Dawn Bourget

I think the most important aspect in online learning is communication. It is also important to know your students. Knowing the students within the course will help you make sure students receive the communication in a form that is best for them.  If there is an age range of students from different generations, a group text may be able to be set up so that in addition to email information can be sent that way as well. It is also important to make sure that students are participating within the class. Communication that is effective would help with this. 

Communication in an online course is very important. It is also for students and instructor to have set guidelines and expectations around communication. One way to ensure successful communication is to create a Code of Communication that describes the expectations and consequeces for students in regard to online communication. The Code of Communication will allow students to know what is expected of them and the instructor. 

In creating course content it is importnat to decide on which type of communication tools will work for you as an instructor and for your students. It is important to research the pros and cons of each choice. Email can be used as a main from of communication but at times it may be necessary to call students to reach out and see how the student is doing. Texts although can be impersonal are good for reminding students of important deadlines or tests. Whatever techngology communication it is important to recevie feedback from students during the course and at the… >>>

One thing that stands out is that one cannot take a F2F course and then transfer over all components to an online course. Care and preparation has to be taken to make sure the course is organized, and that students are engaging in the online environment. 

Online learning requires the instructor to wear many hats. Instructor, social director, program manager and technial assistance. It is important to know each one of these roles in order to for students to have a successful online learning experience. 

Asycnronous and synchronous courses both have advantages and disadvantages. It is important for the instructor to decide which type of online environment will be provided for the online course.  The most important factors for a successful online course are organziation and communications. Students and instructor have to know the learning outcomes and expectations for the course. 

The use of technology should enhance the learning experience. It is also important for the instructor to match the appropriate technology tool to the instructor/student learning and teaching styles. Techonology has to be beneficial to the learning experience. It is important to ask for student feedback on the use of technology within the course so instructor reflection can occur to change or adjust technology tools being used in the course. 

It important to evalute an online course. In evaluating the course differnt methonds shoud be used; peer review, student evaluations and examining quantitive and qualitative data. It is also to remember when evaluating the course to keep in mind the student is also a consumer of the course. Keeping that in mind will help with satisfying the stakeholders, students, institution and the teaching/professional community when closing the loop.

It is important to use a formative and summative assessments within a course to help students learn the material. Formative and summative assessments are not only for the student but also the instructor to help improve the course and student learning. It is imporant when using summative assessments to provide rubrics so that students understand the objectives and how the project or paper is being assessed. Self and peer assessments can also be an important part of student learning before turning in the final project. 

I learned that it is important to build a dynamic syllabus. One that is live and can be updated as needed during the course. Having a dynamic syllabus helps students find the information needed to be successful in the course.