Coleen Poitinger

In the online environment, my courses are already designed. However, I review the links and materials to ensure they are still relevant, and that links still work. I am able to make suggestions to the course developers regarding new information to replace outdated materials etc. I find when materials are relevant and timely and correlate with what students are working to learn for real world development, they get more excited and are more participatory, as opposed to reading materials that are outdated, or do not relate to or show relevance to what they will be doing in their career. Therefore,… >>>

Syncronous discussions can be great when the students are engaged. I try to keep them engaged by further elaboration of the topic. I sometimes include YouTube videos, or recent articles from the news to further promote the topic & relate it to what they will be doing in the real world. However, I do get discouraged when students wait until the final day of class to post their final posts. I wonder if they are really understanding all of the materials when they only post their initial post, and wait until the final day to make their subsequent posts. To… >>>

I find this (self advocacy) to be one of the greatest challenges with online learners. One would think because of the anonymity of online there would be less fear in reaching out. However, I have not found this to be the case. In order to get students to reach out and ask when they have questions and concerns, I have found that by sharing a personal experience with them directly (by phone) to be the greatest way eliminate this barrier. Letting them know that their questions are expected and appreciated, most importantly, early and often, will help them to be… >>>

Hi Cyndy,

I think you make a great point that as instructors we need to be non judgemental, and supportive, especially I have found with struggling students.  I have found when I have reached out to these students by phone in for example, week 1, and can share some of the struggles I personally experienced as an online student, they feel more comfortable and confindent. They will also reach out with questions or concerns because of my genuine interest in their success that I have expressed.

Hi Amy!

I like the idea of a "study buddy".  This might be something we can promote in an online enviroment, for example, in the discussions, encouraging students to reach out and begin networking and communicating with their peers. We can advise them to use their student lounge to exchange emails and phone numbers so they can help one another as they progress through their courses. This type of support helps to eliminate some of the isolation they may experience. We might also share that we did this as well as online students, and how it helped us to be… >>>

Hi Augustine,

I like to post "motivational" quotes to inspire students to participate. They LOVE these! In addition to this, I also post videos, for example, a TED Talk that relates to the topic. Many times if students can watch and hear something related to the topic they are more inclined to participate as opposed to just reading information we post and asking them to discuss. :)

Hi Rebecca,

I use ZOOM and my students and I love it. However, the one thing I cannot figure out is how to play a video so they can hear the sound during the live lecture. I know it can be done as I've seen other instructors do it, but so far, I have not had any luck. Beyond that, its been great!

Another video conferencing tool you might consider is Collaborate.

Best Regards,

Coleen