social presence, learner supports, and assessment in online classes
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Social Presence, Learner Supports, and Assessment in Online Classes. Training for faculty.TRANSCRIPT
Social Presence, Learner Supports, Collaboration and Assessment in Online Classes
2012 Survey of Online Learning in the U.S.
Trends in Online Learning
Over 6.7 million students were taking at least one online course during the Fall 2011 term, an increase of 57,000 students over the previous year.
32% of higher education students now take at least one course online.
*2012 Survey of Online Learning in the U.S. Allen & Seaman, 2013
Trends in Online Learning
Trends in Online Learning
Social PresenceKehrwald (2008) defines social presence as “an individual’s ability to demonstrate his/her state of being in a virtual environment and so signals his/her availability for interpersonal transactions.”
Role of faculty changes online Become the facilitator of learning rather
than the “sage on the stage” Must continually monitor and engage
learners in order to help them be successful
Interactions with students should be as frequent as possible with the goal being to engage learners, give encouragement, and provide them specific feedback to help them improve their performance.
Ways to be “present in an online course Welcome email before course begins Weekly messages/videos Office Hours Online
Wimba KSOL Chat Skype Google+ Hangouts
Timely grades and helpful, personal feedback
Online Course Meetings Hold weekly meetings with your course
via internet Wimba Google+ Hangouts Adobe Connect
Effective Instructor Feedback Incorporates student involvement and
individuation Positively Constructive Involves Gentle Guidance Timeliness Future Orientation
*Getzlaf, 2009
ActivityDevelop an email welcoming learners to your course. After composing your email, describe the strategies you used to make the message personable, convey understanding, provide motivation, demonstrate approachability, and establish the leaner-faculty relationship.
Learner Supports
Build a Community of Learning Ice Breaker Discussion Board
Possible Questions Something Interesting/Unique about
yourself What did you WANT to be when you grew
up Good things come in threes (list 3 favorite
websites, three favorite activities and three favorite people)
Assign points in order to get more involvement
“Class Lounge”
General Course Information and Navigation File can include
Frequently asked questions Tips for success in your course Your expectations Any information that is not in the
standard syllabus but is still important to the course
Student Tools and Resources Folder Links to important university resources
IT Help Desk DCE Course Tools Office of Disability Support
Links to web tools or software they may be using
Helpful tutorials
Discussion Boards
Benefits to Using Online Discussion Boards
Builds class community by promoting discussion on course topics
Allows time for in-depth reflection
Facilitates learning by allowing students to view & to respond to the work of others
Develops thinking & writing skills
Allows guest experts to participate in the course by posting information & responding to questions
*Edutopia, 2009
Discussion Boards with a Purpose
Demonstration of Knowledge of Key Concepts
Community Building Reflection Consensus Building Critical Thinking Student Leadership
Question Types Exploratory Challenge Relational Diagnostic Action Cause and Effect Hypothetical
*Davis, 1993
Strategies to Facilitate Online Discussion Boards
Give Students Clear Expectation Assess the quality as well as the quantity of the
students’ online posts. Provide a schedule for students Provide instruction for students to post to
threads Make yourself visible in the discussion Do now allow domination of the discussion
Activity Develop a discussion question relevant to the
course you will be teaching and describe the components of critical thinking that learners will use to answer the discussion questions.
Four Components of Critical Thinking (Brookfield, 1987) Identifying and challenging assumptions Challenging the importance of context Being able to imagine and explore alternatives Having reflective skepticism
Assessment in Online Courses
Types of Assessment End of Semester Paper Weekly Tests or Quizzes Group Projects Case Study Analysis Journals/Blogs Reading Responses Threaded Discussion Participation
Threaded Discussion Participation Allow for a more detailed assessment of
discussion. Are students really getting it?
Students are required to post a certain number of responses
Participation is graded by a rubric
Tests and Quizzes Great if students need to memorize
facts and figures Open book but timed Could use a proctor
Group Projects Moderate class online meetings Wikis Video Presentations
Rubrics Association for the Assessment of Learni
ng in Higher Education Rubrics
Rubrics for assessing social media and technology projects
Questions?