Managing Your Online Time

Since teaching online for over 10 years now, I know how hard it is to manage time online with a high number of students. Many of the students expecting immediate response. I remember a time when I stayed up till around 1:00 a.m. on a Saturday night and I was using Wimba Pronto and checking email to communicate and interact with my students about class questions, etc. I made sure I didn't have any student emails or course content related issues before turning in for the night. I got up around 7:30 a.m. the next morning and checked my email, and noticed I had three emails from the same student: the first email indicating there was a problem, the second email wondering if I had read the first email, and the third email asking why I had not responded and if I was getting the email. This set me in motion to respond to the student letting them know I did get all three emails and that I had not gone to bed till 1:00 a.m. the night before and was just now seeing the email with the issue. I resolved the issue but let the student know that I have to sleep sometimes :) Does this sound familiar?

With that said, the line has really been blurred with how we interact with students, especially those in online courses, and how we manage our time is critical. There is an article that was shared with me that I wanted to share on the blog because for one, the article discusses some strategies to managing your time online; and second, the author is a former KCTCS employee. Read more...

Student Persistence in Online Courses: Understanding the Key Factors

Who should be taking online courses? Are online courses equally appropriate for all students? Can any content be taught in an online format or do some kinds of material lend themselves to mastery in an electronic environment? Who should be teaching these courses? These are all good questions that institutions offering online courses — and instructors teaching them — should consider. This articles gives many insights that are critical for students to persists including timely and quality feedback, communication with the instructor is critical. Other factors include support systems, motivation of the student, and satisfaction with their online experience. Read more...

Learn and Share Session

Learn and Share Session – Friday, March 22, 2013 – Hazard Campus, JCC 229 – 11:00-11:55 a.m.

Sharing Online Strategies

Overview:

Teaching online can be a great experience and sharing what each other does can be helpful. Come join Randy Bryant, Jeremiah Bryant, and Savannah Sipple to learn about implementing early bird welcomes, custom and timely communication and engagement with students, and using authentic assessments and SafeAssign. Each of these faculty members will spend 15 minutes showing you what they do (Randy-Early Bird Welcome; Jeremiah-Communication and Engagement; and Savannah-Authentic Assessment/SafeAssign). A lite lunch will be provided, you may also bring your own lunch of preference, and bring your own drink (BYOD). Either way come join us.

Cheating In The 21st Century

Join us for Cheating In The 21st Century: Strategies To Tackle Online Academic Dishonesty tomorrow (Tuesday) March 19 ~ 1:00-2:30pm EDT 

Hazard Campus, JCC 231A

Overview:

Cheating and plagiarism in higher education continue to be persistent challenges. In the June 3, 2012 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education, Jeffery Young explained the challenges technology has added to the problem of academic dishonesty, not only in the classroom but also in the rapidly increasing venue of online learning. Given the expanded strategies that make it easier to cheat than to learn, how can educators possibly tackle such a pervasive problem?

This webinar will identify types of academic dishonesty, as well as strategies that can help decrease incidences of this destructive trend in online learning. Participants will take away a clear picture of the learner’s inclination to violate academic codes of ethical behavior. They will also learn how to limit instances of cheating with careful design, implementation strategies, and ongoing monitoring.

Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

• Understand reasons students engage in academic dishonesty
• Identify types of academic dishonesty that occur in online courses
• Utilize strategies that can decrease incidences of academic dishonesty
• Reduce rates of academic dishonesty in online learning environments

Who should attend?

• 2-year & 4-year institutions
• Online Learning Department
• Deans of Instruction
• Deans of Student Affairs/Services
• Department Chairs
• Faculty (full and part-time; online and on campus)
• Graduate Teaching Assistants
• Learning/Tutoring Center Staff
• Instructional Designers
• Student Life

“Academic dishonesty is a challenge in the traditional classroom, but in the online environment cheating can be tempting to the student and invisible to the instructor. In order to reduce and manage online academic dishonesty, online educators must adopt strategic approaches that educate and dissuade the learner from stepping over ethical boundaries.”

The presenter is Patricia McGee (an Associate Professor of Digital Learning Design at the University of Texas at San Antonio). Having directed several technology and teaching grants, she has also worked as research faculty through the Office of Naval Research, Air Force Research Laboratory, and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (formerly NLII) studying emerging technologies and learning systems, particularly those used in distributed learning environments. She actively participates in EDUCAUSE and Sloan-C and is a recipient of a United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) Gold Award for Online Technology in Higher Education. Dr. McGee is an active consultant and invited speaker in the areas of strategies for faculty support, and strategies for pedagogically sound applications of digital tools and resources in online and blended environments. Her most recent interests include storytelling as an instructional method, blended and online course design, and informal learning through Web 2.0 technologies. 

Who Are You? Putting Faces on Virtual Learners

One of the first and most difficult tasks an online instructor faces is how to establish the presence of a learning community. Learning in isolation may be possible, but it’s neither enjoyable nor complete, and many online students end up quitting or failing the course simply because they miss the classmate support that is readily available in face-to-face classes. Read more...