Support for Online Learning
Online Faculty Development Course
Students today are "digital natives," so they know all there is to know about learning online, right?
It's not that simple. Professors should not feel intimidated by alleged tech familiarity among students.
Several years ago, Mike Rugnetta recorded a great discussion of this. (Worth watching until about 5:35 on the counter).
Your students may be "familiar" with information technology generally, but mostly as consumers rather than as scholars or creators. They might lack experience with writing or graphics tools, quality research resources, or all but the simplest features of Microsoft Word or Google Docs. They can exchange social media banter but might need to learn etiquette for professional web-based communication. It is a new experience for many students, as much as it is for faculty.
A good online student should have several starting characteristics:
a basic level of self-direction and self-discipline. For example, she or he should be more self-motivated to be in college, rather than simply there at others' insistence.
observant and proactive problem-solving habits. Students should be methodical and persistent in seeking solutions.
some basic technology skills and a little self-confidence. If a student fears and loathes computers, generally, then online education is probably not a good fit!
a logistical plan for taking the course. The student should have regular access to a computer (not just a mobile device), a reliable internet connection, and ideally, an emergency plan if one of the first two items fail.
a sense that if technical problems emerge, they can get these fixed promptly.
There are many things instructors can do early on to help students be successful:
Over the years, COLI has prepared several online readiness websites for students, that help them anticipate and prepare for their responsibilities in online courses. Currently, three are in operation, specialized for different audiences. Point your students toward the one or two most relevant to their circumstances.
https://www.canisius.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions/online-learning/getting-started is for graduate students, and specifically those who enrolled in academic programs specifically listed as online.
https://sites.google.com/my.canisius.edu/it-student-preparedness-guide/home is our IT Student Preparedness Guide. This is for incoming (typically Freshmen and Transfer) undergraduate students to familiarize themselves with IT resources at Canisius, as well as some basic good practices for using computers, the internet, and web-based resources.
https://canisius.atlassian.net/l/cp/Hm4K5e8g is our Quick Guide to Technology for Students. This is a quick reference for continuing students to find something they haven't yet accessed, or just to jog their memory for the things they've already used.
Create your own survey that asks students specifically how comfortable or competent they feel in certain digital tasks. For example, this might tell students they should seek additional tutoring for Microsoft Excel, or should spend an hour or two becoming familiar with webcam video recording.
Create a competency demonstration assignment. This can quickly tell you and them where they need to work on certain skills necessary for your course.
Depending on how (many) students are lacking certain knowledge, skills, or motivation, you might choose to:
Recommend they drop the course.
Discuss options to catch them up to where they need to be to benefit by your course.
Prepare additional materials to help them fill in skills or knowledge gaps.
Run a synchronous review session or sessions (A Zoom webinar, for example.) If this is for applications such as D2L, Google Workspace (Drive, Docs, etc.) or video-making, ask COLI staff to run it for you.
Obviously, these options will vary depending on the subject and content of your course, your workload, your program, or department.
Make clear to your students, in your syllabus and elsewhere, that students in your course.
are responsible for their own technologies, including devices (a PC, for example) and internet access.
are responsible for learning to access, use, and maintain technologies and web resources required for your course.
can get help! Canisius ITS and COLI have created great resources to support students and can offer timely assistance.
Add the following resources to your syllabus and elsewhere in your online course space, where appropriate:
This link goes directly to the ITS/COLI Quick Guide to Technology for Students. It will answer basic questions, and point toward more in-depth resources to answer many other questions concerning technology.
The Canisius ITS HelpDesk, available via phone or email, can answer specific questions concerning technology provided by Canisius University. During business hours students can often get quick answers. If a question or problem is more complex, Help Desk workers will forward the question to the appropriate expert, for a timely reply.
