments

The least helpful aspects of my teacher education program were . . .: 

The least helpful aspects of my teacher education program were . . . “Some professors were unfamiliar with the online format and did not seem to make conversions from a regular classroom that would have made things flow better."

The least helpful aspects of my teacher education program were . . .: 

The least helpful aspects of my teacher education program were . . . “Teachers who didn't use Elluminate sessions effectively or who had poorly designed Laulima Forums”

The least helpful aspects of my teacher education program were . . .: 

“Elluminate is very convenient, but I feel I learned so much more from in-person classes. Elluminate sessions were more impersonal; felt sense of community with people in in-person classes.” The least helpful aspects of my teacher education program were . . .

Recommendations for improvement…: 

Recommendations for improvement… “more collaboration, more communication, more rapport.”

Student recommendations: 

Student recommendations Effectively use of Elluminate, sync time Improve Laulima discussions Create sense of online community

Online Community Building: 

Online Community Building

Community: 

Community A dynamic whole that emerges when a group of people share common practices, are interdependent, make decisions jointly, identify themselves with something larger than the sum of their individual relationships and make a long-term commitment to well-being (their own, one another’s and the group’s) Shaffer & Amundsen, 1993

You are critical in the online environment: 

You are critical in the online environment “ Students choose a course for its intellectual content (‘mind’) not for its classroom or system container (‘matter’). CMSs do not provide a pedagogical platform any more than chalk, chairs and tables provide the classroom learning experience.” Carmean & Haffner, 2002

You are critical in the online environment: 

Instructors are indispensable, your role perhaps more critical than in f2f The course won’t run on autopilot, not unit mastery One of your roles is to foster a sense of community You are critical in the online environment

Why Community?: 

Why Community? In an online classroom, the level of perceived community can directly affect student learning outcomes and can have a huge impact on the success or failure of the students “without the support and participation of a learning community, there is no online course” (Moller, 1998; Palloff & Pratt, 2005)

How can I create online community?: 

How can I create online community? Clearly define the purpose of the group Create a distinctive gathering place for the group Promote effective leadership from within Define norms and a clear code of conduct Allow for a range of member roles Allow for and facilitate subgroups Allow members to resolve their own disputes

A good instructor-facilitator: 

A good instructor-facilitator Is like a good host at a dinner party Prepares for guests Welcomes them Assesses their moods and needs Helps them feel included in the conversation Facilitates connection and conversation between them

How can I create online community?: 

Successful peer-to-peer interaction is key to online learning Encourage students to develop norms for interaction in small groups Provide method for students to create a “team charter” Example How can I create online community?

Teach Student Feedback: 

Teach Student Feedback Set up expectation of constructive and thoughtful feedback Providing meaningful feedback doesn’t usually come naturally to students Taught, modeled & encouraged Provide clear guidelines, reminders & examples Be a role model of timely, substantive feedback Examples model posts, discussion criteria

Focus on Feedback: 

Focus on Feedback If using Assignments tool feedback, alert students specifically to look there Technique - Using blend of individual and pre written feedback Technique - Using Audio Comments Audio comments example Ballie, 2011 grad fac and students rated feedback skills at most important competency of online instructors

How can I create online community?: 

Empowering students Develop a space in which you encourage students to answer each other’s questions Technique - public question forum Provide other roles in large or small groups: Discussion facilitator Process observer, comments on group dynamics Content commentator, summarizing group’s learning over previous week Team leader, with or without responsibility of evaluating other members Presenter on particular topic, reading, area of interest Some of these techniques may also lessen your burden How can I create online community?

How can I create online community?: 

Encourage non-course interaction in designated places “the coffee shop,” “the roadhouse”, “Important Community Stuff, “the lounge” to share announcements, community matters, personal items (things that would normally be shared in the halls) How can I create online community?

