Essential Question: How can we support students in being successful in our online course?"St. Pierre and Olsen (1991) found that the following factors contributed to student satisfaction in independent study courses: (1) the opportunity to apply knowledge, (2) prompt return of assignments, (3) conversations with the instructor, (4) relevant course content, and (5) a good study guide. Conversely, Hara and Kling (1999) reported the student frustrations in Web-based courses were caused by: (1) lack of prompt feedback from instructors, (2) ambiguous instructions for assignments, and (3) technical problems" (Moore & Kearsley 2011). I find these guidelines to be very true in my own experience. If things are clear and you get frustrated it is hard to get the help you need because you don't ever meet with anyone in person. I became curious about best practice for online educators as I read this week. Here are some of the best practices I found:
Overall, distance education can be very successful if implemented correctly. "One of the unique benefits of distance education is that it is able to provide access to education for many students who would not otherwise have the opportunity. This includes rural populations, disabled individuals, parents with children at home, and the elderly" (Moore & Kearsley 2011). For me distance education has been very beneficial. I am studying something I am interested in. I would not be able to pursue more education if it weren't for distance education until I moved closer to a university. Distance education has allowed me to stay at the same school while I further my education. Sources
Boettcher, J. V. (2013, May 20). Ten Best Practices for Teaching Online Quick Guide for New Online faculty. Retrieved October 19, 2016, from http://www.designingforlearning.info/services/writing/ecoach/tenbest.html Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2011). Distance education: A systems view of online learning [Kindle Edition]. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Sayre, J. (2014, January 08). Building a Successful In‐District Online Program | Edutopia. Retrieved October 20, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/building-in-district-online-program-jennifer-sayre
4 Comments
Amy Witt
10/21/2016 07:28:35 pm
Hi Sara,
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Sara Lucas
10/23/2016 01:41:55 pm
At first I wasn't sure what it would be like. But now I am convinced it is way more practical than my undergraduate degree was.
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Theresa
10/21/2016 07:36:26 pm
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Sara Lucas
10/23/2016 01:43:27 pm
I'm glad the ideas came across this week could help you. I will definitely be keeping them in mind when planning my course. There were a bunch of other ideas, but these were my favorites.
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