Setting Up Effective Online Learning Experience

One of my favorite things in life is the satisfaction of checking things off as “DONE.” This, however, gets me in trouble because, in my haste to try to get things done, I sometimes barrel through whatever needs to get done just to check it off my list. Understandably, this eagerness to get done means that I don’t always stop to set up an effective plan of execution. When it comes to developing an online course, taking time to set up an effective learning experience makes a world of difference. To this end, it is essential that we establish and build community, communicate clear expectations to the online learners, and give our learners a sense that we know them.

An excellent way of establishing and building community is by the use of icebreakers. An icebreaker sets the tone for the learning environment, by establishing the presence of individuals and opening the lines of communication in a nonthreatening way (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011, p. 51). Your icebreaker is as important, if not more important, than the material that is being taught. Nothing is harder than to engage a student that has already been turned off by the icebreaker. Therefore, this is not an activity that you, as an educator, should take lightly. That being said, when designing the icebreaker, take into consideration that it should be fun. Conrad & Donaldson (2011, p. 52), recommend that the following checklist be considered:

1.      Is the activity fun and nonthreatening?

2.      Is it person-focused not content-focused?

3.      Does it require learners to read one another’s entries?

4.      Does it require the learner to find something in common with at least 10 percent of the community?

5.      Does it require a person to be imaginative or express genuine emotions or openness?

6.      Are learners required to respond to one another?

Another great way to establish and build community is by the way the educator introduces her or himself to their learners. Palloff & Pratt (Laureate Education, Inc., 2012), strongly recommend that educators not use their Curriculum Vitae as their introduction. They caution that doing so dehumanizes the teacher and creates a space between the learners and educator that may be too big to bridge. Instead they indorse taking a route that is not academic. Like posting information about ourselves that we do not mind sharing. In sharing these benign parts of us (like the fact that we have two dogs, we like photography, or mix martial arts) will help humanize us to our students and begin to bridge the space that naturally exist between teacher and student.

Communicate clear expectations to the learners is a necessary regardless of whether the course is online of face to face, but ensuring that it is done well for an online class may prevent a prolong delay in rectifying something that is going wrong. Boettcher & Conrad (2010, p. 55) state that communicating clear expectations makes a “significant contribution to ensuring understanding and satisfaction in an online course.” This is because there are other variables that come into play in an online setting that often do not exist in a face to face environment. For example, letting your student know how to turn in an assignment when the site is down, or giving them the alternate activity ahead of time for when the intended technological tool does not work are both expectations that need to be addressed. Not communicating your expectations to the learners will result in sundry misunderstandings.

In addition, instructors should take into account the importance of giving our learners a sense that we know them when setting up an online learning experience. A while back, in the United States, there was a commercial that asked, “What’s in a name?” and the answer was “EVERYTHING.” In an online course where there is not any physical interaction, it becomes easy for many of the student to feel that they are all alone. This loneliness can then be transformed into a sense of just being a number in the class and nothing more. This is why letting them know that we know them, we know their name, is so important. For introverts, like me that do not like to share personal photos or information, often our name is the only thing we are okay with giving. This small link is what many online educator may have for their students. Therefore, you want to make the most of it. Palloff & Pratt (Laureate Education, Inc., 2012) suggest that instructors quickly begin to use their students’ names. A good way of doing this is by always making sure that the learner’s name is in the post, and I would add any other form of communication with them. In doing so, we give them a sense that we know them and are trying to reach out to them. After all, is it not our goal as educators, to reach each of our students so that knowledge can freely flow?

References

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction (Updated ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Launching the online learning experience. Baltimore, MD: Author. (approximate length: 25 minutes)
Dr. Rena Palloff and Dr. Keith Pratt discuss what successful online instructors do to start the online learning experience. What are the essential preparations? How can online instructors get to know their learners? How can icebreakers be incorporated effectively?