Archive for the ‘Professors in the Online Classroom’ Category
Posted by Jen Zeman on February 20th, 2009
The online classroom at UMUC was managed by faculty via WebTycho (see my previous entry “WebTycho Technology from UMUC”). I found the instructors in each of my classes responded quickly to any questions I had, whether posted in the Class Announcements section or via email. By quickly, I mean most were answered within a 24-hour time period. Books had to be ordered for each class – they were not available via a virtual mode (e.g. my husband is currently attending the University of Phoenix online and his reading materials are all online), but any additional reading materials were available via a link on the course homepage.
The management of the UMUC classrooms was very effective for me because the layout was user-friendly. It was easy to find any additional required material and was easy to communicate with other students. The setup of the classroom made my educational experience a positive one by helping me to maintain a sense of organization. I never had to go on a wild chase to find pertinent documents or deadlines. Posting assignments was straightforward, as was looking up my grades.
The course materials and readings greatly assisted me in learning the many facets of the law. Each of my law classes provided ample opportunity to put my new knowledge to use by analyzing case studies. Non-law classes such as the philosophy and religion courses I had required research papers which helped me absorb the new material I was learning.
My advice to new online students is regardless of where you plan to attend, try to “test drive” the online technology to get comfortable. Once you are enrolled and experience difficulty in contacting an instructor (i.e. they are unresponsive), be sure to contact an advisor to make them aware of the problem.
Posted by Jeff Davis on February 19th, 2009
Haven’t we heard that before? Oh yeah, that baseball movie. You know the one. A true classic in my book. Much like the quote from the movie states, the online schools were “built” and the students did “come”. Whew! I must have had 20 or 30 online instructors over the past several years and I would have to say that 99% of them managed the online classroom in an efficient and effective manner. Managing an online classroom versus managing one on the ground is very similar, yet very different. For one, I cannot tell you what any of my past online instructors looked like. This just isn’t a concern in the online class. What does matter though is providing clear instruction, answering questions, and being readily available. My online instructors were able to accomplish this through the use of written syllabuses, emails, and even phone calls if necessary. The class syllabus was always clearly defined in what was expected, assignments, due dates, and how to contact the instructor for all types of situations.
Since all classes had different instructors, not all syllabuses were identical however. For the most part and regarding the assigned questions, team work, written assignments, and due dates, they were similar. But they did vary somewhat when it came to items such as preferred method of contact, leniency in grading assignments, and response times. Some instructors took a very active approach and participated in the class as much as the students, while others took more of a backseat approach and just issued reading assignments and seldom gave further guidance than what the syllabus already offered. These types of instructors were not in the majority and were typically the ones who seemed to have great difficulty in returning replies to students. Imagine that!
From what I recall the most about the overall effectiveness in the materials that were provided to us students, it was almost the same across the board. I would attribute this to the university probably having some identical format and curriculum when it came to what the students would receive. There were always plenty of relevant articles and book chapters to read for each class and of course, you could easily find more in the online school library. Resources were never a problem. The materials for each class always provided valuable information that proved to be effective in meeting the course objectives.
Overall, I believe that different instructors have different expectations. You just need to learn what your instructor expects from you and as long as you are willing to read until everything’s a blur, ask questions until you’re blue in the face, write papers until your hand cramps, research until your eyes hurt, spend countless nights without sleep, spend weekends at home fulfilling your online educational obligations, and able to get along with a diversified group of individuals who will help determine half of your grade, then you will have covered all the bases. But, it was still really enjoyable.
Tags: baseball, course materials, effective teaching, instructor availability, managing the classroom, Online Instructors, online professors, online resources, online students, online teachers, syllabus, the online classroom, University of Phoenix
Categories: Professors in the Online Classroom, Student Voices
Posted by Sharon Cece on February 18th, 2009
Think of a professor as a symphony conductor or an army general, or even–for zen‘s sake–gatekeepers to the portal of educational enlightenment. Any way you view them, professors and their methods hold the key to understanding your courses and, more importantly, succeeding in them.
