The biggest challenge is illustrating to the student that is believes that online learning means self study what the value of the instructor is in that environment.
I don't think it is challenging and I don't think that education of adults should look the same as education of children (with an authority in front of the class). Education of children really shouldn't be done that way either, actually.
Milka,
So in your opinion what is the value of the instructor in online learning. Quality online learning should not be just a self study of the material, but should incorporate interaction between students and student and instructor. Assignments should drive students to apply the concepts they are learning to real world applications. If we don't do anything but give them a book and say read it and complete these quizzes on the material in the text, what is the value of an instructor?
Herbert Brown III
Heather,
I would suggest that education of adults shouldn't be an authority in front of the class any more than that might be appropriate for education of children. In my opinion we need to combine as many learning strategies and tools that we can to reach students regardless of age in a real and meaningful way.
Herbert Brown III
As an online instructor my role is to facilitate the learning of my students and so I do take a back seat to enable them to lead the discussion and thus to grow their knowledge among their peers. I reinforce concepts and assist with keeping the dialog going. One of the challenges is to "manage" students who are strongly opinionated and thus can make other students shy away from partaking in a dialog. Talking via a private message to such student is one way to deal with such attitude or diverting the perspective of their answer to enable more inputs form others
The ability to read students' body language or facial expressions. Many times In a class environment I'm able to 'read' the class and see if they understand and are comfortable with new information. If there is a quiet student I can always just ask them one on one if they have any questions or concerns. In an online environment, they just might not ask and stay quiet. So the ability to make sure they feel safe in asking questions is very important.
Ricardo,
You can over time learn to read student communications or lack there of in a similar way to body language in a physical classroom. It does take time and is not perfect, but you can start to pick up subtleties with students and engage them with questions and request feedback when they appear to be disconnecting or are misunderstanding something.
Herbert Brown III
One of the main difficulties is not being able to “read†students’ personalities from their voice tones, facial expressions, and other body language that can indicate how to best guide each student. More personal communications (email, phone calls, direct discussion board responses, etc.) and carefully reading students’ biographies will help. Once students’ classroom personalities are discovered, this information can be used to most effectively guide students to successful learning.
As an aside, I also hold a Ph.D. (Mathematics 1974) from Virginia Tech and an MA (Mathematics 1967) from Appalachian State University. Go Hokies and Mountaineers!
Dr. Cecil,
Good points, thanks for sharing and absolutely Go Hokies and Mountaineers!!
Herbert Brown III
My biggest struggle would probably be, not being able to use hand expressions or the white-board as well as not being to make eye contact and facial expressions to highlight the higher levels of passionate subject details.......
I think that this is definitely where one's personality needs to shine through! It is important to converse on the discussion, however, still be able to show that you are the authority on the matter. Interacting with the students and having a positive tone and wording is also very important. Encouragement also goes a long way with students.
Tony,
This is where I believe we really need to think about our tools and how we can use those tools to address what we believe are best practices. For example, there are many synchronous learning tools that have whiteboard tools that you can use to interact with students. You would also use a screen capture software to record a lecture AND a whiteboard style interaction even using Microsoft Word and the Inking capabilities in it...and a tablet style PC. Think about the importance of those learning activities and if they are that important, find an online tool that will give you those capabilities.
Herbert Brown III
Jeannie,
The positive attitude and encouragement does go a long way in establishing your presence in a virtual course. Just your timely interaction with students makes a big difference as well.
Herbert Brown III
Mr. Brown
My biggest challenge has been reaching out to the student to provide assistance. If I have a student who is not doing well, usually, I can them on right track after a discussion or two.
Online teaching requires a great deal of monitoring and outreach to ensure their success. I am very diligent about monitoring my grade book each week, so I can provide outreach in a time efficient manner.
Debra
Debra,
That is great! I love to hear that you are proactive in watching for struggling students. I have also found that if I can get to them early enough I can save them before it is too late in a course.
Herbert Brown III
I find that my biggest challenge is not being able to provide as many interactive activities with the students. The online courses that I teach are very set in terms of assignments per week and although I try to be as active as possible, I do feel that there are some topics that students might be able to grasp better in person through interactive sessions (I teach legal classes and there are several assignments that in class would take weeks of practice to master, and the online students do not have the time luxury to master certain issues).
Billie,
If your curriculum is set for you do you have an opportunity to contribute to the curriculum team and at least make those suggestions so that the course can be improved. Course design is a fluid process or should be.
Herbert Brown III
I've had 5 years of online teaching experience before this so it is a bit difficult to remember the transition. I would say that logging in and doing something each day in the classroom will show students that you are constantly present in the classroom.
Greg,
I have also found that communicating in a timely manner is important. The timeliness of grading and responses to posts are also things my students have demonstrated that show my presence in a course.
Herbert Brown III
Hi,
I think the biggest challenge for delivering content and guiding students is getting students to respond back and read the material sent out. I email, call, and interact with students in the discussions forum but I find a percentage of students will not reply to me or call back or email back after I contact them. They have an ingrained fear of interacting with the instructor or don't want to interact with the instructor. In a classroom setting you have center stage with all eyes on you. In an online settings students have divided attention and you never really know if they looked over all the material or fully understand the material because many students will not ask for help even if they are lost. I have to find them and it is not always an easy task.
