StudentCentered Online Teaching: Ten Best Practices

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Student-Centered Online TeachingTen Best
Practices
Dr. Susan Ko, Executive Director, Center for
Teaching and Learning, University of Maryland,
University College FSI 2005 Keynote, May 17, 2005
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Where are we now?

• Online learning no longer a novelty. There is a
  body of experience and standards we can build on

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Consensus on Basic Standards

• Commission on Institutions of Higher
  Education--Best Practices for Electronically
  Offered Degree and Certificate Programs (1999)
• The Sloan Consortium ReportFive Pillars of
  Quality Online Education (2002)
• Institute for Higher Education PolicyQuality on
  the LineBenchmarks for Success in Internet Based
  Distance Education (2002)

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We have come far

• But misconceptions and fears about online
  education still abound

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Common Misconceptions and Fears

• Its an either-or worldonline in competition
  with face-to-face
• Faculty are helpless technophobes and technoboobs
• The quality of learning online is superficial
• Nuance of expression and personality are lost
  online

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more misconceptions and fears

• Online instructors have to be online 24 hours a
  day
• You need to be a computer-nerd. People-oriented
  people dont do well online

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and even morefears

• Online students are big cheaters!

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The Specter of Alienation

• Unlike face-to-face classes, online classes are
  cold and alienating.

This is the teacher
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Instructor as Social Director?

• Online teaching reduces my role to mere
  facilitator

Shuffleboard, anyone?
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Student-centered teachingwhat is it?

• Focused on outcomes, assignments aligned with
  learning objectives
• Attuned to student audience needs
• Promotes active learning and engagement
• Offers multiple modes of feedback and interaction
• Provides paths for practice, reinforcement, and
  growth
• Enthusiasm for subject and concern for students
  are evident

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But its not

• Too much or not enough content from instructor
• Assignments and readings without any guidelines
  or connection to objectives
• Posting a question on Monday and coming back to
  see what happened on Friday
• The surprise classkeeping students guessing
  about what, when, and how

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Some Challenges for Online Instructors

• Communication, communication, etc.
• Coherent and logical organization of classroom,
  materials, etc.
• Planning and time-management
• Establishing presence and conveying personality,
  transforming virtual students into real ones
• Focus on teaching, but learn the technology
• Building classroom community

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Research on Best Practices

• University of Maryland, University College
• Office of Evaluation, Research and Grants
• Best Online Instructional Practices Study
• Three-phase research study (2002-2005) on online
  classrooms, based on student evaluations,instructo
  r survey instrument on teaching practices,
  retention data, and outcomes.

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Methodology

• The study uses a mixed-methods approach
• 1) A survey of participating instructors
  experience as teachers using Instructional
  Practices Inventory
• 2) Peer-review of archived courses
• 3) Interviews with selected instructors and use
  of focus groups among them
• 4) Student class evaluations and institutional
  data and their association with teaching
  practices
• 5) Detailed assessment of learning outcomes

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Sample Used in Study

• Piloted with small sample of highly achieving
  faculty (8 faculty)
• Extended study to a representative sample (114
  faculty members)
• Identified best practitioners and learned how
  practices are implemented via interviews (38
  exemplary faculty)
• Implemented a detailed assessment plan measuring
  learning outcomes (15 selected courses)

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Expectations for Online Teaching

• Expectations for Classroom Setup and Online
  Teaching
• Consensus document on base-line set of
  expectations for faculty teaching online
• Posted on our Website www.umuc.edu/facdev/expectat
  ions
• Widely distributed through training, faculty
  handbooks, orientations, etc.

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Best Practice 1Design your Course

• Put some thought into your course design
• Strategies
• Identify and reinforce course goals and
  objectives throughout the course
• Make sure your assignments are aligned with your
  learning objectives
• Build in safeguards against cheating and
  plagiarism through assignment design
• Pay attention to the pace and sequence
• Be consistent in organization, nomenclature

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Best Practice 2Use Variety of Learning
Approaches

• Different approaches stimulate interest, appeal
  and provide challenges to different learners
• Strategies
• Use case studies, peer-to-peer activities,
  project-based assignments, debates, guest
  speakers
• Integrate multimedia, library and Web-resources
  so that they are intrinsically valuable
• Provide guidelines for all group activities

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Best Practice 3Be Prepared

• Online courses require an initial large
  investment of time and preparation, and updating
  thereafter
• Strategies
• Build out as much of your course as possible
  before it launches
• Update each time before it runs, and refresh from
  time to time

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Best Practice 4Start Out Strong

• Start out on a good footing from 1st day
• Strategies
• Be there to welcome the classwarm greeting
  with instructions on getting started
• Introductions forumicebreakers (you, too)
• A detailed syllabus and schedule with contact
  info, dates for each unit of course, directions,
  criteria, due dates for assignments,
  participation, grading

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Best Practice 5Provide for Interaction

• Provide opportunities for interaction between
  instructor and students, students with students,
  and student with content
• Strategies
• Interact with students in classroom on a regular
  and frequent basisthrough announcements,
  discussion board, emails to whole class
• Encourage students to talk with one other, not
  only to you

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More on Interaction

• Design assignments that involve sharing of ideas,
  or team-work
• Build an assignment around a primary source,
  multimedia, or Web resource
• Facilitate but dont dominate discussion
• Start initial discussion threads to get things
  moving
• Define participation and give credit for it
• Send a personal email as friendly reminder to
  students who are not participating

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Best Practice 6Promote Active Learning and
Critical Thinking

• Build in critical thinking and active learning
  strategies
• Ask students to research and defend a position
• Routinely ask follow-up questions while
  facilitating discussion, encourage students to do
  the same
• Design assignments that require students to
  substantiate their ideas, verify and document
  their information

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Best Practice 7Connect to Real-life Experience

• Encourage students to apply real-world experience
  to course content
• Encourage students to draw on personal examples
  and observations that are relevant to the course
• Tie contemporary events or issues to course
  content
• Whenever possible, encourage students to
  incorporate their own goals into study

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Best Practice 8Give Feedback

• Give regular, timely, and varied forms of
  feedback
• Strategies
• Clearly describe grading and assignment criteria
• Use rubrics to help guide students as well as to
  simplify feedback and grading process
• Respond to students as promptly as possible

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More on Feedback

• Strategies
• Provide individualized feedback on key
  assignments, and special attention to first major
  assignment
• Let students know how they can improve
• Refer students to resources for assistance
  whenever appropriate and available
• Carefully structured peer review can provide a
  valuable element

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Best Practice 9Clearly Define Grading Criteria
and Processes

• Clearly defined, systematic grading criteria to
  guide student work, manage expectations
• Provide rubrics or clearly defined criteria up
  front
• Let students know your turn-around time
• Let students check progress through online
  gradebook
• Provide individual incentive on group projects

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Best Practice 10Maintain Enthusiasm

• Maintain your own enthusiasm about the subject
  matter and communicate that enthusiasm to
  students
• Strategies
• Stay organized
• Be an active presence in the class

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and more enthusiasm

• Strategies
• Make sure assignment load is reasonable
• For the sake of your students, but for you, too!

No fois gras, please!!!
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and even more enthusiasm

• Strategies
• Review and assess your own skills, teaching
  methods and style on a regular basis
• Analyze student evaluations to learn areas of
  strength and areas for improvement
• Keep current in your field
• Set an example for your students of life-long
  learningparticipate in faculty development
  activities like those offered by ION

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Thank you!

• Bring your questions to the Online Teaching
  Clinic
• Feel free to contact me in the future at
  sko_at_umuc.edu