Setting Up An Online Experience

When instructing/facilitating an online course there are several considerations to keep in mind; I believe these considerations are similar to those we focus on when designing an online course.

1. Audience
2. Purpose or focus
3. Technology

By covering these three areas an instructor/facilitator can create an online learning environment that will benefit the students.

1.  Audience


Our audience would be our students and it is very important to know their expectations for the course.  As Conrad and Donaldson stated (p. 5), “Engaged learning is focused on the learner, whose role is integral to the generation of new knowledge” (Conrad & Donaldson, 2004). Yet it is also important to know a little about their prior knowledge and experiences that can add to the content of the course.  Lastly, as an online instructor/facilitator we must accommodate for the different skill levels of our students, not just concerning the course content but also technology skills, writing skills and communication skills.  Understanding the skill levels of students will help an online instructor/facilitator communicate clearly with students and set reasonable expectations for their success in the course.


2.  Purpose or focus

The purpose or focus of an online course would be the objectives or the content that we wish for our audience/students to master.  Although we need to be aware of our students’ prior knowledge and how it will affect their ability to master the course content, we need to more keep the focus on assisting the students in mastering the course content.  Conrad and Donaldson say (p.19), “The key to creating a positive experience is to identify the students’ needs and then incorporate activities that address their various learning styles” (Conrad & Donaldson, 2004). I believe the best way for an online instructor/facilitator to keep the purpose/focus of the course on the course content is to constantly refer back to the course objectives and the objectives of each activity or discussion.  By referring back to the objectives the instructor/facilitator can redirect students to mastering the course content while allowing students to lead the discussions and prove mastery in different formats.

3.  Technology

Technology is key in an online course for both the instructor/facilitator and for the students.  It is important that the instructor/facilitator understand the technology of the online course enough to assist students and to also ensure that the students are getting the full benefit of the technology available to them.  In another perspective it is also important for the students to learn to understand the technology that they will utilize in their online courses in a quick and effective manner.  Not only will this technology understanding help students complete the course successfully but it will add to their technology skill base to use for future courses or careers.

By keeping the course audience, purpose or focus, and technology in mind when either creating an online course or facilitating an online course it is more possible for the students to have a clear understanding of the required expectations for the course, the routes of communication in the course, and the technology requirements of the course.  These considerations will empower both the instructor/facilitator and the students to have a productive and effective online course experience.

Thank you.

Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Online Learning Communities

Before beginning this course I had never really heard of specific essential elements or best practices for online learning communities.  After this week’s readings and resources I have found that as I struggled to create an online learning community with my students these past years without a guide that I ended up following many of the principles of  the “Ten Core Learning Principles” outlined by Boettcher and Conrad (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010). 

Ten Core Learning Principles

1. Every structured learning experience has four elements with the learner at the center.
2. Learners bring their own personalized and customized knowledge, skills, and attitudes to the experience.
3. Faculty mentors are the directors of the learning experience.
4. All learners do not need to learn all course content; all learners do need to learn the core concepts
5. Every learning experience includes the environment or context in which the learner interacts.
6. Every learner has a zone of proximal development that defines the space that a learner is ready to develop into useful knowledge.
7. Concepts are not words but organized and interconnected knowledge clusters.
8. Different instruction is required for different learning outcomes.
9.  Everything else being equal, more time on task equals more learning.
10. We shape our tools, and our tools shape us.

(Boettcher & Conrad, 2010, p. 20)

These learner-centered principles are essential to the development of a quality and effective online learning community for any student population.

From my experiences I think it is very subjective and depends on the student population how online learning communities impact both student learning and bring student satisfaction with the online course.  Adult learners have different requirements for their online learning communities than Youth online learners.  Where adult learners may require more flexibility in the use of their individual prior knowledge, many Youth learners require online experiences that build their prior knowledge for future use.  I believe that both learner types benefit greatly from the establishment of an online learning community but as an online instructor and instructional designer I will have to provide different online learning communities based on each student populations needs and requirements.

It is the instructor/facilitator’s job to maintain the online learning community.  This can be done by the design of a learning environment that encourages and supports the learners interaction and collaboration.  One way I have found to do this for my online high school science students is to allow them a discussion forum where they pose their own science based questions and work together to research the answers.  My students understand that in this forum setting there are no wrong answers or questions just simply a space for science exploration and collaboration.

So with a knowledgeable and learner-centered course design and facilitator/instructor a dynamic online learning community can be achieved and maintained.

Thank you.

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bas. Walden Library Education Research Complete database

Welcome to Online Instructional Strategies!!

Hello and welcome!

I am very excited to be starting a new course in Online Instructional Strategies.  I hope that our range of experiences and knowledge on online instruction will help us all become dynamic online instructors and innovators for online education.

Thank you.