Strategies for successful e-teaching.

Abstract

E-learning has become more widespread as higher education institutions increased online course offerings and degree programs. Today, many colleges and universities in the U.S. offer Web-based courses or Web-enhanced courses, and the number of online learners has increased dramatically. Online learning offers many advantages to learners and instructors including flexibility and convenience. However, online teaching can also be frustrating and time consuming. This paper examines different strategies instructors might use when teaching an online course.

Introduction

The number of colleges and universities offering distance education courses has increased over the past few years (Charp, 2001). Also, higher education institutions offer a variety of degrees via distance. In addition, the number of online learners has increased dramatically over the last few years (Lewis, Levin, & Greene, 1999).

With the introduction of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW), distance education was transformed (Lau, 2000), and instructors were able to teach courses online. E-education is a form of distance education in which teachers and students can be separated by time and space (Belanger & Jordan, 2000). Here, educators utilize the WWW on the Internet as a medium or an intranet. An intranet is a network operating on a server within an organization.

Online learning offers many advantages for learners and instructors. Learners and instructors enjoy the convenience and flexibility of e-learning (Bolliger, 2002). Students can have access to materials online 24 hours, 7 days a week. Instructors can recycle materials from semester to semester, and they are able to update Web-based materials quickly. In addition, instructors can address different learning styles and can make use of a variety of multimedia elements.

E-learning can also have several drawbacks. Developing online courses is labor intensive and time consuming. If an online course is not managed properly, teachers can feel unproductive and might become frustrated. Bradburn (2002) reports the teaching load for faculty and staff who teach distance education courses is higher than for educators who do not.

Students have shown a concern about the quality of online courses (Navarro & Shoemaker, 2000). Experts are also concerned about quality in the online environment (Middleton, 1997). Many researchers have focused on comparing face-to-face and distance education courses; however, these media comparison studies are subject to debate (Clark, 1994a, 1994b; Kozma, 1994a, 1994b). Several flaws have been pointed out in many media-comparison studies. Many researchers focused on older distance education technology used in courses because researchers failed to include newer technologies available. In addition, many researchers conducted case studies, and the results are not generalizable to other populations. Some researchers do not use empirical research methodologies (Navarro & Shoemaker, 2000).

Successful Strategies

Course Management

As in any course that is taught face-to-face, organization for online courses is important. Students need to know what to expect and what is expected of them at the beginning of the course. A syllabus, a course outline, and details pertaining to required assignments should be posted in the beginning of the course. Most course management software programs provide these features, but not every instructor uses them. If a course management software program is not available, the instructor should post these documents to a course website. Every detail of the course does not need to be posted in the beginning; however, postings should stay at least one week ahead.

Students have varying degrees of motivational levels. Some are procrastinators and some like to study ahead. If required readings and assignments are posted early, there is a good chance of keeping students at different motivational levels satisfied. During the course of the semester, weekly updates can be posted to the website including, but not limited to, new discussions, materials received, grades, and feedback.

Time management. The use of an electronic mailing list can be a good time management device. If a student has a question, the instructor can answer the question with one posting. Successful online instructors create files on the Web in which they post dates of assignments received. This is another important time management tool because it keeps the instructor from having to acknowledge every assignment receipt with several e-mails. This practice is especially useful if assigning several small projects during the course of the semester.

Materials

Scholars are concerned about the quality of materials posted on the Web. As with every classroom-based course, the instructor should include materials of good quality. These materials should be organized. Some existing materials will need revision in order to be posted to the Web. Online courses have to be carefully designed, and they require a great deal of preparation in order to be of good quality (Hara & Kling, 2000; White, 1999). Effective instruction involves organizing and sequencing information with the use of instructional theories, instructional design models, and instructional strategies. Instructors cannot simply produce online courses with existing materials and transfer them to the Web. Many sites on the Web are data sources that individuals can access to seek information; however, presentation of collected information on the Web is not instruction (Khan, 1997; Stephenson, 2001).

