Students and Online Learning
Today's students are often very tech savvy. However, when students register for a fully online or hybrid course they may not have taken an online course before and will be unaware of the process, expectations and responsibilities of learning online. Also, teachers manage and organize online participation in courses differently according to the amount of online coursework.
Syllabus and Student Success
It is important to state your expectations in the syllabus about the amount and quality of online participation. The syllabus and weekly schedule should clearly state what is expected of students and by when in order to learn and earn their points or grade. Even though students may spend a lot of time on the Internet these days do not asume that they know how to study and learn online effectively.
Questions to think about as you plan:
- Will students need to log in to the course several times a week?
- Will students be required to submit written work by deadlines?
- Will students participate in discussions?
- How will the discussions be graded? or not?
- Are brief 3 word discussion responses acceptable or are 250 - 300 word meaningful and thoughtful responses required?
To set students up for a successful online learning experience it is worthwhile thinking ahead about these questions in order to help students understand what to do and the level of quality required.
If you are planning a short online component which is a supplementart or self-paced model with few or no due dates, then mention the requirements in the syllabus if possible, or early in the course so that students can plan for it.
Students and Computers
It is very important to consider the general level of student computer experience, availability of computers, and Internet access when designing online coursework. For example, students may not own a computer and may use computer labs at school. Even if students have a computer at home their Internet connection may be slow which would inhibit viewing video clips or large-file photographs.
Students in online learning also need to know, or will soon learn how to type, save files and upload documents and photographs. Be ready to provide basic information on these topics during the course or add these skills as a prerequisite.
Therefore, to set students up for success in an online or partially online course, find out in advance about campus computer lab facilities and hours open, Internet availability on campus, free computer technology workshops and campus technical help services. Then provide students with the current information in the Syllabus and post it online in the course site.