Students need to know that there is a real person on the other end of the computer - They need to feel connected and involved - otherwise, research shows they just drop-out...
Set reasonable guidelines for you and your students about checking-in - at least three times per week is a good place to start - Remember, you never see them, so your communication and feedback in prompt and meaningful ways is critical.
Build a communication plan into your syllabus:
- How should students contact you for help - via e-mail - in ANGEL - through a FAQ discussion thread - other?
- What's the time frame for them to expect you to answer - 24 hours during the week? Longer on weekends?
- How will you communicate announcements to them?
You can see already that the rhythm and pace of online learning is very different from F2F.
What you can expect? A lot of work before class getting things just right - Different kind of work once class gets underway - you'll be more of a facilitator and coach than formal instructor... so what resources can help you to be an effective facilitator? More to come...
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