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Beyond Best Practices: Creating Effective E-Learning Communities Outside the Virtual Classroom
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ways of learning (Chickering and Ehrmann 1997). These principles evolve from decades of research on the undergraduate experience and guide faculty on how to best structure learning in higher education. In addition, effective online teaching requires continual assessment of learning outcomes and the willingness to make technology fit the discipline. Empowering students to link their academic and professional experiences to the course content creates innovative e-learning communities beyond the virtual classroom. This paper will show how interactive case studies and problem solving projects relevant to real-world issues affect student engagement and promote the achievement of skills in decision-making, problem solving, analysis, synthesis, application, and evaluation. Examples of my online course designs in the fields of public policy and public administration will illustrate how students become active learners in a collaborative online environment.
Designing for Best Practices When designing online courses within a pre-formatted platform such as WebCT, faculty can concentrate on course content rather than graphic design. Templates for course menu, assignment submission boxes, discussion boards, e-mail, and chat rooms are in place and can easily be adapted to course needs. Before writing a course syllabus, online course designers need to review the seven principles of best practices for using technology as a lever for online teaching. Frequent contact between faculty and students needs to take place across a variety of activities, from weekly postings on a class calendar to remind students of upcoming deadlines to updates and comments on current assignments. Building course content that motivates students to exercise reciprocity and cooperation with their peers include peer review activities and weekly discussion boards, where students can share their comments on assigned readings and learn from one another. Active learning is an important expectation and needs to be communicated to students early and often. Students need to know on the very first day that self-discipline, motivation, and active participation in the course is not only expected but is required. Nothing motivates students more than to know that class contributions matter because they are graded. During the first week of class, students have the only opportunity to participate in a non-graded activity when they introduce themselves to the rest of the class. Faculty can make a special effort to respond to each individual introduction and communicate to students that their contributions to the class will be valued and expected. Responding to
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| | Authors: Dierks, Rosa Gomez. |
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ways of learning (Chickering and Ehrmann 1997). These principles evolve
from decades of research on the undergraduate experience and guide
faculty on how to best structure learning in higher education. In addition,
effective online teaching requires continual assessment of learning
outcomes and the willingness to make technology fit the discipline.
Empowering students to link their academic and professional experiences
to the course content creates innovative e-learning communities beyond
the virtual classroom. This paper will show how interactive case studies
and problem solving projects relevant to real-world issues affect student
engagement and promote the achievement of skills in decision-making,
problem solving, analysis, synthesis, application, and evaluation.
Examples of my online course designs in the fields of public policy and
public administration will illustrate how students become active learners in
a collaborative online environment.
Designing for Best Practices
When designing online courses within a pre-formatted platform such as
WebCT, faculty can concentrate on course content rather than graphic
design. Templates for course menu, assignment submission boxes,
discussion boards, e-mail, and chat rooms are in place and can easily be
adapted to course needs.
Before writing a course syllabus, online course designers need to review
the seven principles of best practices for using technology as a lever for
online teaching. Frequent contact between faculty and students needs to
take place across a variety of activities, from weekly postings on a class
calendar to remind students of upcoming deadlines to updates and
comments on current assignments. Building course content that
motivates students to exercise reciprocity and cooperation with their peers
include peer review activities and weekly discussion boards, where
students can share their comments on assigned readings and learn from
one another.
Active learning is an important expectation and needs to be
communicated to students early and often. Students need to know on the
very first day that self-discipline, motivation, and active participation in the
course is not only expected but is required. Nothing motivates students
more than to know that class contributions matter because they are
graded. During the first week of class, students have the only opportunity
to participate in a non-graded activity when they introduce themselves to
the rest of the class. Faculty can make a special effort to respond to each
individual introduction and communicate to students that their
contributions to the class will be valued and expected. Responding to
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