Ask Errol! Free

Hello, my distance learning colleagues! The questions keep pouring in, and I’ve selected several to start off Ask Errol for 2011. As always, be sure to send your questions to me at erroldistancelearning@gmail.com so I can include them in our next issue.

This column’s selections …

Ah, you are so right—the selection of excuses does seem to grow, and yet unless we can definitively prove an excuse is a lie it can be difficult not to accept it. (Many online schools do have parameters on what can and cannot be accepted—be sure you are aware of your school’s policies.) There are, however, several factors that can be considered, and chief among these is to listen with an open mind. It is because we HAVE heard so many excuses that we have a tendency to have a “Yeah, right, sure—here we go again” mind set as soon as a student offers an excuse. Don’t. Each student must be taken on a case-by-case basis, and more often than not the student will be telling you the truth. Be open to what the student is telling you; this way, you can “hear” everything the student says, thus giving you more information to weigh in on a final judgment as to whether or not the student is being honest.

One area of distance learning where I place much effort is in getting and keeping my students engaged, but I’m always on the lookout for suggestions from other folks. Can you give me a tip that might not at first seem apparent?

One of my favorite surefire “engagement tricks” is to immediately get my students involved in the course by asking them to send examples or situations where their lives or others’ lives were/could be impacted by the subject I’m teaching. Nothing gets students more involved in learning than when they feel they have ownership in it—and this activity helps with this. First, they are telling you what it will be impossible for you to know: how each student can relate the best to your subject; this personalizes it for each one. Second, they are contributing to helping you build a “real” class in that it touches their lives and the lives of others they know or know of. And, third, by doing this each student has created just a bit more ownership into the course.

I’d like to believe that each student taking my online course is familiar with using a computer, and thus will have no trouble immediately jumping into all portions of the class. Of course, this is not the real world of distance education, and at times I encounter students who just seem afraid of the online learning environment. Any best ways to help these students overcome this hesitation?

There are a host of reasons a student may be very hesitant about being in an online course, and there are several items we can do to help allay their fears and make the online learning process an enjoyable one: (1) Have an engaging and friendly welcoming e-mail or post for your students—this sets the tone for the rest of the class, and when students get the sense you are there to help them they are more apt to become active members of the class. (2) Address student concerns prior to students mentioning them—by having a folder of questions with answers of major student problems I have previously encountered this not only helps to minimize these student concerns but also shows you as an online educator who really cares about his or her students—so important in helping to establish a strong rapport between you and your students. (3) Respond to student e-mails and posts in a timely manner—you are the spark that decides if your course is going to be ignited by vibrant students or extinguished by apathetic ones, and one solid way to keep students engaged in the course with a minimum of angst is to respond to student queries both immediately and with a “I’m-really-interested-in-helping-you” tone. (4) If your school allows it, take the time to call all students at least once during your course, and especially the ones having a difficult time—often, just the sound of your voice can make the computer in front of the students come to life and quickly lessen any difficulties in accepting the online environment.

In teaching my online courses I do much writing—student e-mails, notes on assignments, postings to the class, et cetera, and although I’ve been teaching online for 4 years I still find my supervisors or some students will occasionally mention that my writing does not seem like it’s written for my students, but more with me in mind. This is frustrating—I know you teach English and have been teaching online for many years, so you can you help me out?

Your problem is more common than you may think, as writing to students and writing in an online environment requires a delicate balance between our needs and the students’ needs and our level of education versus that of our students. But two items to always keep in mind can greatly improve the overall—and constant—quality of any writing you do for your students: (1) Remember the #1 rule of writing—you write for the reader. Your writing is not about you—your achievements, your dreams, your family, your political beliefs, etc. Sure, there are times when experiences and anecdotes from your life may be very helpful to bring something into focus for your students. But whatever you write for your students it is not a bully pulpit to carry forth your own agenda. Additionally, remember that abbreviations, acronyms, words, and phrases that are specific to knowledge you have may not be familiar to your students; when you need use these be sure to define or explain them: you never want your reader confused or bewildered by what you say. (2) Use language that personalizes you. Teaching at a distance has very obvious impersonal qualities to it, and for those students who are new to it this method of teaching can be very intimidating. Thus the use of your own voice—as a voice that comes form a real person, not computerese—becomes crucial. So: don’t hesitate to use contractions occasionally … use emotional language at times (including exclamation marks) … once in awhile, use a personal experience or anecdote to make a point about something you are teaching … every now-and-then use sentence fragments to show personal emphasis. These language “touches” all help to personalize a writer, thus making you and the course more “normal” for the students.

Microsoft just released Office 2010, and there are a host of other software packages that have also been updated; additionally, it feels that as soon as I buy a new computer it’s already outdated. While I want to stay on top of technology it can also become rather expensive and time consuming to consistently upgrade—any suggestions?

Some upgrades are based solely on how much you use a software package, the features you need, the speed you require from a computer, etc. There are two solid guidelines that can help: (1) Upgrade not for your heart but for your head. If you are deciding on an upgrade only for the newest whistles and bells, don’t do it—you’ll be spending your money on window dressing only. Decide on how the upgrade will be of help to you (you can always find product points of new releases online), and compare that help against the price of the upgrade. Bottom line: the primary reason to upgrade is to make your job as an online instructor more efficient, better organized, and—overall—easier. (2) Know the difference between an update and an upgrade. These terms are often confused, and so you are clear on each, remember: an update (also called a patch) is a free “fix-it” that the product manufacturer makes available online to correct discovered problems with the product; the upgrade is not free, is a new version of a same product (Microsoft Office 2010, for example, is an upgrade of Office 2007), and can be purchased online or in a store. TIP: always be on the lookout for patches that are released (by registering your product online you will usually be automatically informed of any patch releases; you can also check the manufacturer’s website).

This last item is one that was not submitted by anyone in particular yet is a summation of many questions I have received in different forms that pretty much come down to a 2011 New Year’s resolution: resolved—to be a better distance learning educator!

I offer you the following to help ensure that that happens for you: (1) Make certain you are teaching because you enjoy teaching. If not you do need rethink your career choice. (2) Do a self-evaluation of your weak teaching strengths. By doing this we can quickly correct our weaknesses, thus becoming better online teachers. (3) Take any professional development courses your school offers—and do so with gusto. This not only improves your abilities as an online instructor but also shows the school your enthusiasm in teaching, assuring it made a great decision in your hiring. (4) Learn to better manage time, better organize life. The better you do these the easier and more efficient your course efforts will be—and the students will benefit greatly. (5) Enhance your efforts to engage and motivate students. Beyond professional development courses offered by your school, make it a point to take a course in teaching methods … attend at least one conference related to teaching online or to your subject area(s) … write an article for publication … contribute to a professional forum or discussion … help another become a better teacher … read at least one book on your course area or online teaching, while continually reaching out to articles and essays on the same … create a better approach or strategy or teaching one portion of your course—and recommend this to the school: these and other like efforts all help increase your motivation and passion for teaching.

REMEMBER: Questions not asked are like barbells and dumbbells never used: nothing is improved or strengthened by merely thinking of what can be—rather, we must act on it.