Course Description Reflection
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Teaching Online Courses
Examines emerging issues in teaching and learning online; instructor and student roles; instructional strategies for supporting diverse learners; methods of student assessment; online communication; classroom management; characteristics of online learning management systems. Broadly applicable concepts, with focus on K-12 learners. Preparedness for online instruction was the goal of this course, and upon completion, I certainly felt well trained for all aspects of the online environment. Understanding the social presence that learners must develop for a successful venture into online learning was a major course component. Collaborative group work was the setting for many of the learning outcomes: I adopted roles of moderator/facilitator and student, so my perspective from all realms of strategies, techniques and experiences were well served. I also developed a lesson plan specifically for online instruction and then moderated the lesson synchronously with Elluminate. Management issues with technology was another topic we explored and addressed with a collaborative wiki activity. Course discussion boards were ongoing and feedback provided a cyclic discourse, as did the personal reflection wiki I kept throughout much of the course. Creating a plan for an online lesson with Elluminate as the webinar platform was a productive and very effective activity. It was necessary for me to be able to understand the features of an Elluminate webinar before I could even consider what my teaching strategy would be, so I spent several days manipulating the tools within its structure and accessed many of the online library’s video tutorials. After I spent some time on Elluminate, I was able to design a lesson plan that could be adapted to those features that would best support the instruction. I also acted as a student participant in three other Elluminate sessions. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to view creative ways my classmates implemented the Elluminate tools. This activity reinforced that it is of upmost importance to spend time learning and using new digital tools well in advance of their implementation. This knowledge supports the definite need for all instructors to attend training to stay abreast of current strategies as they emerge in technology and increased my awareness that online classrooms can be every bit as productive to learning as the traditional classroom setting. Working as a moderator on a group forum was a unique experience to practice and then reflect upon afterwards. I was fortunate to be placed in a group that was nurturing, supportive, timely and responsible in their feedback, and because of this I saw that collaborative learning really does "develop relationships by dissolving feelings of isolation that can accompany an online environment." My group connected in our support of each other to provide a fertile atmosphere, and we nurtured each other in the role of moderator. Through this learning activity I selected several moderator elements of strategy to facilitate the discussion and learned the value of each. Development of a discussion can be delicate; it was important for me to understand the various aspects that a moderator may need to implement to move the discussion along a path of transformative learning for the online student. In the student role of the group work, I experienced cyclic learning about the topics we each introduced. The reflection blog that was part of the classroom activities gave me another chance to reflect on what I was learning as the course unfolded, and the feedback I received from the instructor was personal and beneficial to my own growth as an online instructor. Because I have the administrative ability to provide this for my students, I can consider it another valuable tool to implement for effective online learning. Resources made available throughout the course caused me to reflect on the necessity of adhering to the standards prescribed to make the online experience beneficial for both student and instructor. The National Standards for Quality Online Teaching (NACOL) define guidelines by review of SREB to provide guidelines for online programs. These standards are very helpful for instructors, accrediting agencies, and educational institutions because they define the online role in detail. The fact that I see these guidelines modeled in the MU courses gives me enormous confidence to use them myself because I’ve seen how influential they can be to online learning. In summary, this course gave me a greater desire to change elements of my classroom instruction to make them more student-centered, and it allowed me two perspective roles: student and instructor. It has helped to develop my online “voice” and the activities served to give me confidence. I believe I gained a tremendous amount of information and experience.
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