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If the instructor does not have experience in the field of online learning, the technologies and instructional approaches used in the latter case can make the educational process more difficult. This will lead to an incomplete learning experience and dissatisfaction among students.
To help you avoid such a situation, today we will present 10 principles that you can follow when working on your online course.
Principle 1: Teach.
Many people still believe that online courses run themselves. Of course, there are such courses, but in courses where an instructor is present, their role is leading. In addition, the course participants themselves rely on the instructor to guide the learning process, following the predetermined schedule and curriculum.
It can be reasonably argued that, in order to prepare for participation in an online course, the instructor must devote much more time and effort to its preparation and subsequent delivery compared to a course in a traditional classroom.
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During the online course, the instructor focuses on interaction with the participants instead of thinking about delivering and presenting tomorrow's lesson. Many instructors who can compare the two types of courses claim that in online learning their work is much more effective and they can pay enough attention to all learners.
Principle 2: Use proactive strategies for managing the educational process.
By managing the educational process, we mean all activities related to teaching and learning the course material. The extent to which the course is managed depends largely on the age and experience of both the instructor and the learners.
Initially, the instructor will need to invest more effort in managing the course, as the transition from a traditional classroom to a virtual environment represents a significant change in the understanding of the roles and responsibilities of both the instructor and the participants.
Course management will become more effective over time. The instructor will learn how to meet the expectations of the participants and support their performance.
The instructor can support learning with a proactive course management strategy, such as:
• monitoring submitted assignments,
• reminding students that the deadline for submitting homework is approaching,
• course revisions when and where necessary.
The ultimate goal is for learners to take responsibility for their own learning, while the instructor can focus on creating a truly engaging learning experience.
Principle 3: Create and use an educational model and program.
Although online courses are flexible in terms of time and place, creating and maintaining a "path" for the educational process to follow can be difficult for both the instructor and the participants.
A model needs to be created by which the course will progress. This will allow learners to create a plan for how they will study. It will also help the instructor maintain the individual activities within the predetermined time intervals and at the predetermined pace and workload.
Principle 4: Plan for the unplanned.
People who learn online look to their instructors as the main source of information. If the instructor will be absent for a few days, they should inform their participants one week in advance. In emergency cases, this should happen as early as possible. And if the instructor knows that they will need to be absent while creating the course, they should add their absence to the program and warn future participants from the very beginning.
In addition, the instructor should tell the learners when they will provide the necessary information and when they will return, so that all participants can adjust their other commitments.
Principle 5: Provide timely feedback.
Timely feedback is very important for every learner. The instructor is expected to provide feedback within one working day. If they cannot provide a full response within one working day, then within that working day they must tell the participant when the feedback will be provided.
For convenience, the instructor can announce a day and time for consultations, and if they receive many questions on one topic, they may need to provide additional clarification on the material.
Principle 6: Provide useful feedback for learners.
We have already mentioned feedback. In order for it to be useful to learners, it must be written in language that is clear to them. To make your work easier, you can use two approaches:
• create a „Frequently Asked Questions“ section to address potential issues;
• build a personal database containing ready-made feedback that you can modify if it does not produce good results.
Feedback can be provided in different ways – in the form of instructions in a lesson, chat messages, emails, etc. It must be carefully considered, because the two sides do not see each other in person and cannot benefit from non-verbal means of communication.
Principle 7: Support the educational progress of your participants.
Participants in online courses rely on the instructor to grade their work within a certain time frame. In this way, they can track their progress and, if they are not doing well, understand where they are having difficulties and what they need to work on further. Therefore, after your participants submit their homework, do not forget to respond within a reasonable time.
Principle 8: Do not underestimate security.
It is strongly recommended that all course-related communication takes place in a secure and reliable environment. In the best case, this will be a content management system (distance learning platform). Among its advantages we can note the following:
• Storing course-related information in one place.
• Creating an archive of assignments and related correspondence.
• Management by the relevant institution.
Principle 9: Create quality courses.
To be maximally effective, online learning must ensure the quality of the learning materials and the technology used (distance learning system). For this reason, instructors must monitor and address the different dimensions of the course that may affect its overall quality, including:
• inaccurate content;
• editing errors;
• confusing information or instructions;
• broken links;
• other problems related to the design of the course.
If participants are not satisfied with the standard of the course, there is a high probability that they will not continue it.
As a method for addressing the quality and integrity of your course, we suggest that you consider each of the main components of online learning – accuracy of content, design, and the overall presentation of the software used. This will make the task of quality assurance easier to manage and more realistic.
Principle 10: Familiarize yourself with the distance learning system that will be used during the course.
In order to work fully, the instructor must have a deep understanding of the software used during the course. They must know its capabilities from the perspective of a participant as well, and if design changes are needed, they should provide logical and correct suggestions.
As with all other aspects of online learning, the technological infrastructure plays an important role in delivering a good learning experience, both for participants and for the instructor.
