One teacher commented that making affective associations is perhaps the most challenging: “I try to use discussion boards, but getting traction here is hard. [It is] easier
to develop this association on a teacher-to-student level
with frequent communication.” Another teacher connected
affective association with the way she set the tone of her
class by referencing “our community” in all communications with students.
Community Cohesion
If you ask a face-to-face teacher how his students become a
community, he may mention informal discussions that occur before and after class or during breaks, collaborative class
activities, group assignments, or projects that require students to meet outside of class. Celebrating achievements and
special moments as a group also contributes. NCVPS teachers identified all of these pedagogical and environmental
techniques as ways they build community cohesion in their
online courses. For example, teachers can replicate conversations before, during, and after class by providing common
virtual areas for students to socialize. NCVPS teachers refer
to these with a variety of terms, including social forum, social
meeting blog, viewfinder, and student coffee shop.
Another strategy to build community cohesion is to
create an introductory unit that allows for community
building. One NCVPS teacher uses a unit that combines
blogs, discussion forums, and the creation of an Animoto
video to allow for personalized introductions. Many online
instructors require their students to post bios, sometimes
with pictures, in the first week of an online course. These
bios can become profiles that allow for a deeper understanding of student motivations, desires, and concerns.
Interaction Intensity
Online teachers often feel that interaction intensity is primarily their responsibility. As one teacher said, “Between
Facebook, Twitter, Google Voice, email, phone calls . . . I’d
say that one cannot proactively or reactively have more
interaction intensity than me!”
You can capitalize on social media and other tools to
create multiple meaningful interactions that are not necessarily instructionally driven. Teachers mentioned discussion forums as places online where students frequently
interacted.
As for ways to encourage students to interact with the
content, one teacher explained his focus on using games:
No matter how old we get, we seem to enjoy games. Based
on past experiences, I have found that students have a
high level of interaction when a game is involved, so I
would plan games periodically throughout the course.
Our teachers use games for review of concepts or skills
practice. Some teachers create their own games using Mi-crosoft PowerPoint, Excel, or Word. Others find websites
dedicated to student learning games and direct students
there. Quia Web (quia.com/web) and Classroom Games
(www.uncw.edu/edgames) are two sites with templates
teachers can use to create their own games. You can also
download games created by others.
Knowledge and Experience
One of the many benefits of online learning is the
variety of educational experiences that students bring
to class. Teachers use many pedagogical techniques to
gauge students’ prior knowledge, experiences, and influ-
ences on their learning. Online learning lends itself to
the use of pre-assessments and student choice as well as
discussion and voice boards that ask them to draw on
their experiences. One NCVPS teacher gave students with
strong online learning or technological experience a forum
to share their tips and ideas. Students with strong writing
skills modeled good writing for those who are struggling,
and students with a variety of content knowledge shared
this information.
Instructor Involvement
Students want to feel connected with their teachers. As online students, they need help with the content and want to
know that you will be responsive to their needs. Teachers
often talk about how the interaction they have with their
students online takes a lot of time but is an integral piece
of a meaningful connection that lasts beyond the course.
Here is how one NCVPS teacher explained it:
I grade papers daily, and I leave clear and involved
comments about their work. I email daily and try to
encourage students to do their best. I also encourage
students to [instant message] each other with questions if I am not available, although this is frowned
upon during school ... even in lab hours. I create announcements each day, call every student at least once
a week, allow student contact anytime they see me online, and create community announcements.
This teacher details many ways you can show students
you are invested in their learning in the online environment. Another teacher explained the importance of instructor involvement:
I think it is very important for students to recognize
that the instructor is a real person that cares about
their success in the course. They want to know that I
am working as hard toward their success as they are.
