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[amlithist]

I'm going to spend tomorrow (Sunday) drafting up an outline for our in-house training for online faculty.  This course will focus on best practices in online teaching, i.e., focusing on actual delivery of instruction online.  (We're using Quality Matters for our course design rubric, and we already have 2 Blackboard classes more or less ready to go--one at the introductory level for current non-users, and the other at a more advanced level for those with basic skills who need to improve with the "bells and whistles.")

I have a long list compiled from ideas from various sources, but I'd be interested to know what others here have been trained in as best practices.  I think I know the 10-12 modules I'll set up, but I'd like to make sure I haven't missed something really good that I should include.

Thanks!

[burnie]

The best advice I received about online teaching was to send out a series of emails explaining how much weekly time and participation will be expected by the students and what their hardware / software needs will be.  It's part an eye-opener to the students and part CYA for me when I get a few grade grubbers who try to say "I didn't know it would be this HAARD to log in everyday!"  I'm now on year six and my annual email now includes a breakdown of how many As, Bs, Cs, Ds and Fs were earned the prior summer.  The low number of As usually prompts students to either drop the class or reconsider how many online classes they're willing to take at one time.

The other thing that is helpful is to have a series of videos that explain how BB works and how to post assignments.  I found some on YouTube that I have linked to my course, but these videos were produced by an academic department.  They include a quick tour of the LMS, how to use the different features, and how to build the webportfolio that I assign.  I make the videos available about two weeks before the class starts, and then I developed the course schedule so that the first day is "intro to how this all works" and the tour of the site builds to a first post on what they already know about the topic and what they hope to learn this semester.  I've received positive feedback from non-traditional students that it helps them settle in faster, and I get fewer, "I don't know where to find..." emails.

[helpful]

Is this for synchronous or asynchronous courses held online? Are some of the course hybrid, online and face to face?

[proftowanda]

The best advice I received about online teaching was to send out a series of emails explaining how much weekly time and participation will be expected by the students and what their hardware / software needs will be.  It's part an eye-opener to the students and part CYA for me when I get a few grade grubbers who try to say "I didn't know it would be this HAARD to log in everyday!"  I'm now on year six and my annual email now includes a breakdown of how many As, Bs, Cs, Ds and Fs were earned the prior summer.  The low number of As usually prompts students to either drop the class or reconsider how many online classes they're willing to take at one time.

Hope it's okay to repeat this, which I've noted elsewhere:  I did the above with some success in my first online courses and can recommend it, being especially clear about expectations of time and work required vs. student expectations that online courses are easier (often combined with similar expectations of summer courses). 

But even better success came from instituting two pre-course (or first day) online quizzes, each covering some of the factors that you cite and more.  One is an online readiness course, including questions on hardware/software as well as other factors.  That caused some students to switch to face-to-face sections or other courses.

Most useful was an online quiz on the syllabus about other expectations -- amount of time to be spent, amount of assignments, tests, discussion, etc.; amount of detail (yes, citations to readings), and the like.  That also caused students to face reality and be ready for the work or find other courses.  And I still had the enrollment needed to go forward with the course (and to get full pay, otherwise prorated "per head," ugh).

The result, again more clearly tied to the syllabus quiz (I did all sorts of work with data on how well students did on that quiz, which could be repeated three times, and how well they did in the course), was success for more students and fewer emails for me.  I had taught the course many times, both face-to-face and online, so had a basis for comparison.  The precourse quizzes raised the median grade by a full grade.

[burnie]

But even better success came from instituting two pre-course (or first day) online quizzes, each covering some of the factors that you cite and more.  One is an online readiness course, including questions on hardware/software as well as other factors.  That caused some students to switch to face-to-face sections or other courses.

I have a syllabus quiz as part of the day two work, but I didn't think of an online readiness quiz.  I'm totally stealing this!

[proftowanda]

But even better success came from instituting two pre-course (or first day) online quizzes, each covering some of the factors that you cite and more.  One is an online readiness course, including questions on hardware/software as well as other factors.  That caused some students to switch to face-to-face sections or other courses.

I have a syllabus quiz as part of the day two work, but I didn't think of an online readiness quiz.  I'm totally stealing this!

