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Online Pedagogy: Best Practices in Internet-based Education. Jennifer Herzog Assistant Professor of Biology Herkimer County Community College herzogja@herkimer.edu. What is meaningful learning? -leads to alterations of brain composition -develops one’s knowledge base
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Online Pedagogy: Best Practices in Internet-based Education Jennifer Herzog Assistant Professor of Biology Herkimer County Community College herzogja@herkimer.edu
What is meaningful learning? -leads to alterations of brain composition -develops one’s knowledge base -can affect one’s life In order to accomplish this, learning activities should be: -active -constructive -collaborative -contextual -conversational -reflective (Boettcher J. 2000. Designing for learning: what is meaningful learning? Syllabus 14(1): 54-56.)
Today’s student demands a flexible learning environment • 3 million + students enrolled in at least one course with online content • Many degree programs offered via distance learning • How do we as faculty meet the demand of our customers without • sacrificing the quality of education we provide? • (and…without faculty burnout!)
Make your teaching student centered -what is the student thinking? -how much are they learning? -what tools do they have the ability to use? -keep high standards, but make objectives realistic
Think about the delivery of your course -open versus exact due dates? -allow full access to the course or work in modules? -proctored versus timed versus open tests?
Orientation -use an “Ice Breaker” session as a “trial period” for the student to see: how the technology works if they have reliable technology available what is expected of them in the course -during this time, you may want to: quiz the student on the information provided in this section ask them to answer a questionnaire ask them to provide an introduction to the class (which you can print out!) create an “FAQ” area for students
Provide consistency and clarity throughout the course -clear deadlines -clear, concise directions -clear, assessable objectives -clear, thorough syllabus -REPEAT yourself throughout the course -demand good grammar from your students and make sure you are using it, too!
Let your students do the work: generating • “social presence” and “cognitive presence” • -require that students lead discussions, at least in part • -provide areas for out of class discussion for students to help each other • “Interactivity is the heart and soul of effective asynchronous learning”~ B. Pelz
Be an involved instructor (A.K.A. add teaching “presence”) -participate in/monitor discussions -provide feedback to all submissions -quick response time is a MUST (if anything check email/question areas) -make frequent announcements/updates HOWEVER: do “unplug”, being available 24/7 is a duel-edged sword!
Don’t forget the “A” word: ASSESSMENT -use rubrics and make them visible to students -show them examples of graded discussion posts -use MS word to “mark up” edits on essays -use pre/post testing -give midterm updates -use end of course evaluations for student feedback (reflection on the course) -use your electronic grade book to effectively collect data for assessment
Let your teaching personality shine through the modem! -use Powerpoint presentations with voice/video or full podcasts -use blogs or social chat areas -use Second Life -use webcams via AIM or Skype
Use technology to achieve your objectives -address multiple learning styles i.e. YouTube to create lab demos i.e. iTunes to post audio files of lectures i.e. web-based games i.e. wikis for cooperative interactions i.e. student projects that let them be creative with technology -consider offering a course as a HYBRID (61% of institutions cite a need for these!) Use your expertise in the classroom and take the time to creatively modify your effective on campus experiences for the digital world!
Improve your teaching each semester! -employ self-evaluation, reflection -seek available training opportunities -talk to other instructors, view their courses -have others review your courses and provide constructive criticism