My challenge would be not being able to attain immediate feedback from the students and gage their degree of comprehension. I will combat this handicap by actively participating in asynchronous discussion, providing constant student feedback, posting forum announcements frequently, and constructing a course that allows opportunities for student feedback and interaction.
Going from "Sage on the Stage" to the "guide on the side" his a challenge of focusing more on the student versus on ones style of delivery. While being the "sage on the stage", I was able to read and use body language to convey and teach the concepts. The educational platform at AIU has a chat feature which allows me to connect with the students. This feature, I believe, gives AIU-online a competitive advantage. I use announcements and lecture notes that I post or email to my students to help me become a better "guide on the side". Additionally, I ask the students to email me with questions regarding the course content. Last but not necessarily, I keep the course content simple and applicable.
Walter
It is definitely challenging to get a good idea of how your students are doing in the class. You can usually tell in a traditional classroom who understands and who needs a little help. Students are reluctant to reach out sometimes in an online class.
Gracie,
This is where the design of the course and the assessments have to be created in such a way that you can be sure that students are or are not getting the content. It can be little assessments that demonstrate progress and larger, comprehensive ones that show depth of knowledge.
Herbert Brown III
Instructors who have been acting as a sage on the stage for many years may find it difficult to give up that expert power. Some enjoy providing their gift of knowlege to students. When this is taken away it can take away what the instructor got out of teaching. Becoming a facilitator of learning or a guide on the side can be just as rewarding if your goal is to see the sucess of the student.
One big challenge may be moving from face-to-face and synchronous communication to online and asynchronous communication. Communication is not immediate and it may take more time to get complete messages or feedback across to the student(s). Regardless, just make sure your communication is clear and timely. That way your student(s) don't feel alienated.
Jaclyn ,
This is an interesting perspective. I believe we have an opportunity to help the "sages" you refer to and help them capture their expert knowledge and find ways to use that captured knowledge to transition it to guiding the students with that captured knowledge as one learning tool. I don't believe we should force these folks to change as much as help them envision a new way and show them the benefits of changing their teaching styles.
Herbert Brown III
Yes, I think that is something one can usually find very helpful when communicating with students to decipher their true intentions. I see your options of written communication being needed, however, not always helpful. At many times, the way we convey a written message is usually misconstrued.
Physical body language and tone. It is often challenging to communicate tone as a verbal or non-verbal communication in the classroom.
Natasha,
Oftentimes in online courses it is very difficult to address physical body language and tone as your students are not seeing you...unless you are using video conferencing. You can learn to sense tone in electronic messages, but it does take time and even then you don't always get it right...but you get better at it.
Herbert Brown III
One of my biggest challenges has been the frustration students experience as it relates to technology - they can't figure out where the wiki is, or the dropbox isn't working, or they are just (in general) frustrated with technologies that they are unfamiliar with. Even though schools have help desks, many times students will come to you first. I often feel like I juggle the role of tech support and instructor. Unfortunately, their frustration with the tools can often be a distraction to deeper learning.
Valerie,
You are correct at times we have to be tech support, counselor, etc. But isn't that the same with any job today...we all have to wear many hats. I find if I can resolve a tech issues quickly, I do so and the student can get right back to their learning. If not, I get them the help they need from the help desk, etc. You can run in to this problem in regular classrooms too: the smartboard is not working, you have a one-to-one laptop initiative and a student's computer or the network is not working. Part of the job it seems :-)
Herbert Brown III
With each online course at the school I work for we also have an in house course. I have yet to teach a course where I do not meet the students face to face. I feel the biggest challenge would be to create the connection with the student, the laughing and fun that we have in the face to face class. I would want to add humor to my online course, although it seems risky.
I find my biggest challenge online is in-depth knowledge of my students. I miss "seeing" and hearing their voices. It's not to say I don't get to know my students, it's just not the same as in a traditional classroom.
Heather,
It can be done. It would be something you would need to add in small amounts to find the ideal mix in the online course. It is just like teaching in a traditional class, you try to connect with the online students in a personal way and build a rapport with them "virtually". It might not all come together the first semester you teach online, but the more you do it, the more you learn ways to make this work.
Herbert Brown III
I don't think I will have a problem as I have been teaching online for 17 years. In ground classrooms I there has been a trend to move from lecture to facilitator, especially with older students who want to know how to apply the new knowledge and not just regurgitate it.
More Sychronous is critical. I found this to be more effective in my class.
Rhonda,
More synchronous communications CAN increase the perception of instructor presence in the course. However, quick feedback to any student communication (email, posts, etc.) can have just as strong an impact on the perception of instructor presence in a course.
Herbert Brown III
I feel my biggest challenge would be not being able to be face to face with the learner to guide them using a hands on approach. Sometimes it is easier to "show" and learner then have them complete the task.
Aaron,
There are a number of tools, synchronous and asynch., that would allow you to "show" the learner how to complete a task. That process can be recorded for students to view, or completed live using video and screen capture technology. I have also used the same technology for students to demonstrate to me, while I walk them through a hands on activity.
Herbert Brown III