You're not stealing, friend; I'm just passing it forward, having read about such things here on the fora.

Then I just searched the 'Net and found examples from campuses that require all online students to take such tests -- I'm trying to push this with my campus -- and picked up a few ideas for questions, but I relied more on reviewing the emails that I have received from students in previous online courses.  Let me know how it goes!

[larryc]

Years and years ago I taught a session about online teaching at my college. Here is my handout:


Larry’s Tips for Internet Teaching

1.   Do not try to make your internet class the same as your classroom courses.  A different medium requires different strategies and practices.  Be open to experimentation and changing course.
2.   Channel student communication into the discussion boards.  Have a forum titled “Course Policies Questions” or something like that.  If a student emails or calls you with a course policy question, say “Great question! Could you please post it on the Course Policies Questions board so I can answer it for everyone?”  The best thing about this policy is that 9 times out of 10 another student will answer the question before you first see it.  Otherwise you will spend 10 hours a week answering the same three questions.
3.   Break the class into small groups for discussion.  Have them introduce themselves the first week, and the professor should briefly reply to every single one of the introductions.
4.   Do not post lecture notes.  Find a textbook you believe in and let it do the lecturing.
5.   Prevent cheating: Multiple choice questions from come from random block of huge question pools (which most introductory tests will provide) so that every student gets a different test.  Always use the no print/no save command so students can’t exchange tests.  Include some writing assignments with unique instructions so they can’t plagiarize.  Compare and contrast essays are good for this.  Exams should be available for only a limited amount of time.
6.   Model and demand professional behavior and standards.  Be a spelling grammar Nazi, even on discussion boards and email.  “You make some excellent points, Susan, but they are undermined by the sloppiness of your spelling and grammar…”
7.   Maintain a presence.  Post an announcement on the main page every few days, even if it is to say keep up the good work.  Put up a few posts in every discussion so students know that you are reading their words.  If you are going out of town for a few days you can set announcements to appear in your absence.
8.   You first quiz should be over the course syllabus.  This makes sure students have read it and radically cuts down on the number of silly questions about the course.  I set the first quiz so students can retake it until they score 100%--they love it and it drives home the important policies of the course.
9.   Have the course completely ready on the first day, with all the readings and tests assigned and dated on a course schedule.  Again, this saves you a hundred student emails.
10.   Do not try to be a computer guru for your students.  Make it clear in the syllabus that you are the content instructor and that students should contact the Blackboard Helpdesk for technical questions.  You might also give them Betty Baker’s home number.
11.   Link to course relevant content that you find elsewhere on the internet—professional websites, news stories, textbook websites, etc.  Being able to do so is one of the great advantages of teaching an internet class.
12.   Allow students to generate some of the assignments and course content.  I give a comprehensive final in my history courses.  Around Week 12 I create a forum titled “Write Your Own Final Exam” and encourage them to post multiple choice questions, without indicating which is the correct answer.  Then I choose the best questions for the first ½ of the final.  Students love feeling in control of their final, and between writing the questions and looking up the answers for everyone else’s questions, they really learn the material.
13.   Solicit and listen to student feedback.  Towards the very end of each class I create a forum “How Can I Make this a Better Course?” and enable anonymous comments.  Considering how tough my classes are, it is amazing how few anonymous flames I get, and these are outnumbered by praise and constructive suggestions for the course, many of which I have incorporated over the years.
14.   Have firm, rigid polices set forth in your syllabus in clear and unambiguous language.  Then be ready to make exceptions.  Many students are online because they have complicated lives.  After six years of internet classes I feel like I have taught more single mothers, firefighters and others with irregular schedules, and people battling bipolar disorder or other demons, than anyone on campus!  It is no great effort to put a test back online for a few days (with a password this time).  If the student is just a slacker they will fail it anyway.  If on the other hand they are worthy of the second chance—you may have changed their life for the better.
15.   The moment you find yourself getting angry at a student, turn off the computer without replying and go for a walk.  Online students will sometimes say things to you that they should not, and that they never would say in person.  If you wait 48 hours, they will often apologize on their own.

[amlithist]

Is this for synchronous or asynchronous courses held online? Are some of the course hybrid, online and face to face?

