The Time Consuming Preparation for Online Classes

Prep for an online class doesn't end once the course is initially complete and delivered that first time. As in the traditional classroom, there's always room for improvement. Every act of preparation requires time and effort. It's not like in the f2f classroom, where you can come up with an idea on the fly and give it a try to see if it works. Every act must be intentional and the steps for each act must be carefully planned and prepared.

Every semester I choose one thing to improve, even if there are a gazillion things that need help. Because of the time commitment, I find that any improvement I make needs to be ready before the class starts because once that happens, all my time goes into my students.

This this current semester, for example, I took something I learned delivering the curriculum from the masters-level academic writing course I teach, and incorporated into my undergrad composition class.

In the graduate-level class, students journal about what they read and start to connect the theories of the readings into practice in their writing. One thing I noticed about the online freshman composition class I teach, is that there is no grammar component in the class. My masters-level students have often lamented in their journals that the grammar and style concepts they were learning should have been taught to them in undergrad. Knowing this, I decided to transfer this concept to my freshman, hoping that they'd see a benefit in journaling about what they read. While there are still many changes I'd like to make to the course, this was the change I thought would be most beneficial to my students, so I went with it. If it's successful, I'll leave it in the curriculum, and if it's not, I'll either modify it or discontinue this exercise.

Another improvement I'd like to make in my online classes is to add weekly podcasts to the announcements. Preparing podcasts can be extremely time consuming. Personally, I can't just sit down and record--I need to write a script first. I record using Audacity, which allows me to edit out any bumbles I make. So far, the majority of my podcasts have been introductory to give students another way to get to know me as an instructor. One summer semester, I recorded a podcast for each week. I'm not sure how effective they were, or how necessary, but for some students, hearing instructions in addition to reading them can be beneficial.

Composition classes are scary for many students, so I like to convey an open and relaxed atmosphere to empower students to write instead of worrying how I'm going to react to their writing. I would like to create more effective assignments and podcasts in the future to further enhance my current curriculum.

What is Online Learning and How Much Easier is it Than Face to Face?

A key ingredient for online learning is MOTIVATION. Because students don’t have to be at a specific place at a specific time, it’s easy for them to forget the online class exists. I recently read a blog post on Teaching Online where the virtual professor talked about adult learning environments being “learner-centered education that guides learners to be self-directed and independent in their learning.” The desired end result in such an environment is that students and teachers become equal partners in the learning process. This to me is a perfect description of online learning

Sometimes students don't realize how reading- and writing intensive online classes are. Students need to self-evaluate to determine if this format will work for them.

One way to change the perception that online=easy is for instructors to be clear and up front about the time commitment necessary and how the way one operates in an online setting is totally different than the traditional classroom.

When instructors are clear about their expectations, serious students will be motivated to think about their schedule and how they will fit the level of interaction necessary to succeed into what is likely a pretty busy lifestyle.

I, for one, am often at the mercy of my kids and my students (and my husband, and the laundry/dishes/house, and the kids a little more). It's kind of scary to be committed to teaching and taking an online class because there will be days (like today) where I can cyber stalk the discussion boards, but there may be others where I'm so busy that I miss that 48 hour window.

Do how do students/teachers get organized?

One of the first things I tell my online students is to get a calendar and write down due dates for all assignments for not only my course and their other courses, but also their other commitments in life. There's a healthy population of young adults out there who don't know how to manage a calendar.

Weekly announcements help as well. I try to be friendly and conversational in them as I remind them of the week's due dates and to look ahead to next week.

This will not guarantee a student will be successful in an online course; however, being clear about expectations and helping students get organized are two important factors in achieving success in an online class.

Continuing My Own Education, Part 2

Having gotten my first F2F class on the other side of the podium under my belt, I decided to pursue something more. It started with a conversation with the woman who teaches before me in the computer lab on Thursday nights. JJ and I have about 40 minutes each week to shoot the breeze about English 1101 and other teaching topics between class meetings.

JJ told me about the Illinois Online Network, where I can pursue a Master Online Teacher Certificate where else but online. What is particularly cool about this program is because I'm a part of the College of DuPage faculty (a COD faculty member helped design this program), tuition is only $60 per class.

In this program, I will take four core classes that are fully online and 8-weeks long. There's also one elective and a practicum that needs to be completed. I started my first class, "Online Learning: An Overview," earlier this week and I'm loving it.

I've been online grading a lot this week and have more time to devote than usual, so I've been quite the over-achiever on the message boards. I hope my classmates don't think I'm a total suck-up. I'm simply deprived of conversation with other adults in my field. I've been deprived for a very long time, so I'm really enjoying connecting with my peers in the field.

I certainly don't have the time for these classes, but I'm so incredibly motivated right now that I'm MAKING the time. It's such a creative outlet for me and it's inspiring me to make time to reach my own personal writing and teaching goals instead of always focusing on the needs and goals of others. It's a nice change.

Related links: Continuing My Own Education, Part 1