Active Online Learning

Perspectives Week: Active Online Learning

Team: Karen Schechter, Susan Bartel, Melissa Childers, Traci Hodges, Bonnie Stegman

Active Online Learning challenges us to be creative in planning and managing our courses, as well as identifying your role in maintaining online presence. Our team has started a resource file that begins to address opportunities/challenges that faculty may face while participating in active online learning and developing/managing online courses.

The index below provides a guide to some of these resources. Feel free to click on the hyperlink to go directly to the file folders with some of the related information and artifacts.

The resources below are divided into six categories: Online Presence, Discussions, Student Engagement, Assignments, Grading, Time Management

Categories

  • Online Presence
    Top, Material(s), and Delivery Method

    ■ What determines presence?
    ■ Online Community Building
    ■ Designing Engaging Discussion Boards
    ■ Creating an instructor presence in the classroom
    ■ Creating an instructor presence in the classroom
    ■ The Art of Hospitality in Online Classrooms
     
    Potential Teaching Impact

    • In focusing on the variety of ways one can increase the quality of online presence, students feel a more personal connection to faculty
    • Students’ motivation is increased through engagement
    • Misunderstandings and miscommunications can be addressed immediately; problem/issue identification process is more effective

  • Discussions
    Top, Material(s), and Delivery Method

    ■ Discussion topics and course outcomes

      • Linking Course Objectives to Assessments,
      • Outcomes Tip Sheet,
      • Writing Learning Outcomes,
      • Grading by Objectives
      • Matrix method for course assessment

    ■ Facilitating Course Discussions (How to Deepen Online Dialogue)
    ■ Discussion Board Design
    ■ Discussions that evoke a deeper understanding
    ■ Take Risks with your Discussions
    ■ Evaluate professional judgement in auditing and accounting

     
    Potential Teaching Impact

    • Discussions are congruent with course outcomes
    • Engaging students to reach to the next level to gain a better understanding of the topic and connect with each other
    • Forming discussion prompts that push students beyond recall leads to deeper thinking and increased engagement
    • Students post to the Weekly Professional Judgment Roundtable and respond to peers
    • Students learn how to make decisions- enhance self-efficacy, metacognitive awareness, reflection process

  • Student Engagement
    Top, Material(s), and Delivery Method

    ■ Strategies for increasing individual contributions to group projects
    ■ Using online tools as a companion for face to face courses
    ■ Use inspiration maps using iPad, Prezi or PowerPoint
    ■ Post to canvas
    ■ Use of Scenario-based activities
    ■ Tips for Addressing Loafing in Group Projects
    ■ Developing and Sharing Concept Maps
    ■ Articulate360 and/or other game; e-learning apps; any VR and AI apps

     
    Potential Teaching Impact

    • Students gain a better understanding of the appropriate level of contribution they should be making to the group
    • Creates more practical applications for online to simulate role plays or field trips
    • Students use the first 15 minutes at the beginning of the first day of the week within work groups

    Teaching impact:

      1) Collaborative learning effort
      2) Introduction of the weekly concepts to refer to during active learning activities
      3) Discussion boards serve as study aids for formative and summative assessment

  • Assignments
    Top, Material(s), and Delivery Method

    ■ Course planning sheet
    ■ Assignment and Course Outcome alignment
    ■ Improving Student Learning
    ■ Low-stakes assignments

     
    Potential Teaching Impact

    • Using outcomes first, it ensures that learning activities are tied to outcomes and helps to ensure that all activities are aligned.
    • Training students in effective practice and recall strategies promotes our students’ ownership of their own learning; providing them with the tools for success

  • Grading
    Top, Material(s), and Delivery Method

    ■ Grading by Objectives
    ■ Grading and feedback process
    ■ Aligning assignments/grading with the focus on outcomes
    ■ How to provide meaningful feedback

     
    Potential Teaching Impact

    • Allows instructor to be a guide rather than authority or power; students own their learning and eliminates grading issues and saves time

  • Time Management
    Top, Material(s), and Delivery Method

    ■ Communicate a scheduling process for grading using Outlook calendar
    ■ The right communication plan for your online course
    ■ Set appropriate boundaries

     
    Potential Teaching Impact

    • Defining exactly how and when students may contact you, and expect a reply to questions, eases student anxiety and fosters a positive relationship between faculty and students
    • Setting clear, manageable expectations for yourself allows you to be more consistent in your communication and feedback with your students
    • Allows teacher to incorporate discussions into weekly calendar and set manageable expectations