An invitation to the coffee shop: 

An invitation to the coffee shop Picture a country inn along a beautiful rural road just outside a small town where the entire community gathers from time to time throughout the day. The food is good and the coffee is great and always flowing. There are also weekly specials to tempt you! This is the place we can go to partake of some casual conversation about any number of things - personal news, group problems, or frustrations, or even tangents of interest started in the formal course discussion but left behind as the course moved on. This is also the place that we’ll use to inform each other of special events, travel, and absences from the course and, of course, tell a joke or two. Hope to see you here and, by the way, the coffee is on me!

Discussion topics to foster community: 

Discussion topics to foster community online readiness survey results characteristics of successful online learners example

Discussion topics to foster community up front: 

Discussion topics to foster community up front previous online learning experiences what has worked, not worked online learning apprehensions, course expectations

Techniques for building online community up front: 

Techniques for building online community up front Provide opportunities for students to get to know each other Introductions: post photos, videos, personal interests, bios Be sure to have students comment on each other’s introductions. Example: post brief bios on the discussion board, have students read all posts, find 3 people with whom they have something in common and comment on their posts. Provide opportunities for students to get to know you Post self introduction video, audio intro, include personal website or CV in syllabus, include pics of self Online teaching competency - social presence

Examples: 

Examples Student photos Elem BEd 2010 roster - Google Docs ETEC 632 - Flickr Instructor intro videos Amelia Jenkins - flip video Lysandra Cook SPED 603 Lysandra’s TA Cat Grace Lin - Voicethread Student videos ETEC 602 - Jaycut Elvis, Anuhea

Community Building?: 

Community Building? Do you use strategies for building community? F2f or online Do you have examples of how students get to know you or each other?

Characteristics of successful online instructors: 

Characteristics of successful online instructors

Assess yourself: 

Assess yourself Online instructor readiness survey Email results

Being communicative: 

Being communicative Stay in regular contact with students Don’t assume students understand Follow up with uncommunicative students Online teaching competency - communication

Being Present: 

Being Present Plan on logging in every day M-F May not participate each time but aware of course activity Providing timely feedback Online students often have limited windows of time for coursework. Unanswered questions become increasingly frustrating more windows pass.

Being flexible: 

Being flexible Your content is set for you Use time to be flexible and open to student feedback Online competency - flexibility Online competency - step outside the comfort zone

Being Available: 

Being Available On your schedule Consider shorter more frequent interactions Making self available “live” Skype/Elluminate/Chat, more frequent, shorter “office hours” Helps prevent backlog

Be organized: 

Be organized Use strict file management, esp helpful for web Devote time in your schedule and protect it

Be empathetic: 

Be empathetic Consider taking an online course Note what works and doesn’t Apply to your own online teaching Core competency - shared experience

Being balanced: 

Being balanced Don’t live online Have ‘no-go’ times for yourself that are communicated to students Life is short!

Evaluate: 

Evaluate DCDC support site

Evaluate and revise: 

Evaluate and revise Formative evaluations Mid semester “temperature check” Help fix while in session Students feel heard Better course evaluations Summative evals to revise for next time

Note changes for next time: 

Note changes for next time Make changes right away, save for following semester Modifications to schedule, discussion prompts, additional resources Review formative/summative evaluations

Help us?: 

Help us? Rate this course Evaluating site itself, not your teaching example

Blackboard Collaborate Using synchrnous time effectively: 

Blackboard Collaborate Using synchrnous time effectively

Slide 53: 

To meet, or not to meet? That is the question.

Do students need to be present?: 

Do students need to be present? Is this something that can be recorded? Parts of it? Is it critical for students to be with each other and you when receiving this info? Is it something you deliver each semester? Do you need student interaction? Compromise: live optional, must watch recording

Recording Tips: 

Recording Tips Keep it under 10 min recommended Chunks if you can break it up Use visuals Camera Images PowerPoint Engaging/Dynamic voice Like you are talking to a friend

A good instructor-facilitator: 

A good instructor-facilitator Is like a good host at a dinner party Prepares for guests Welcomes them Assesses their moods and needs Helps them feel included in the conversation Facilitates connection and conversation between them