Course materials should be easy to understand, well structured, and free of errors. The screen design of the website should be aesthetically pleasing. Another area of concern is that course materials are accessible for individuals with disabilities. The Web Accessibility Initiative (1999) has compiled a list of helpful guidelines that can be used in Web page design. A good tool for evaluating websites for accessibility is the software program Bobby (2002). Here, users can test a limited number of pages for accessibility; however, the software can be downloaded for a fee in order to evaluate an entire site.

Depending on the type of student in the course, the course may be more or less structured. If students in the course are not very experienced in the online environment, they will need a structured site. A structured site provides learners with a limited amount of sequential options and prevents them from getting lost in cyberspace. However, if students have experience with the Internet tools used in the course, they will function in a less structured course site.

In any case, students should be offered as many external sources as possible. It is better to provide them with many outside resources, instead of just a few. The use of some of the resources may also be optional. This practice relates to the different levels of motivation in students. More motivated students will visit every resource provided by the instructor; others will only use mandatory resources.

Support

The instructor, as well as the student, should have administrative support when teaching online. Students should be able to enroll in courses without major difficulties. Learners should have a point of contact for advising and enrollment purposes. In addition, the student should be able to access the course materials on the day the course begins, at the very least. If possible, students should receive course access information several days prior to the beginning of the semester. This information could be e-mailed by the instructor welcoming them to the course. In addition, learners should be able to purchase their textbooks in advance. The instructor can include required textbook information in the welcoming message.

Furthermore, many higher education institutions offering courses in the online environment employ course mentors. These mentors can be graduate students who support a certain faculty member or full-time support persons who support a specific department. These individuals assist the instructor with tasks such as upgrading materials, answering questions, assigning group membership, and so forth. Many universities also have a help desk staffed with persons who can answer technology-related questions. These services can be extended to provide tutoring for students and to offer assistance 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Instructor Variables

One of the most critical constructs pertaining to student satisfaction is the instructor (Bolliger & Martindale, 2001). The instructor should be available and responsive. In addition to regular office hours, instructors should post virtual office hours indicating availability in a chat room or via a Web camera. Some chat software programs such as MSN messenger allow users to utilize audio. Students need to know they can reach the instructor in person, as well as via telephone and Internet tools, when they have questions or concerns. It might be helpful to establish certain times for regularly checking e-mails and telephone messages.

Instructors should communicate to students if there is a time they are unavailable such as weekends and holidays. Good online instructors give students an estimate how long it will take for them to respond to a question or message by learners. Students can become frustrated easily if they do not feel that they are part of the course or if they do not have enough interaction with the instructor. The instructor should keep students motivated by keeping all available communication channels open.

Technology Tools

E-learning utilizes the WWW and the Internet or intranet. Some of the tools available for Web-based instruction are: (a) audio, (b) chat rooms, (c) computer conferencing, (d) bulletin boards, (e) electronic mail, (f) FTP, (g) electronic mailing lists, (h) threaded discussions, (i) video, and (j) Web pages (Belanger & Jordan, 2000; Keating & Hargitai, 1999). Some institutions support Web-based course management tools such as Blackboard or WebCT which offer many of these online tools. Instructors should find out which software programs are available and weigh the advantages and disadvantages carefully, if they have a selection of programs. One important issue should be pointed out here. Students should be somewhat familiar with the tools utilized in the course. Otherwise, they could become frustrated easily. Some universities require students who enroll in online courses to have technical skills needed to complete the course successfully. These institutions hold orientation sessions or workshops during which students receive training in software programs or Internet tools.

Interaction and Collaboration

Students need to be engaged and should feel that they are part of the course. There should be ample opportunities to interact with one another because instruction is only effective if learners can interact (Bonk & Kim, 1998). Richardson and Swan (2001) report social presence has been proven to have a significant effect on students' perceived learning and satisfaction. At the beginning of the semester, students can be required to e-mail others and introduce themselves to their classmates. This can be in the form of individual e-mails or to a posting to an electronic mailing list. Another warm-up strategy is for learners to create their introductory websites. Here, they should provide personal and professional information they feel comfortable sharing with an audience on the Web. Some instructors require students to subscribe to an electronic mailing list because it keeps all students in the course informed.

