Created by: Jacqueline Sadler

I. Components that promote/encourage student success II. Getting Started III. Course facilitation

 A). Know your students: ◦ 1). Online student need to have self motivation to complete all required work ◦ 2). They take responsibility for their own actions

◦ 3). They must have access to and a basic understanding of appropriate useable technology. ◦ 4). Their study skills must be organized.

 5). (Online) “adult students have a real need to make connections with their instructor and their peers and research consistently supports the concept that faculty-to-student and student- to-student interactions are important components in student satisfaction and student retention” (with in a course). Rice (2006 )

 B). Have opportunities for students to develop interpersonal relationships with other learners. ◦ 1. Use “bio” pages or introductory activities to help build a sense of community. ◦ 2.Create ice breakers &/or open-ended questions.

◦ 3). The use of forums for essential questions. ◦ 4). The use of forums as an activity to reply to posts.

◦ 5). Monitor group dynamics. ◦ 6). Possible use of “chat” rooms.

 C). Support your online learners. ◦ “The amount of engagement by the supervisor seemed to influence the amount of and quality of participation by students (Frid, 2001)”.

 “Effective support would need to be include the encouragement of reflective thinking, provision of social support for dialogue, interaction, and extension of ideas with feedback from peers and mentors (McLoughlin, 2002).”

 A. Create explicitly clear expectations of interaction. ◦ 1).Model, discuss, and reflect on appropriate Netiquette.

 2). List Netiquette protocols in syllabus, possibly as an appendix entry. ◦ A). Keep an open mind. ◦ B). Use appropriate, gentle language.

o C). Be careful with humor, jargon, and slang. o D). Share honestly, being positive and encouraging. o E). Re-read and edit your work before submitting.

 B). Syllabus ◦ 1.) Set objectives ◦ 2). Give Concise, clear directions.

◦ 3). Include support contact information. ◦ 4). Give due dates, with suggested timelines. ◦ 5). Attach links to assignments, readings and forums.

◦ 6). Include technical support links. ◦ 7). Give procedure for having questions answered, include a time frame for expected replies.

 A). The Facilitator must design to: ◦ 1). Promote higher order learning (i.e. analysis, synthesis, and evaluation). ◦ 2). Use questions which focus on essential concepts.

◦ 3). Create a warm, friendly online environment. ◦ 4). Promote working relationships between students. ◦ 5). Allow the student time to use the necessary technology.

 B). Key Protocols for the e-moderator: ◦ 1). Be Flexible; resist assumptions about learners (all learn and participate in their own time within the parameters of the course; vary assignments to guide the learners in and beyond their comfort zones).

◦ 2). Be positive; in communications and expectations, be ready to privately discuss problems, difficulties and/or conflicts to quickly restore calm and keep everyone on track.

3). Be Encouraging; choosing to wait patiently for learning to take place or stepping in right away depending on the students’ needs.

◦ 4). Be Objective; respectfully consider the skill level, tone, and content of each learner. ◦ 5). Be Prompt; in responding to questions; in praising good contributions, and guiding the course members in an organized manner to the end of the course. ◦ 6). Be a Reminder; when contacting learners to let them know what requirements remain for them to complete before the end of the course.

◦ Managing an online class is a multifacited endeavor. The teacher in us must take everything known form the F-to-F classroom and meld that knowledge with an understanding of the dicotomy of the online stage. This powerpoint included the strategies to consider when being an e-moderator. This relatively new frontier is open to all who see the online course as another means to connect to a vast array of potential learners.