Communicating to the Learner

There are some important points to remember when communicating with the online learner. As educators we have to be able to keep our online classrooms engaging and full of critical thinking and resolve. Learning in an online environment creates expectations for educators to be able to have a positive experience and create a positive experience for the online learner. Online learning is so different from traditional classroom setting in the fact that you are not face to face with your learner, so you must ensure that your work is engaging and progressive.

Learners need clear concise communication to achieve the goal of first time online course introduction as well as for their future courses. As educators we have to ensure we create an environment that will afford the learner the opportunity to grow within the context of the classroom agenda and stay interested in the content, also avoiding as much as possible the learner feeling overwhelmed by the situation.

Communicating to the learner is one of the most important components of strategic lesson planning to support the strong engagement of the learner in the online classroom environment. Online you do not have the benefit of the facial expressions, vocalic's, and other nonverbal cues that you would have in a physical classroom, but you have more opportunities to contribute than you would have in a physical classroom where time constraints and group size may limit the number of people who can participate in a discussion (Bevan.2014). It is imperative that the communication be clear, succinct and supports the learners opportunity to engage fully within the context of the online classroom. This includes discussions boards, online lectures, videos anything that supports the online experience being smooth for the learner.

In order to achieve the goal of a positive and productive session with the learner the educator can take into consideration using supportive e-tools in collaboration with your lesson plan. Effective teaching requires that content be presented in the modalities best suited to student learning styles (Duffy, 2008). Having the proper tools to support the learner is as crucial as the student having good internet service before they start their journey.