Building Trust & Effective Communication Alisa Cooper, EdD Faculty, Assistant Chair/eCourses Coordinator English Department Glendale Community College

Building Community Using social media Establishing presence/ humanize course Student to student interactions

Using Social Media

Presence Social Presence – “the ability of students to project themselves socially and affectively into a community of inquiry. ” Cognitive Presence – “the extent to which students are able to construct and confirm meaning through sustained discourse in a community of inquiry. ” Teaching Presence – “the design, facilitation, and direction of cognitive and social processes for the realization of personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes.” Garrison, Anderson, Rourke, and Archer, 2002.

Establishing Presence Facilitating Discourse Direct Instruction Instructional Design & Organization

Facilitating Discourse Identifying areas of agreement and disagreement. Seeking to reach consensus and understanding. Encouraging, acknowledging, and reinforcing student contributions. Setting the climate for learning. Drawing in participants, prompting discussion/interaction. Assessing the efficacy of the process.

Direct Instruction Presenting content and questions Focusing the discussion. Summarizing the discussion. Confirming understanding. Diagnosing misperceptions. Injecting knowledge from diverse sources. Responding to technical concerns.

Instructional Design & Organization Setting the curriculum. Designing methods. Establishing time parameters. Utilizing the medium effectively. Establishing netiquette.

Humanizing the Course Humanizing increases student comfort level and reduces psychological distance between instructor and student (DuCharme-Hansen, Dupin-Bryant, 2005) Greater investment by students has been shown as a result of incorporating humanizing elements into online courses (DuCharme-Hansen, Dupin-Bryant, 2005) “Instructor immediacy behaviors have been found to create a positive affect toward the instructor and the subject matter and to be positive predictors of student learning and satisfaction in distance education courses.” (Jones, Kolloff & Kolloff, 2008) deltawire.delta.ncsu.edu/research/welcoming-students-in-an-online-course /

Humanize the Course Create an introductory video or audio recording Write a welcome letter or Schedule a synchronous online meeting Use a tool like Voicethread or Audacity to create instructor and student introductionVoicethreadAudacity Pair students and have them interview and produce introductions for their partner or consider another Have students share their location using a tool like Google MapsGoogle Maps Set up a profile and incorporate pictures into introductions Assign students to groups to create a buddy system Create an online class lounge (i.e. a discussion thread, chat room) where students can meet informally to ask questions and share their experiences as well as incorporate images, web sites or individual blogs

Student to Student Interactions

Discuss: Checkpoint Questions In reviewing your content activities or interactions, do you feel like the content you selected to deliver face-to-face is best suited for that delivery mode? And the online content best suited for that delivery mode?

Discuss: Checkpoint Questions How are you using the online or out of class time? To – reinforce content, – practice content, – demonstrate evidence of content mastery, – apply content, – add time on task, – introduce new content, or – other? Considering areas of particular difficulty in conveying or comprehending course content or concepts in this module, what mechanisms are you using (online or face-to- face) to support learning?

Accountability and Integration Ask (handout) What is the role of out of class time? How can I maximize the face-to-face class time? How can I make sure my students are prepared for face-to-face class time? Reinforcement Practice Provide evidence Application Additional time on task Introduce new content Other