This module rwminds us of what we need to to to manage an e-learning environment:
Keep Records- in face to face classrooms records are maintained, this maybe a little more challenging as we need to identify what will be kept as the volume of information does increase. Emails themselves czn be overwhelming, Do we keep everything or set guidelines for filing as we did in face to face?
communicating with students can also present challenges as students may have a few undesirable traits and need redirecting while on the e-learning format. We need to know ways to redirect them mainting a degree of professionalism and observing the policy of the school district.
Counseling students which was done one on one now becomes a mater of sending an email or having a chat. Which can be risky because of things like tone,and maintaing private transmissions.
Dealing with conflict should happen early on so that the elearning environment runs smoothly. Refer to policy of instutiion and maintain professionalism when dealing with difficult students.
Minimizing Attrition can be done by closely monitoring students for feelings of alienation- reachout to students individually. Try to assist them to stay on pace,not to get behind. Make sure they know that they have assistance with technical issues and have them try to look at the big picture when faced with competing responsibilities and offer additional time if possible.
In this module, I learned how to keep student records effectively, how to communicate to students, what methods to use in counseling students, dealing with undesirable students, and student retention.
Have a CMS that allows you to document interactions with students, as well as, student interactions within the system. Monitoring discussions, as well as, contacting students individually will help with students feeling "alone" as they traverse the online learning community.
I had not realized that it was possible to have behavior issues with online classes, this module has helped me identify them and ways to address them.
This was all great information, what I learned most was to identify behavior issues online and how best to deal with them. The biggest piece is learning how to save all your information and putting it into a organized onllne filing system. This is also important for when you have a problem student to back up your reasoning with documentation.
Establish and publish the class management plan... be consistient and fair. Minimal exceptions... unless concession is made to all.
I have experienced the noisy learner, and it can be very disruptive, unfortunately "mute" works even if just for a little while. Work overload is a big concern, instructors can fall into this very easily.
Record keeping, communication and resolving conflicts are critical to managing a distance learning course and reducing attrition. Effective teachers communicate with students via timely feedback through email, chats (public and private) and also by maintaining records of assignments and communication.
In an online environment, procrastination can happen more frequently, just for the sheer fact that students are not expected to show up at class at a certain time and they don't necessarily feel the pressure of knowing their instructor and fellow students face to face. I also learned that it's import to know your university's polices around dispute resolution and to document everything.
I have noticed that some of my students have conflicting schedules. Several students are now working full-time and are struggling to find the time to do the lessons or to be pteent in a virtual chatroom. I need to communicate with students regulary and work with them at this time to give more opportunities where we can meet. I am thinking about doing an evening online class where those students can be reached.
Using online learning in a high school environment can create a variety of challenges. Maintaining a strong expectation policy along with keeping a record of all communication (communication logs) provides an easy way to keep track of the steps that have or haven't been taken so that every attempt has been made through communication, to address issues, be consistent, and for any future issue that could arise regarding instructor communication to the student.
I appreciated the strategies for dealing with different types of difficult students who may or may not realize their behavior is impacting the general flow and progress of the class for themselves and others. Reviewing the policies of your district and following the guidelines is an important part of handling situations that arise. I would go so far as to add that if you are having specific issues that you cannot seem to get a handle on, it is a good idea to consult an advisor or administrator for advice sooner, rather than later.
By identifying struggling students and offering them clear communications about what the course expectations and time commitments are and how to access assistance in content and technical struggling situations is helpful to increase the likelihood that students will stick with you and you can reduce attrition.
Considering that email is a very popular form of communication between instructors and teachers, it's important to not place yourself under unrealistic deadlines for responding to emails but at minimum response time should be 24 hrs. Instructors can chat with students but determine if the situation is something that can be dealt with in a private. Attrition management can be handled in different ways that is dependent upon why the attrition is occuring.
Yes, this module is a good reminder that the institution guidelines and policies are being followed as it might be easier to 'slip' or allow a student to go into behaviors that if early intervention is not made, retention may be an issue.
I teach in a small rural area. Many of our students lack the technical hardware and knowledge to initially succeed in online education. They will need support and encouragement to continue.
This module helped me to identify the effective strategies to manage course records and the importance of documenting chat discussions. Communication will be the key to establishing a successful course by posting online norms and settling undesirable behaviors and conflicts via norms. Also, the module presented methods to constructively manage behavioral traits of the varied learners in order to maintain a positive and productive learning environment for all learners. The module helped me to recognize how to prevent or minimize student attrition! As an instructor, I must understand the student’s specific challenge; alienation, work load, other competing responsibilities or technical issues in order to implement strategies to resolve the individual challenges and bring them into the learning process.
The different learning styles and personalities of the students sound exactly like the students I have in person.
It is important to know your company's code of conduct & include it in the syllabus so it is very clear to the students.
I think its interesting that they say that online class is similar to in class settings and that there is often conflict. I have taken many online courses and I never got that impression. Also I like the record keeping aspect of this module.
The most effective way method of managing records is to establish a simple record keeping system that can be stored for future retrieval. Build and maintain an organized file system that facilitate easy location such as an dedicated e-mail address.
