Online teaching and learning are very different than a traditional classroom. Although the teacher is still interacting with and assessing students, the teacher-student contact is set up and monitored in different ways. As in any educational environment, the instructor must be very intentional about how she sets up the course. This design and flow of learning depend heavily on the teacher’s philosophy towards online learning and assessment. After teaching in a face-to-face classroom for eleven years, I have some ideals that bridge both worlds. I have realized there are some things truly unique to the online teaching environment that must be considered when education is moved entirely to that realm.
First and foremost, I believe that relationships are key. Just as in a traditional classroom, students need to feel a personal connection with their teacher to feel valued and understood as a learner. Personal experience dictates that if students know their teacher cares about them, they are likely to give more effort even when learning is difficult. Relationships between students and their peers are also important. As Boettcher states in The Online Teaching Survival Guide, “Not only do students want to know you, but they also want to know something about their fellow students.” (p. 75) Because of this desire, it is vital to encourage student-student interactions throughout an online course. Helping to foster these relationships builds learners’ knowledge base and self-confidence. As students read and respond to peers’ discussion posts, critical thinking skills are developed while information is acquired in a meaningful way. Because so much of the online environment involves learning from peers, students need the opportunity to establish and build upon relationships built in the course beginnings phase. It is the instructor’s responsibility to create these connections through presence. As Boettcher states in Chapter Four, “Social presence, that is, getting to know each other as three-dimensional people, is the foundation of building trust and presence for the teaching and learning experiences.” (p.51)
Boettcher claims, “Clear and unambiguous guidelines about what is expected of learners and what they should expect from an instructor make a significant contribution to ensuring understanding and satisfaction in an online course.” (p.55) Students are not physically interacting with the instructor or their peers, so there are no social or verbal cues to let them know if they are proceeding correctly or incorrectly with assignments, discussions and assessments. Therefore, the instructor must design the course with transparent expectations in these areas. Expectations are communicated through thoughtful design within the learning management system, including syllabus, module and assignment descriptions, calendar of deadlines and visual aids. In addition, the instructor must establish a method for students to address any questions or concerns that may arise throughout their studies. For example, having a general discussion area available is helpful for students to ask assignment questions that might affect all students. Instructors should also be available through email and/or phone in case a student wants to address a more private concern.
Smith states in Conquering the Content, “Learning is facilitated when existing knowledge is activated as a foundation for new knowledge.” (p. 7) Through a variety of content delivery options, prior knowledge is activated for more students. A benefit of the online environment is that content can be conveyed through audio lecture, video presentation or written format. This not only validates a variety of learning styles, but also makes acquiring new information more interesting.
Students should also be exposed to a variety of teacher and peer interactions. Individuals differ in their learning style preferences. Some prefer working in groups, some prefer working alone. According to Boettcher’s Best Practice 4, “Building in options and opportunities for students to work together and individually is highly recommended.” (p.41) In an online environment, students should have both whole group and small group discussion assignments and research assignments, depending on the subject matter being learned. This validates both preferences.
Assignment types should also be varied. Especially in a digital environment, there should be opportunities for audio, video and artistic representations of the learning students have acquired. Some students will prefer written assignments while others might like to create a YouTube video or physical presentation to show what was learned.
Online, teachers use discussions, quizzes and self-assessments as a means to determine how deeply students have learned the content. Assignments are often graded using rubrics, much like they are in face-to-face classrooms. Through a range of assessment strategies, the teacher is able to gather data needed to assess learning and guide future instruction.
Rubrics are known “as being an effective way to highlight the important features of a large assignment, communicate target performance to students, and simplify grading for the instructor.” (Kearns, 2012) They can be used for assignments, discussions, quizzes and even online peer interaction expectations. By having rubrics posted, students know what is expected and how they will be graded before doing their work. This is extremely helpful to both the student and the teacher, as everyone is clear about the requirements.
A major area of online assessment centers on the discussions. Discussions can be excellent feedback for the teacher concerning whether or not the learning goals were met, as they can encompass all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. A good discussion assignment usually asks students to apply, analyze and/or evaluate what they have learned. Sometimes, students are even asked to create a problem similar to those studied during the week (in math, for example). This is the highest level of Bloom’s. (Forehand, 2012) Based on student postings, instructors can determine what level of understanding has been attained.
Another useful area of assessment involves pre and post-tests, as well as weekly quizzes. By giving a pre-test, the teacher knows students’ knowledge base prior to the course beginning. This helps to drive instruction during the course. When the post-test is given, the learning of the test content is easily measured. Throughout the course, weekly quizzes may be given on readings or other content assigned during the week. As mentioned in The Online Teaching Survival Guide, “The quiz tools within CMSs are excellent for keeping students on track, increasing learning, and minimizing instructor time on grading.” (Boettcher, 2010) Palloff and Pratt also discuss effective test and quiz development, suggesting instructors ask “students to generate and submit one potential test question for each content module and use these to create or augment a test bank for the course.” (p. 92) This personalizes the content for students, forming deeper connections with the content.
Palloff and Pratt also state in Assessing the Online Learner, “In the online environment, empowerment takes the form of student responsibility for learning activities, such as (1) discussions, (2) participation in collaborative activities, and (3) self-reflection as an important mode of assessment.” (p.31) Self-reflection and assessment can be done through the use of rubrics, allowing students to think about how they performed on an assignment or quiz. It can also be accomplished by asking specific questions of the learners. After the course is complete, teachers can ask students to think about how they changed as learners, what was gained (or not) by participating in the course, and asking what suggestions they might have for future students or instructors of this course. (Palloff and Pratt, p. 104-5) From this internal reflection exercise, students garner insight about themselves as students and participants, growing on multiple levels
Conclusion
Boettcher states in chapter one, “Teachers who are effective in the face-to-face environment will be effective as online teachers, but it is not automatic and it will not happen overnight.” (p. 4) After teaching ten years in the traditional classroom setting, I am just beginning to shape my online teaching philosophy. Just as my classroom teaching ideals have evolved over time, I suspect my online teaching philosophy will do the same.
References
Boettcher, J & Conrad, R. (2010). The Online Teaching Survival Guide. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass.
Forehand, M. (2012) Bloom’s Taxonomy. The University of Georgia. Retrieved September 11, 2013 from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Bloom%27s_Taxonomy
Kearns, L. R. (September, 2012). Student Assessment in Online Learning: Challenges and Effective Practices. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 8, 3. Retrieved on October 14, 2013 from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol8no3.
Palloff, R & Pratt, K. (2009) Assessing the Online Learner. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass.
Smith, R. (2008). Conquering the Content. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.