TIPS FOR NOVICE ONLINE ADJUNCTSCTL SPA DAY IIIHOSTOS CC MAY 30, 2013

Tonina AragonaAdjunct Lecturer

Education Department, Teacher’s Unit

Sound will activate with Slide Show.

QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION

Have you ever taken or taught an online course?

How are these courses similar to and different than in-class courses?

What are the advantages and disadvantages for teachers and learners in the online classroom?

PREPARING TO TEACH AN ONLINE COURSE

Computer Training Write course syllabus Identify course management system Survey and identify the online learners Design and develop the course Be active throughout course Assess and improve the online course

(Shattuck, Bobbi, & Zilberman, 2011)

COMPUTER TRAINING

Basic computer knowledge Knowledge of course management

system (Shattuck, Dubbins, & Zilberman, 2011)

Synchronous and Asynchronous Programs

WRITE COURSE SYLLABUS

Design a vision for the course. Identify the students. Establish the learning objectives. Determine online course guidelines. Set deadlines. Create assignment rubrics. Determine attendance requirements.

(Palloff & Pratt, 2001)

ESTABLISH E-LEARNING SETTING

Synchronous Asynchronous Combination Enforce Netiquette

Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics http://www.cpsr.org/issues/ethics/cei

SURVEY AND IDENTIFY THE ONLINE LEARNERS

Who are the students enrolled in the online course? Age group Single, married, married with children, single parents. ELL Disabilities Part-time or Full-time workers/students Distance learners Learners’ expectations and goals Learners’ proficiency in online courses Preferred learning styles (Cicco, 2011)

IDENTIFY LEARNING STYLES OF E-LEARNER

Self-paced learning Accommodate a variety of learners Select appropriate stimuli

Auditory, visual, tactual, and kinesthetic

(Cicco, 2011)

DESIGN AND DEVELOP THE ONLINE COURSE

Keep in mind the learners’ expectations and preferred learning styles.

Plan stimulating activities. Be organized and clear about your

expectations and requirements. Provide different venues for accessing

information. Encourage participation and group

interaction. Include formal and informal assignments.

BE ACTIVE

Set online office hours. Answer emails promptly. Arrange for on-campus , phone or video

conferencing. Visit and respond to discussions and threads daily. Grade assignments and give feedback in a timely

manner. Make online announcements and updates

periodically to keep communication flowing throughout the course.

ASSESS AND IMPROVE THE ONLINE COURSE

Survey students at the end of the online course. Re-evaluate and revise discussion questions to

keep students motivated. Encourage face-to-face interactions. Include activities that increase students’ self-

confidence. Provide opportunities for reading and writing

(Imran, Ahmand & Mushtaq, 2012). Offer opportunities for students to evaluate

themselves as online learners and to evaluate you the instructor.

PROVIDING A POSITIVE E-LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Prepare yourself for the role of online instructor, coach, facilitator, etc. Take training classes, speak with other online

instructors, work closely with the information technology center to avoid technical difficulties.

Mandate learners to train for their online experience before entering the online course.

Be available for your learners. Design the course according to the learners’

preferences. Be aware of digital divide (Maeroff, 2003)

DISCUSSION

How will you prepare for teaching your first online course?

How will you prepare your e-learners for their first online course?

How important is instructor awareness of students’ backgrounds and learning styles?

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

Online Teaching and Learning: National Online Teacher of the Year Shares http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fodaovV

4Edc Creating Teacher Presence in an

Online Class http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_Rq0v

A6i2c

CONCLUSION

Thank you for your attention!! Your feedback is very important…

please feel free to email me. Tonina Aragona

taragona@hostos.cuny.edu

REFERENCES

Broadbent, B. (2002). ABCs of e- learning reaping the benefits and avoiding the pitfalls. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.

Cicco, G. (2011). Maximizing the online learning experience: Suggestions for educators and students. i-manager’s Journal on School Educational Technology, 7(1), 1-6.

Imran, S., Ahmad, H. & Mushtaq, M. (2012). Design and pedagogy features in online courses: a survey. Trends in Information Management (TRIM),8(1), 9-22.

Maeroff, G. I. (2003). A classroom of one. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Palloff, R. M. & Pratt, K. (2001). Lessons from the cyberspace classroom: The

realities of online teaching. San Francisco, CA: J ossey-Bass/Pfeiffer. Shattuck, J., Dubins, B. & Zilberman, D. (2011). Maryland online’s inter-

institutional project to train higher education adjunct faculty to teach online. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 12(2), 40-61.

Unal, Z. & Unal, A. (2011). Evaluating and comparing the usability of web-based

course management systems. Journal of Information Technology Education, 10 19-38.