A Checklist for Facilitating Online Courses

A Checklist for Facilitating Online Courses

By: Mary Bart in Distance Learning, Online Education

There are two common assumptions about teaching online that can sink even the most well-meaning neophyte. One is that “teaching is teaching” regardless of whether it’s face-to-face or online and there’s no reason to deviate from the proven principles that work so well in the traditional classroom. The second assumption is that teaching online is all about the technology, and if you design your course properly, it pretty much runs itself.

Of course both assumptions are false, but where does that leave online instructors looking for guidance on the right way to teach an online course? A new research-based tool developed at Humboldt State University can help. Assessing Online Facilitation (AOF) can serve as a valuable guide to best practices in online teaching. It lists the four main roles of an online facilitator – pedagogical, managerial, social, and technical – and the associated tasks of each role. These tasks also are broken down according to when they should be done – before the course begins, during the first week of class, throughout the course, and during the last week of class.

In the recent online seminar Beyond Course Design: Planning for Successful Facilitation, two of the AOF’s developers, Joan Van Duzer, an instructional technologist at Humboldt State University, and Carole Robinson, instructional media producer for Pasadena City College, discussed many of the tasks outlined in the AOF. Some of the items in the checklist include:

Before the Course Begins:

For more content like this, be sure to download the FREE REPORT: 10 Principles of Effective Online Teaching: Best Practices in Distance Education

* Pedagogical – Review past course evaluations to determine if enhancements for instructional strategies are required.
* Managerial – Send informational message including how to login, what materials are needed and how to get them, and who to contact for technical assistance.
* Technical – Update hyperlinks to remove dead or broken links.

During the First Week of Class:

* Pedagogical – Create an ice breaker activity related to a key course objective or concept.
* Managerial – Contact missing students to encourage their participation.
* Technical – Assist students with login/access difficulties.
* Social – Provide a personal and welcoming introduction to develop a personal presence.

Throughout the Course:

* Pedagogical – Summarize discussions.
* Managerial – Update the online grade book promptly after assignment due dates.
* Technical – Model competency with course management system delivery tools.
* Social – Organize collaborative projects to achieve strong social interaction.

During the Final Week of Class:

* Pedagogical – Provide feedback on final project.
* Managerial – Provide general information concerning the nature and format of the final assessment(s).
* Social – Send an email with a closing personal message to students.

The AOF is available for download here. The Facilitation Activity Record, an optional companion document to the AOF, which provides spaces for facilitators to make notes of what worked and what didn’t work when facilitating a course, and to flag issues that should be addressed before the course is offered again, can be downloaded here.

Permalink: http://www.facultyfocus.com?p=11040

New Video Encoding Format

Starting summer 2009, all encoded videos (from video projects or encoded classes) are offered in flash (.flv) format. The flash video viewing is more versatile and only requires the free Adobe Flash browser plugin, which can be downloaded from Adobe.com. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 282-5880 or itrc@isu.edu.

July Moodle Tip - File and Folder Name Conventions in Moodle

To avoid problems, type in the word "and" instead of using an ampersand "&" when naming files and folders. Other symbols that should be avoided are: $, @, /, \, <, >, *, ^, %, #.

Naming conventions on the web work best if you keep them short and simple. Use dashes "-" and underscores "_" for best results.

Any spaces in the names will automatically be replaced with an underscore "_".

Happy Moodling. :-)

ITRC Workshop Calendar ONLINE!!

In July 2009 ITRC is going green. The link to the workshop calendar is located in the column on the right-side of the page. Just click the "ITRC Workshop Calendar" link to see or sign up for the latest course offerings by the ITRC. The "ABOUT OUR WORKSHOPS" link lists all of the workshops offered along with the descriptions and related materials.

Moodle ISU Gradebook Updated

ISU has upgraded their current version of Moodle to version 1.9.5. This version offers several upgrades to the Gradebook function including:

* Tabbed navigation
* New grader report settings
* New user interface improvements for user reports
* Points can be awarded above 100% for any assignment, quiz, etc.
* Every bolded option under the Choose an action menu is also displayed on tabs.
* Categories and Items has a different interface.

If you would like to learn more about these upgrades, please stop by or call the ITRC at ext. 5880.

May 2009 "end-of-semester"

End-of-Semester

This month the ITRC is dedicated to helping you successfully finish the semester and begin the next.The end of the spring semester is quickly approaching and now is a great time to prepare for the new semester.

To help you with your Moodle ISU transition from the current semester to upcoming ones, we have provided an "End of Semester" checklist. This checklist can be found at http://www.isu.edu/itrc/Moodle/end_of_sem_proc.shtml.

Please drop by anytime during our regular scheduled lab hours. We are gearing up to guide you through all the procedures necessary for a successful semester’s end. Please contact us if you need any assistance.Enjoy your summer! We look forward to seeing you soon.