Asynchronous Teaching Overview

The instructor's role

Research supports the relationship between interpersonal interaction in the online environment and the learning that takes place. In an online article, a study (Shea, Pickett, and Pelz, 2003) of over 6,000 college students found that their course satisfaction and learning were related to their interactions with each other. Students who rated instructors highly on teaching presence behaviors, such as facilitating effective discourse, also reported high levels of satisfaction and learning in the course.

Instructors can foster the environment of an online learning community in several ways:

• Model expected behavior.

• Encourage interactions.

• Moderate participation.

• Establish a policy of open communication.

• Inform students how often communication with the instructor will occur.

• Instill students with the feeling that their contributions matter.

• Give students' concerns high priority.

• Provide rubrics or guidelines for assessment.

Instructors can implement these recommendations by doing some of the following:

• Send an email to an individual or group of students expressing satisfaction with the finished assignments.

• Set up a chat session to determine whether course members understand participation expectations.

• Add comments to journal and blog entries and wiki pages so students feel your presence, which will promote open communication.

• Redirect the focus in the discussion board if students get off on a tangent.

• Provide a water cooler discussion forum for students to interact socially.

• Contribute to discussions on the course discussion board and any group discussion boards.

• Establish small groups of students for further collaboration and the development of relationships.

As you can see, an instructor's role is an important component for an online community's success!

Remove obstacles

By identifying common roadblocks to learning and addressing them before students log in, you can prevent confusion and minimize your troubleshooting workload. Students are then able to focus on the content rather than the technical and procedural aspects of your course.

Orient Your Students

Without the familiar face-to-face interactions and nonverbal cues, online students may have more questions. Orient them with getting started instructions. Provide your contact information, course expectations, syllabus, and schedule. Create an easy-to-find FAQ document.

Provide Goals and Objectives

Course goals and learning objectives give students a sense of direction and help you articulate and focus your instructional plan. Objectives are, by definition, measurable so they provide specific skills for you to assess and monitor.

Explain Tasks Thoroughly

Communicate with wording that is clear, precise, and not open to misinterpretation. Provide step-by-step instructions for locating resources or submitting work. In addition, tell students how they will be evaluated and specify a due date.

Facilitate Communication

Let students know a "real" instructor is at the other end of the computer by communicating with the group frequently. Set up virtual office hours or help sessions. Use discussion forums to provide online meeting spaces, "water cooler" areas for off-topic conversations, and question-and-answer areas.

When students are supported in these ways, it lessens the likelihood of finding nonparticipating students.