The instructor must have a sufficiently good system configuration that meets the needs of the distance learning platform used for the course.
Do not forget that everything must be tested before the start of the course – this will prevent problems during the course, which could lead to dissatisfaction on the part of participants. This will also contribute to improving the quality of the course.
Students in online learning
Virtual lessons, online classrooms and online learning are the new normal for millions of learners around the world, as educational institutions move their learning platforms into the online space.
Although the internet offers learners numerous advantages, such as new learning tools, learning flexibility and new opportunities for collaborative learning, the transition can be challenging for both teachers and students.
On the one hand, teachers must make extra efforts and find new ways to effectively engage learners. On the other hand, students must make additional efforts to stay engaged, especially because of distractions and interruptions at home.
Providing engaging online learning is vital to learners' success, because when students are actively engaged in the learning process, they learn better, understand the content more deeply and are able to retain the material for longer.
But that is easier said than done.
Teachers and instructors find that it is not easy to engage learners in an online classroom using the same engagement techniques that are used in a traditional classroom. In online learning, teachers have to deal with newer and often more difficult problems - from screen fatigue and internet disruptions to simply bored and isolated students.
Here we will look at a few more tips that will help you create engaging and successful online learning for your students:
1. Communicate your requirements to the class in advance
Often, instructors teach in an online environment the way they have taught in a face-to-face setting. This means they use similar teaching strategies. However, for most students, the online classroom is a new experience. That is why it is important for instructors to set class expectations from the very beginning. This may include guidelines for online behavior, camera and microphone etiquette, asking questions.
TIPS: At the beginning of the term or even every month, the teacher can present the class schedule and curriculum, the assignment schedule, and inform students about the online tools that will be used. This is a great way to get students excited and engaged from the very beginning, as it helps remove uncertainty.
2. Encourage the use of various digital learning tools
In the traditional face-to-face classroom, students rely on the teacher as the only source of information. But this changes in the online classroom. So, instead of simply sharing the learning material, in the online classroom teachers should encourage students to explore and use various tools for better learning and engagement. Online learning provides students with numerous learning opportunities. Using these various tools ensures variety in teaching. It keeps things exciting and engages students to work with learning tools that match their learning styles.
TIPS: Digital tools that can be used in the classroom include Youtube lessons, videos, podcasts, games, slides, online galleries, polls - the list can be endless.
3. Use digital storytelling techniques as a teaching method
Since time immemorial, stories have fascinated, intrigued and engaged us. Using storytelling in the classroom does not mean that the teacher has to use literal stories. Research has proven that digital storytelling can engage students' visual and auditory senses in a way that the written word cannot. In online classes, digital storytelling is the process of creating a story on a given topic by adding several multimedia elements such as visuals, audio and music to a common script.
TIPS: Teachers can also use storytelling in the classroom by using video illustrations, case studies and audio stories to maintain students' interest and engagement.
4. Create a community in the virtual classroom
One of the main reasons for learners' lack of engagement in the classroom is a feeling of isolation. Creating the sense that students belong to a community of learners helps improve attention and learning processes in the classroom. This can be done by encouraging active communication between students and teachers, as well as by stimulating informal interaction among students through social media, study groups, online chats, email. These informal student networks enable online learners to create close ties with their classmates.
TIPS: Some other forms of communication that help encourage interaction between students, teachers and peers include - chat rooms or instant messaging, text message broadcasts, social media groups, etc.
5. Opportunities for collaboration
Online teaching has also helped teachers understand that collaboration among students is a hallmark of a great teaching and learning environment with high student engagement. Studies show that online team learning helps improve student engagement and their learning outcomes.
TIPS: These collaboration opportunities may include group projects, group essays, group presentations, where students do their research and then regroup in small thematic groups or video calls to share their individual learning. This also helps develop a better understanding of the idea.
Another great technique is to encourage learners to work together in pairs to analyze a topic and then share their understanding with the rest of the class. This method works for learners who may feel lost in a large-group discussion. Other collaboration tools for an engaged classroom include slides, polls, breakout room discussions, etc.
6. Using incentives in online learning
Using motivators such as digital certificates, badges and points is a great way to maintain student engagement. It helps motivate learners during the course. They also serve as a reminder to students that their small contributions in the classroom or timely submission of assignments are being observed and appreciated. These digital motivators give students a sense of purpose, which fuels their participation and engagement in the classroom
TIPS: For example, the teacher can create badges for the most questions asked, for the most contributions to class discussions, etc.
In conclusion,
The transition from a face-to-face classroom to an online learning platform is challenging for students and especially for teachers, who must make extra efforts to engage students. This requires the use of new teaching tools and techniques that appeal to students using screens to learn in isolation. Although this is a challenge, with the right teaching tools it can help students stay motivated, learn better, faster, and retain information for longer.
Contact us or write to us using the form below. We have experience in creating online courses and distance learning systems for small and large clients. We can help you with consultation or implementation of the e-learning project in your organization. Contact phone: +359 878 685 304
