Daliahanna's List: Online Course Design

• • Discussion Boards
• In a review of best practices for online teaching, Grandzol and Grandzol (2006) argued that the most essential factor to a successful online education experience is creating a community of learners where the quantity and quality of interactions with peers and faculty foster student engagement. Student-to-faculty interaction is considered paramount in fostering student engagement. Likewise, student-to-student interaction is equally important as the quality and quantity of exchanges are predictors of success. The bottom line is t
• Online messaging boards, discussion forums, chats, and blogs are all tools designed to foster student engagement with peers and course content (e.g., Grandzol & Grandzol, 2006). We have found that rather than framing these exercises as course requirements, faculty should emphasize them as opportunities for students to build a community where they can learn from each other, help one another in tackling challenging course content, and provide a support system for each other.

• In summary, when it comes to building rapport with students, the best online teachers should understand the characteristics of their students and adapt accordingly (see Table 1, part 3). Underprepared, first-generation students probably should be treated differently from a graduating senior. Students differ in their ability to adjust to college, the level of monitoring and scaffolding they need, the amount of experience they have with online learning and the course management system, and so on. An important element of rapport building is that teachers are flexible – with regard to getting to know their students, getting their students to know them, working around deadlines, and creating an atmosphere that enhances learning.

   

  Conclusions and Implications

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