Andrew,
I think it is great that you already realize that connecting with your students in a proactive way is a great way to establish your presence in the class but also a great way to identify struggling students and get them help early on. When we can build a level of community in the classes, the students are more motivated, but then you understand the "community" as well and can gauge when people in the community are starting to have issues.
Herbert Brown III
The biggest issue I faced to becoming the guide on the side was my ability in include and or reference some more personal aspects about myself. I have found that by letting the class know that my dog is usually in my office with me when I work or that my favorite beverage during a discussion chat is Dr. Pepper that it tends to offer students a soft entry into the discussion and overall engagement usually increases.
Don,
I have also found that a simple ice breaker with the students allows you to connect with them. We use ice cream in our graduate program. We encourage them to leave their work and get "ice cream" when they get overwhelmed...and it has stuck. Everyone in the learning community continues to discuss their ice cream.
Herbert Brown III
In the online enviroment one of the biggest complications is bridging the gap between the online enviroment and a traditional classroom. In an effort to over come this, I have have began doing live lectures in my classroom. This actually became a huge benefit to the organizaiton, now we can teach and offer resources cross-sectionally.
Richard,
You mention cross-sectionally, does that mean that you are teaching a traditional class and Live broadcasting it to an online audience as the same time? Do you also offer a recording of the session for those online students that might not be able to connect during the live session? How is that process working for you? I have taught this way for a number of courses and found it to be very functional
Herbert Brown III
I teach in an online enviroment. However to increase availability across the department I have included synchronous lectures my weekly presentation materials. These lectures are hosted through a video feed.This method we have found allows other students in different classes to also take part in/and benefit from my lectures.
Richard,
I also use video in my online and traditional courses - both synch. and asynch. I have also found video to be an effective tool. And even more important to me, my students regularly tell me how important the videos are to them - that is the best validation I can get.
Herbert Brown III
The biggest challenge I will face is the lack of body language. I like to read my student body language and use body language to comunicate what my desired outcomes are.
I feel to work around this problem more writen comunication will be needed. Also when reading a students response you have to read what the intent of the message is, not just the words.
What do you feel will be your biggest challenge in transitioning to a "guide on the side"?
Being able to read a student's body language in the classroom is so valuable, and this is not possible when teaching an online course.
Interpreting tone, and being able to discern changes in a student's tone "cyber feel" is the biggest challenge; it can be achieved if you establish a connection immediately - starting with the first day day welcome email to all students, and following up with an individual emails to each student before the first week ends.
Betsy,
You are right you cannot read the body language, unless maybe you are doing a lot of synchronous video conferencing. I have found though over a number of years of teaching online that I can establish "tone" pretty well in the written communication with students (postings, email, etc.). It may not be as good as body language but the more you teach online I believe you establish a better feel for this.
Herbert Brown III
I love those descriptors...yes, sometimes you wonder if you are using your Ph.D. in the topic that you are an expert in. But, then you get a phone call from a student or see something in the discussion board that you can add your knowledge to - so there are opportunities in the online environment to be the sage as well!
I love being the guide too, so all is good and that is a very important role in the online classroom!
One of my biggest challenges will be when I need to transition from relying on face-to-face discussions and also practical lab environments to the on-line environment. I teach in a culinary school, so we have a large portion of our learning environment rely on labs and practicals. My teaching style, therefore, has evolved to utilize this environment; once that environment has been switched to on-line, I will need to transition how I interact with students and target their individual needs.
David,
I see your concerns. The online environment will handle the discussions and static content ok, but how will you handle the labs? Can you record your own detailed videos of the culinary procedures and techniques and then require the students to record themselves and post their videos for evaluation and feedback??
Herbert Brown III
The biggest challenge is laying eyeballs on the students or not being able to because body language doesn't lie! They'll tell you they are doing okay while their body language is screaming for help!
Philip,
Laying eyeballs on students, now I can see where that might be difficult in an online delivered course. If the students don't have eyeballs to play with, how do you work that with online students?
Herbert Brown III
By paying attention to the what the student is saying and how they do on their graded assignments. Being proactive and showing them you're open to and like to help them when they have problems is key. The biggest hurdle in the program I teach is fear of math. I tell them fear is False Evidence Appearing Real and that they not only create the fear but that equates to giving their power away to math and letting it rule them. My favorite example is females who say they suck at math and then you talk to them about their hobbies like shopping at the mall and going into a shoe sale. I can show them they are doing Algebra and percentages in their head and now they say they fear the same thing when the only difference is we are doing it with the metric system and not money.
This may sound "wrong", but I think the biggest challenge I face is getting used to "hand holding" more. It seems within an online environment students seem to procrastinate more and expect instructors to give extensions on assignments for reasons such as "I forgot" or "I got busy". I seem to do more reminding about reading announcements to find important information.
Kimberly,
It is not wrong. The online environment does have more of what you describe. I find that I can head off a good bit of this by having very clear expectations articulated to the students at the beginning of the semester. However, I do admit that I am a little more lenient with my online classes and excuses than in my traditional courses.
Herbert Brown III
Not only do I set the tone of the classroom through my personal bios but also through ongoing encouraging posting. I enjoy posting Inspirational quotes that go with the topic I am teaching that week. I want to students to feel like they are in a relax atmosphere like a coffee shop but with the professionalism of an office environment. It’s a delicate balance but I do feel that it necessary to have in an educational setting.
Best Wishes,
John
John,
I am sure your relaxed approach allows students to feel they can open up a little more and might encourage stronger discussions and interactions.
Herbert Brown III
