Much space has been taken up in my previous columns, as well as other folks’ writings, on the instructor's efforts in the distance learning classroom. His or her personality, strategies, demeanor, organization, etc. have been—rightfully so—discussed in nearly every way possible. But it is important to remember the students see the course before they have daily and weekly interactions with the online instructor, and often students have access to the course days before the course officially begins. What the students find waiting for them in the course—prior to having ongoing connections with the instructor—establishes an initial bar for what students can expect throughout the course. Thus, much effort and time must be put into creating a Day One course that will result in the most positive reaction from students. Here's how …
Have a Welcome Message That Is Inviting, Specific, and Thorough
The “welcome to the course!” posting in class is de rigueur in any online course—it is that one essential piece of info that sets the tone for the course while offering students important course-related info. But too often these are posted as quick “must-dos” with little thought given to the reader—and this can be dangerous to the course. The message must suggest the instructor is interested in the students, enjoys teaching the course, and is always available—this begins a nice bond with the students, and offers more reasons for them to become engaged in the course. Too, as more students will read this posting than any other in the course it is important to include crucial information so students know what is expected of them. (Many instructors will post—and some schools insist instructors post—additional Day 1 announcements, each covering one specific task, tip, or requirement of the course, again knowing these Day 1 postings receive the most student readings.) Put care and thought into this posting (or these postings): it becomes the springboard for the rest of the course.
Be Sure All Initial Discussion Questions Are Set Up
Discussion becomes the heartbeat of any online course, as it is 24/7 alive, with faculty and students posting whenever they'd like. Thus, it is important directions are clear and all is done to keep discussion on postings flowing in the right direction—and often. Although most online schools have discussion threads with an initial question or situation for the students to discuss, instructors should also post a first comment and Socratic-style question to the students for each discussion question of Week 1 (and continue this throughout the coursed). Three items are immediately established here: the instructor's hands-on involvement in the course, an additional post to pull in more student postings, and extra info on a subject that takes the course wider and deeper. This suggestion is so often overlooked by online instructors, yet it goes a long way in beginning a fruitful and rewarding discussion experience for the students.
Check Links, Dates, Directions, and Syllabus
Take as much time as necessary prior to a course start to check out all of these. One of the most frustrating experiences a student can have in a course is when a link does not work; pages in a text don't match up with pages in a syllabus or online lecture; dates for assignment submissions, Discussion postings, readings, and other items are missing, old, or not the same as appear between two postings of the dates; directions are confusing, out of date, or wrong; and a syllabus has not been updated. Any of these can put a student on guard with questions about how much time the instructor spent setting up the course. And be sure to check all written info for proofreading, grammar, spelling, and punctuation—no matter the course subject these writing foundation basics matter greatly, and when off reflect on the instructor and the school.
Send a Welcoming E-Mail to All Students
Different from the welcoming message posted in the class, an email sent to the students sends a personal message: the instructor is very interested in the student doing well in the course, he or she is an active instructor, and the course is an important one. A neat little trick is to send at least one attachment with a helpful resource (also posted in the course) that will assist students with the subject matter, their navigation through the course, and/or with your expectations. Again, this is a step many online instructors do not take — it takes more time, of course—but it goes a long way in setting a positive, engaging tone for the course.
Use Multimedia to Initially Engage and Inform Students
It's time for the 21st century to be used at its fullest in the online course: written words are fine, and they have been the standard and pretty much the only means of communicating with students since the first online course was launched in 1984. But more students are becoming used to technology, and thus we can implement such (free) software of Jing (audio/visual), Voicethread (audio/visual), .mp3 (audio), Go Animate (visual), PowerPoint (visual), and Prezi (visual) to introduce the anything and everything of an online course. (These can also be used throughout a course for assignment feedback, details on coming weeks, extra info on course subjects, and discussion inserts.) In combination with the written text, these technological sabers bring a sharpness and up-to-date feeling to any online course while also helping to clarify any course info and engage more students.
Scatter Helpful Resources and Et Ceteras Throughout the Course
Students enter a course, and they find the shell of the course, that is, what the web developer and the school decided on should be included for a complete online learning experience. But to keep this fresh, to help students stay focused on the material, and keep participants excited about learning the material it is important new resources be added by the instructor. Always related to the course subject, these can be articles, essays, videos, puzzles, cartoons, or blogs—they become much-needed spices that add a bit of zest, interesting learning, and perhaps some fun to the distance learning course.
Post Class-Specific Information for Easy and Ongoing Access
There are basics in a course that we can assume students know, but they do not; and issues from previous courses that have caused student problems. From knowing how to attach a document to contact info for tech problems to a clarified rundown on discussion requirements and more, one-page docs in one file and pointed out to the students on Day 1 will get more use than you might expect. It is so much better to overprepare a course than underprepare one—I have yet to teach a course in my 20 years of teaching online where some piece of helpful info I posted in the course was not used.
Set Up an “Office” for Questions, Concerns, and Suggestions
Although students can send instructor questions by e-mail, as well as often finding a “Q&A” thread in each weekly discussion and sometimes a private message link preset in the course, setting up an instructor office where students can go throughout the course to post queries and concerns is extremely helpful. It not only shows the instructor is very interested in assisting his or students but also gives a more casual and intimate feel to the course—and students can post their items here where all students in the course can read them, and see your responses to each. This is a big plus in an online class; it will get much use and goes a long way in keeping confusion and frustration at bay for the students.
Make Certain Students See What You See in the Class
Instructors often forget the view they have of the distance learning course may not be the same view the students see. There are more tools at the instructor's reach for changing and manipulating the course, and often names and locations of features in the instructor's platform delivery system (e.g., Blackboard, Moodle, WebTycho, etc.) are different from those in the student version. Before a course begins make certain you have access to the student view—it can be confusing for a student and catch an instructor off guard when the student posts something that says, “Uh, excuse me, but I don't see what you are seeing.” Bottom line: thoroughness is crucial in teaching an online course.
Share Your Bio With Students
This may seem like the most unimportant of tools to have available in a class, but it is important for several reasons. The online instructor's bio lets the student into part of the instructor's life, making the instructor seem more “real,” not simply a name on a course; it lets the student know of the instructor's qualifications to teach a course, an important factor so students feel they have the “real deal” in course subject expertise and teaching foundation; and it helps in establishing the all-important student-online instructor bonding process simply because of the sharing component. A suggestion: ask the students to write you with any questions they have regarding your bio—it immediately gets students more involved with you and the course.
Remember: Arriving at a party where the host is still setting it up, with no ice available, lacking a good supply of forks, and finding dirty dishes scattered about, can quickly send the partygoer home—how uncool for that to happen!
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