Rethinking Your Course for an Online Audience

1. Rethinking Your Course for an Online Audience Catherine Nameth September 30, 2010 For audio call Toll Free 1-888-886-3951 and use PIN/code 625654

2. Housekeeping • Maximize your CCC Confer window. • Phone audio will be in presenter-only mode. • Ask questions and make comments using the chat window.

3. Adjusting Audio • If you’re listening on your computer, adjust your volume using the speaker slider. • If you’re listening over the phone, click on phone headset. Do not listen on both computer and phone.

4. Saving Files & Open/close Captions • Save chat window with floppy disc icon • Open/close captioning window with CC icon

5. Emoticons and Polling • Raise hand and Emoticons • Polling options

6. Catherine Nameth Rethinking Your Course for an Online Audience

7. Agenda • Introductions: Presenter & Audience • Syllabus components & Tips • Q&A

8. Background “An online course is not simply a traditional course translated into a Web language. The instructor needs to rethink the learner role, the teacher role, and the design of instruction in this new environment” Conceicao, S. (2007) Understanding the environment for online teaching. New Directions for Adult & Continuing Education, 113(1).

9. Conversation excerpts • “Once I get the lectures recorded and uploaded, the professor won’t have to do any other work on this course. This will be a one-time deal.” (Staff) • “Teaching online is easy, especially since you’re moving your course from the classroom to online. Once you get it uploaded, all you’ll have to do is check in on it.” (Staff) • “What’s the equation—how much can I get done face-to-face versus online?” (Instructor) • “This is taking A LOT of time. A lot more than they told me.” (Instructor) • “HOW much time is this going to take to maintain?” (Staff & Inst.)

10. Online Course Management & Navigation

11. Roadmap

12. Course name – Title – Course # – Dates – Instructor’s name– Course description— Objectives

13. Official course description • Does it include technical requirements? • Do the technical requirements correlate with those necessary for success in my course? • Do I, the Instructor, understand the technical requirements? Who is my contact person? • Can I explain these requirements to Ss, if needed? Do I know how to route Ss’ requests for support? Tip: Add technical requirements & tech contact info/tech support process to your syllabus.

14. Course objectives, content, activities • Course objectives • Tip: Modify objectives so that they reflect the online learning environment & the skills learners are using and acquiring. • Course content/activities/assessments • What content can I transfer directly to the online environment? • What content will be difficult/time consuming to transfer? • What content can I modify, so that it is more dynamic? • How will I take advantage of the online environment, so that it enhances the content and activities of my course?

15. Learner characteristics at entry • Who are my learners? What knowledge, skills, and abilities do they need to be successful in this course? • Tip: On your syllabus, identify the skills & equipment participants need to access your course. • High-intermediate or advanced ESL (English as a Second Language) learners • Non-native English speakers who work at least part-time in an English language environment • Basic knowledge of computers, tools, peripherals, and related terminology, including the QWERTY keyboard

16. Attendance, Participation, Grading • Attendance • In the online environment, what is “attendance”? • Personally, how do you feel about monitoring students’ usage time? • Participation • What does “participation” mean in the context of your online course? • Grading • Tip: Spend the time before your course starts to define your grading policy and implement it into your online environment—this can save you time and energy during the course.

17. Assignments • Assignments • Tips: Provide a detailed, week-by-week list of assignments in your syllabus. You may want to use a numbering system. Make sure to define how many hours/week Ss will spend on your assignments.* • Late assignments policy • Tip: Spend the time before your course starts to define your late assignments policy and to “build it” into your course infrastructure.

18. Contact information & protocol • How will learners communicate with you? • How do you want them to address you? • When can they contact you? • When can they reasonably expect a response? • Catherine Nameth knameth@gmail.com • If you have a question/comment/concern that may be of interest to our class, post it on our class’ Discussion Board. If you have a personal question/comment/concern, feel free to email me, and I’ll respond to you within 24 hours, Monday through Saturday. I don’t work on Sundays, so I’ll answer emails from Saturday night & Sunday on Monday.

19. Show your personality! • Welcome message • Introduction Congratulations on making the decision to improve your English and your awareness of the Test of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT)! I hope that you’ll enjoy this course; this will not be a boring test-preparation class! You’ll learn from lectures, the textbook, audio files/Podcasts, and each other, and you’ll apply your learning (TOEFL skills) to a variety of online activities. This course is designed to help you improve your English skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) which are tested on the TOEFL iBT. There are minimum participation requirements for this course. All course assignments are due on the date posted and in the required format.

20. Avenues to clear communication There are many ways students can communicate with you during an online course: Email, Telephone, Skype, Chat. For an online class, what are the pros and cons of each? Looking ahead to planning your next online course, which method will enhance your & your students’ experience?

21. Checklist for Syllabus Design Put yourself in your learners’ shoes and read your syllabus: • Does the “official” information (course name, number, etc.) on the syllabus match information provided on the school’s website? • Is this the best course for me? I’ve read the course description on the college’s website, but I’m still not sure. • What are the technical requirements for my course & who do I contact for technical assistance? Is an online training available? • How do I attend and participate in an online course? How will I be graded? What if I have technical problems—can I turn in an assignment or take a test late? • How do I contact my Instructor? Does s/he have office hours? • How much time will I spend on this course per week—is it less/more time than attending a similar class which meets face-to-face? • What are my assignments, and when are they due? How am I graded?

22. Thank you!

23. Catherine Nameth knameth@gmail.com Q&A

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25. Thanks for attending For upcoming events and links to recently archived seminars, check the @ONE Web site at: http://onefortraining.org/ Rethinking Your Course for an Online Audience