At FSU, I was surprised how my online professors (likely with the aid of web designers and tech support) created a traditional college structure from within a computerized venue. Though every instructor had a different modus operandi when it came to e-course layout, all maintained the mandatory first day attendance policy and for good reason: in addition to course introduction and familiarization, everything you need to know is presented online that first day via the syllabus.
In regard to the syllabus, this document is essential to the success of the online student. Therefore, print it, copy it, save it, decorate your bathroom walls with it, hang it from your rearview mirror…I’m being facetious but the point is clear: the syllabus is the most effective piece of material the professor will provide in meeting your course requirements. One or two professors offered it as the only material needed for the entire course; more often, textbooks–sometimes with or without study guides and accompanying CD’s–are required. A few professors augmented all of the above with additional websites, links and yet more materials such as supplemental books of reference. These materials, with very few exceptions, were always sufficient in meeting course goals.
Online instructors usually post their content on the course discussion site and the students respond with questions and comments which are answered in a threaded format. Professors almost always hold e-office hours in the event you need to meet with them individually, or arrange virtual classrooms whereby the entire class could get information in real time. Questions are also fielded by TA’s, who are available a bit more than the busy professor. Email responses are arbitrary depending on the professor; if you’re fortunate you get an immediate answer but ususually it’s a day or more later. Information you require that is course-specific is best posted online publicly so that other students can add to the discussion; personal information (i.e.– you need to re-take a test or make up course work) should be emailed privately to the professor.
If you can bear one more metaphor, think of professors as snowflakes–no two are alike. Get to know each instructor, what materials they require and specifically what he or she expects from you as a student. You will be amazed at how much time and energy this will save you.
A small but essential piece of information to advance you to the portal of educational enlightenment.
Posted by Pamela Gustafson on February 17th, 2009
Relationships with online teachers are a highlight of the online classroom. In a large lecture- on- site class a student might be able to get in a question or two, or set up an appointment with the teacher. If the class is exceptionally large the teacher might not be able to match a face with a name. In an online class personalization is through email. When the instructor requires a picture of the student, they can match a face with name. There was one class where the instructor did not respond enough to my posts and I felt I was not getting the feedback I needed.
Readings and websites assigned by my professors were also of a stellar quality. I don’t know how they selected these readings from the billions of online documents, but it shows how the teachers master their subject and spend long hours researching before they post assignments. Many of the readings were from current literature and not from out dated textbooks.
Recently, the Milwaukee Journal ran an article about a college professor who excels at designing online classes. Her classes helped marginal students succeed in their freshman year of college. The proof of the success was documented by a supervised exam given to students in both on-site and online versions of the same class. The professor incorporated quizzes, which were taken over and over again until students mastered the content. Students couldn’t even take the quiz until the computer recorded their participation of games based on the content being tested. The class is Psychology 101 and I believe she practiced what psychologists preach. She looked at the way young people communicate through technology, and adapted it for her class. A forum posted on the front page of the Milwaukee Journal followed this article and there were many interesting opinions. I put in my two cents worth.
Considering that I have been an adjunct faculty member for several universities throughout my time as a student at Capella, I will likely be a pretty tough judge on the subject of the faculty.
In my work, I’m required to be online 5 out of 7 days a week, to respond to student questions within 24 hours, and to engage in substantive conversations with the students. My job is more of a facilitator than a “teacher” but through the facilitated discussions, the students learn and grow.
As a student, I found faculty to be basically absent. In 90% of my courses, faculty were not actively visible in the online classroom or the discussions. They took exceptionally long to respond to questions. They did not add to the material or bring their experiences or expertise to the discussion. This is not to question their qualifications, but to recognize they did not really bring much to the table in terms of our learning. There was 10% of the faculty I had that were excellent, but they were so outnumbered.
Rarely was additional material suggested to help the student achieve the course goals. Considering this was a graduate level program, students should be self-sufficient learners, but some support from the faculty would have been appreciated.