One successful strategy to encourage student interaction is to form small groups or teams in which learners have to work collaboratively. Students may be assigned to groups and serve as group leaders or students may select their own groups. Students can then meet virtually when it fits their schedules in order to complete the assigned projects. Small group discussions can be required in either an assigned chat room or threaded discussion. Groups can then summarize and post the most important discussion points to the Web. Another excellent strategy is to involve students in peer evaluation. Students can take part in a formative evaluation process by critiquing each other's completed assignments; however, ground rules should be established before engaging students in peer evaluation. The instructor can require them to complete a write-up with the use of a word processing software program or in form of an e-mail. In either case, students could be required to send the instructor a copy. This strategy makes students view their peers' work and provide them with feedback. Most importantly, it gets them to communicate.

Motivation

Instructors need to keep students motivated and should check on them via e-mail at least once a week inquiring whether they have any questions or concerns. Another option is to encourage students to post questions to threaded discussions or an electronic mailing list. Students should also be encouraged to participate in the online office hour chat sessions. Perhaps, they will have some feedback for the instructor. Reminders should be sent regarding major project deadlines. Students should receive feedback. Individual critiques can be sent to students with suggestions as to how they could improve their performance. An opportunity for revision and resubmission can be offered. Other students could evaluate completed projects of their peers in order to provide them with an additional source of feedback, as previously mentioned. Of course, the implementation of some of these strategies will depend on the nature of the course.

Student Assessment

Students may be assigned several small projects or a number of large projects. Activities can include research projects utilizing the Web, creation of Web-based portfolios, course e-reserves, and virtual discussions, just to name a few. Completed assignments can be posted to the student's home page or mailed via e-mail or regular mail. Instructors have a choice of whether or not they want to use formative evaluation during which suggestions for improvement are provided by either the instructor or peers as previously described. The instructor can also require testing; however, two commonly occurring problems in the online environment are student cheating and test security (Boettcher & Conrad, 1999; Horton, 2000). Many colleges and universities have policies pertaining to on-campus testing. If the university does not, however, and the instructor has concerns in these two areas, perhaps it is an option to require learners to complete the test in a controlled environment. The students could be required to visit the university they attend or other institutions to which they live or work in close proximity.

Course Assessment

One good strategy for evaluating a course is to have students complete formative evaluations throughout the course. All colleges and universities normally require a summative course evaluation. Typically, each institution uses its own online evaluation survey; however, evaluation surveys should include what students liked and what they did not like. Many course evaluation surveys include constructs such as access, communication, course content, design, support, technology, learning outcomes, and general issues. Feedback generated by students can be helpful in assessing what changes could be made to revise and improve the course. An invitation for direct comments from students also provides feedback.

Conclusion

E-teaching can be an overwhelming task at the beginning. Faculty members who are being asked to move their courses to the Web are either excited about the task or fear the new environment. Hopefully, the strategies presented in this article will make the switch to online teaching more manageable and instructors will enjoy teaching on the Web. Teaching online can be rewarding for instructors. Consider that many students would not have access to the courses or degree programs if online courses were not offered. For other students, online education is more convenient and flexible than classroom-based courses. Furthermore, instructors are able to acquire additional technology skills and be active in their professional development.

Online education can be of good quality. Good online instructors use some of the same basic strategies, as do instructors who teach in the classroom-based environment. According to Coomey and Stephenson (2001), online learners should have dialogue, involvement, support, and control. The task at hand is to create a supportive, social virtual environment where students can learn and grow.

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Doris U. Bolliger, St Cloud State University

Dr. Bolliger is an Assistant Professor of Information Media in the College of Education at St. Cloud State University. Her research interests include professional development and Web-based education and training, with particular emphasis on collaboration, communication, and interaction in the online environment.