Another column of questions—with suggested answers—to help improve your experience as a distance educator! Be sure to send your questions to me—erroldistancelearning@gmail.com so I can include them in our next issue.
This issue’s selections …
I sometimes get frustrated in teaching my distance learning courses as I feel constrained in teaching courses that others have developed and set up. The weekly syllabus must be followed, and this makes me feel I am no longer a true teacher but simply a facilitator to keep students on track each week. Is there anything I can do to change this?
Your question—and frustration—is one shared by many who teach distance learning classes, and this becomes especially confining to instructors who began teaching in face-to-face situations where more individual choices of texts, syllabi, and course makeup are often the norm. Yet there are a few items you can bring to online courses to give them more a feel of being your courses. First, don’t sell short good ol’ enthusiasm and dedication to your course: no school can dictate or create these in an online instructor, yet they can quickly help put your “stamp” upon the courses you teach. For when students feel your excitement for the course and constantly see you in the course they will react in kind, and this lifts any courses to a more energetic plateau. Second, bring in auxiliary material to enhance your teaching—but material that speaks more to what you’d bring if you created the course. Some suggestions for these include audio/visual clips, puzzles, cartoons, newspaper and journal clippings, and quotes—all, of course, in some way relating to the subject of your course. By including these you get students more excited about the course, the course has more of your flavor added (without disrupting what’s already there), and offers you more course autonomy in selecting what you’d like.
One of the reasons I “signed on” for teaching distance learning courses was for the freedom it allowed me, that is, I did not need to travel to a physical location and my hours were more flexible. Yet, I have also discovered a side to distance learning I had not previously considered: no matter where I travel and for how long I travel I must have my laptop and Internet connectivity. The problem is I enjoy camping—hiking, canoeing, and so on—and was used to doing this for up to two weeks at a time on an annual basis. It seems that I must either give up my camping trips or teaching online—any suggestions?
I know many distance educators who have changed their lifestyles because of the need to have daily online connectivity and access to their classes—and had you written me with this question a couple of years ago I’d say your options were limited. But this is one of those times to praise technology, as more wireless phone providers are offering plug-in modems for laptops that greatly expand the range of Internet access—including the woods, mountains, streams, and other areas that previously had limited or no access. Additionally, there are many websites online that list connectivity “hot spots” —airports, restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, and so on—that folks otherwise only learn of by accident (or not at all). But in a worst case scenario—that is, none of these apply to you—there are two adjustments you can make: (1) at least for a few days, arrange your course so student assignments and participation can somewhat run on autopilot, while your responsibilities can be minimal or none (and let students know—ahead of time—you will be absent a few days: you’ll be amazed at how understanding they are); (2) Opt not to teach a course or see if it’s acceptable to arrange for a sub to take over (some schools allow this). If none of these work, well, you are right: adjust your getaway activities or time doing them … or get out of online teaching!
I sometimes feel as if I am falling behind the learning curve in distance learning as so many new websites, software applications, and “things” (like Twitter and Facebook) keep coming along. One article will suggest using X, with much enthusiasm, and then I’ll read a blog that says Y is great and should definitely be used … and the list never seems to end. To be honest, this sometimes scares me, as I want to keep on top of all that is available to me, yet it seems impossible. Thoughts on this, please?
It almost feels as if you are being under constant attack by technology, doesn’t it? And unless you are a major geek chances are that there will be new technology around of which you are not aware but could be used—and probably is being used —in distance learning situations. But not to panic—there are a few things you can do to help take control of the situation: (1) Subscribe to at least one distance learning listserv—you’ll learn much about new technology and how it’s being used in the classroom; (2) Sign up for Google Alerts—http://www.google.com/alerts—to give you daily info on new tech developments as they relate to distance learning; (3) Be sure to read your school’s daily e-mail postings—any new technology adopted or suggested by the school will be announced, usually with detailed info and/or online workshops; (4) Be an avid reader of at least one computer magazine, newspaper or magazine technology columns, and our Distance Learning journal for the latest in “tech stuff” that can be or is being used in distance learning. Together, these four items will keep you on top of distance learning technology!
I’m pretty comfortable with what I’m doing with my online teaching; my students react very positively to me, and I get a nice amount of student participation. Yet I feel there is something more I can inject into my classes to give them a major “oomph” to really excite the students. Right now I use the school’s syllabus, I offer detailed feedback on assignments, and I’m in the class on a fairly regular basis. I’ve been reading your columns since they started and you’ve offered some fresh ideas—got one for my situation?
First, thanks for the compliment—I do my best! Now, as for your question it is very timely, for in this issue of Distance Learning my entire “Try This” column focuses on something I think can really help—what I call reality-based education. Simply explained, it’s bringing in various parts of the everyday world that incorporate components of the subject you teach; this takes the class to that next level you seek as it shows the students how what they are learning is important and useful beyond the classroom, it shows you to be a distance learning instructor who really goes the extra mile for her class, and it results in more student involvement as they will begin sharing examples from their lives as to how the course subject is being used or can be used. And beyond these it also allows your teaching to live far beyond the ending of the course—the ultimate focus of any course!
Although I am well-versed and much published in my field of study I am shy and somewhat laid back; this shows in my writings, as they are all academic, and thus somewhat bland. This is okay as it seems my readers respond fine to this type of writing—but I’m beginning to think my personality is showing itself in my distance learning class, as my students don’t seem to get excited by what I write in class and don’t post much in response to my discussion questions. Is this something that is going to make me dropout of online teaching? I don’t want to pretend to be somebody I’m not in my class—help!
Ah—like the Wizard of Oz you feel the curtain is being lifted, and you fear the students don’t like what they are discovering? Sure: for many folks the distance learning classroom can be a startling wakeup call when they realize the teaching approach—and this can include one’s personality—goes a long way in getting the class to be what they would label successful. Here are a few suggestions that others in your situation have tried, each with success by one or more distance learning instructors: (1) Develop an online persona—akin to become an actor in a play—that you present in all things related to your course (not only postings but also comments on assignments and e-mail postings to students); (2) Inject more effort into getting truly excited about your course and teaching your students—that can take your level of engagement and enthusiasm to increased levels; (3) Write out some practice discussion postings, assignment comments, and the like, then edit them—as if editing an article—so choice of words, tone, and structure are more enjoyable and interesting for students to read (and don’t hesitate to seek out others’—peers—opinions on these); (4) Offer students unusual and/or funny and/or enticing auxiliary materials to enhance your teaching—these will add color to your teaching style while adding important info to the class and keeping students more engaged in the course.
Remember: You will never find the Land of Distance Learning completely explored and mapped out—there will always be new pathways, crannies, alleys, nooks, and caves around the next corner.
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