Pre Planning: 

Pre Planning Schedule 8 or fewer synchronous sessions per 16-week semester Plan on keeping synchronous sessions 45 - 90 minutes Require students to view orientation video prior to first session Allocate time for a brief overview during first session Remind students where to find vOffice link and to log-in 15 minutes early

Pre Planning: 

Pre Planning Find a producer Someone in first few sessions to Load slides Monitor chat Load tools Help students with technical issues Practice in your room planned actions with a colleague Elluminate Plan

Pre load slides: 

Pre load slides Before session, 1) day 2) 30 min Gauge time for upload Check for accuracy - pics can shift Consider creating a welcome slide to add to every ppt Encourage audio set up Set status to away if elsewhere Feel free to use chat prior to session Any other pre session info, reminders?

Think student engagement: 

Think student engagement Easy to “drift off’ as an sync participant Feel isolated

Be Welcoming: 

Be Welcoming Greet participants by name Have participants check their microphone, say hello Fill the pre course silence “sense of place” example

Slide 62: 

Make sure your font size is set to 12 Welcome! Choose a seat and put your name by a chair. To type on the whiteboard click the icon on the left

Use visuals: 

Use visuals Esp photos Engaging Students don’t see you Your notes can be separate Consider pic of self

Use visuals: 

Use visuals Esp photos Engaging Students don’t see you Your notes can be separate Consider pic of self

Use breakout rooms: 

Use breakout rooms For discussions in smaller groups Discuss and bring conclusions back to larger group

Use the whiteboard : 

Use the whiteboard Encourage students to interact on whiteboard when appropriate Large group - reaction to a topic, write on board Breakout - gather thoughts, notes from small discussion, bring back to main screen for overall discussion

Collaborate Whiteboard Race: 

Collaborate Whiteboard Race Start Q1 Q2 Q3 Winner 1 2 3 4

Create interactive questions: 

Create interactive questions Periodically post or pose questions Y/N, Mult choice

Bring the async into the sync: 

Bring the async into the sync Gather student quotes from the asynchronous discussions Use in the session to expand the conversation Example

Share multimedia: 

Share multimedia Google SketchUp webinar - using multimedia library Also consider uploading to YouTube or Laulima and sharing link via chat Give link, ask to indicate via polling tool when finished

Web cam?: 

Web cam? Consider if necessary? Would a self picture suffice? If no other visuals webcam use in live class

Application share: 

Application share To demo from your own computer Allow students to see or interact with your software Anything you can do on your computer you can share with students via application share Ppt game example

Consider inviting a guest: 

Consider inviting a guest Since virtual can be from anywhere Experts, engaging speaker Guest Speaker Example Mock interview - radio show format Act out a skit Panel discussion

Record sessions: 

Record sessions For student review later Post in Laulima

Tips for effective online discussions: 

Tips for effective online discussions

Instructors Need to Be "Seen": 

Instructors Need to Be "Seen" But not too much Think facilitation As the instructor, be the "guide on the side” Don’t dominate discussion

Students Want to Be "Heard" : 

Students Want to Be "Heard" Summarize what you’re seeing Acknowledge good student posts privately?

Why discussions?: 

Why discussions? What do you want students to get out of this activity? Time vs. Knowledge Weight accordingly

Sample – Icebreaker: 

Sample – Icebreaker

Discussion Prompt: 

Discussion Prompt

Why we like it: 

Why we like it Has picture Gives students choice Specific, clear directions Uses technique to prohibit copying/overlap Motivates students to post early

Asking questions to get deeper answers: 

Asking questions to get deeper answers Give students options Open-ended questions Who, what, when, where, why questions Apply personal experience or require reflection

Managing discussion workload: 

Managing discussion workload Technique - student choice and critique Technique - cascading discussions

On a positive note: 

On a positive note Are there compensating benefits to teaching online?

Questions?: 

Questions?

Training Evaluation: 

Training Evaluation http://tinyurl.com/DCDCSME