Sorry, I've been swamped the past couple of days!  To answer:  both hybrid AND fully online, though far more online than hybrid sections; both a/synchronous, though again, most sections are fully asynchronous or have only a very few synchronous activities.

[dr_starbucks]

Larry's Tips is exactly right and resonates with my experience of online teaching.  I would qualify tip #14 by posting your clear policies/deadlines/assignments in multiple locations for reinforcement and reminders (on the syllabus, course announcements, discussion boards, course calendar, group emails).  This would the rough online equivalent to our verbal reminders in the classroom.

[proftowanda]

I have shared the list with a colleague who is going to be taking a course online, Larry, and asked me for tips; thanks! for saving me the time to put together so much here that I also have learned the hard way.

I would be less absolute, though, on #4.  I think that may be discipline-specific, course-specific, etc.  Not that I post lecture "notes;" I post lectures, well-illustrated, with links.  In one case, there simply is no book for the course (I created it and hope to write the text, somday), and readings do not cover all of the material that I have researched.  In another case, all of the texts available are massive, necessarily covering a lot of material, and students who use my lectures to highlight what is most significant (as well as, again, my own research that provides examples not in the texts) do better on assignments and tests than do students who do not use lectures.

[dr_starbucks]

I have shared the list with a colleague who is going to be taking a course online, Larry, and asked me for tips; thanks! for saving me the time to put together so much here that I also have learned the hard way.

I would be less absolute, though, on #4.  I think that may be discipline-specific, course-specific, etc.  Not that I post lecture "notes;" I post lectures, well-illustrated, with links.  In one case, there simply is no book for the course (I created it and hope to write the text, somday), and readings do not cover all of the material that I have researched.  In another case, all of the texts available are massive, necessarily covering a lot of material, and students who use my lectures to highlight what is most significant (as well as, again, my own research that provides examples not in the texts) do better on assignments and tests than do students who do not use lectures.

That reminds me, with #4 and also #7.  In light of recent developments in technology (webcams in laptops, smartphones), it is not too difficult now to create a series of vidcasts.  Even just creating one or two short lectures, and perhaps a "welcome to class" video would give the class a better sense of your personal presence. 

[larryc]

I have shared the list with a colleague who is going to be taking a course online, Larry, and asked me for tips; thanks! for saving me the time to put together so much here that I also have learned the hard way.

I would be less absolute, though, on #4.  I think that may be discipline-specific, course-specific, etc.  Not that I post lecture "notes;" I post lectures, well-illustrated, with links.  In one case, there simply is no book for the course (I created it and hope to write the text, somday), and readings do not cover all of the material that I have researched.  In another case, all of the texts available are massive, necessarily covering a lot of material, and students who use my lectures to highlight what is most significant (as well as, again, my own research that provides examples not in the texts) do better on assignments and tests than do students who do not use lectures.

That reminds me, with #4 and also #7.  In light of recent developments in technology (webcams in laptops, smartphones), it is not too difficult now to create a series of vidcasts.  Even just creating one or two short lectures, and perhaps a "welcome to class" video would give the class a better sense of your personal presence. 

That is a great point. My list is ten years old, I will definitely be recording mini-lectures on my laptop next semester.

[envisioneer]

As far as best practices go for online teaching training, when I was first appointed as an online adjunct in 2005 we had to take our 5-week training course in the very course management system in which we'd be teaching. The training course was held in the CMS...so we got to see what it was like to be a student in an online course using that modality. I thought this was brilliant and it certainly influenced how I set up my classroom and how I used certain tools and utilities.

[dr_starbucks]

As far as best practices go for online teaching training, when I was first appointed as an online adjunct in 2005 we had to take our 5-week training course in the very course management system in which we'd be teaching. The training course was held in the CMS...so we got to see what it was like to be a student in an online course using that modality. I thought this was brilliant and it certainly influenced how I set up my classroom and how I used certain tools and utilities.

This was the mode of my training.  Becoming acquainted with the CMS (and subsequent upgrades/replacements) is essentially the equivalent of a second course prep. I would underscore the importance of ensuring that the teacher has roughly the equivalent of two preps available, especially for the first 2-3 times the course is taught.