Suggestions on how to gets started with your online course

• Welcome  students to the course. Instructors can introduce themselves either in Announcement or discussion board. Instructors are encouraged to submit a photo or a video of themselves.
• Give an overview of the course and describe its context within the discipline.
• Create specific office hours and share availability to the students. Students should have a way to contact the Instructor as needed.
• Provide a short list of specific next steps to get started.

The Role of the Instructor

There are three major elements for facilitating learner interaction when teaching online:
1. Faculty need to be socially present in the learning environment
2. Students need to form a learning community
3. Students need to  be actively engaged in learning activities.

Creating a sense of presence

One of the most important factors in online student success is the instructor’s presence. Knowing the instructor is present provides a natural motivation and sense of student confidence.  Instructors can create a presence by introducing themselves, communicating with students frequently, and providing detailed and timely feedback to students. Timely feedback is considered responding to students within two working days. 

Create opportunities for student engagement

Students learning online can feel isolated if not involved and engaged. Engagement means having students interact, communicate with one another, and work on assignments together This creates a sense of community between students. Here are some tips to promote student engagement:

• Use student (self) introductions: Just as instructors would introduce themselves, it’s a good idea to have students introduce each other through a video or discussion board. 
• Make Discussions Meaningful: Discussion boards (or forums) are  a great way to have students interact and think through course material together. Faculty should be mindful of connecting discussion to the content to keep the discussion moving. Instructors do not need to reply to every post online, but synthesize the comments and add something for the  students to reflect further.
• Design interactive assignments, either group assignments or project-based. If possible, use experiential learning techniques so they can feel connected to the content, the students, and you, the instructor, through real-life examples and activities.
• Be responsive! Frequently respond online. Log into the Blackboard course no fewer than three different days during the week.
• Get creative! Use multimedia to engage students 

Use of Media

Videos, multimedia and graphics (images, diagrams, charts,  etc.) can be powerful tools in an  online course. In addition to providing aesthetic appeal, these elements provide a visual component to the instructional material that can compliment or even enhance the written content.  Use media in a way that supports, rather than distract from, written course content. Research shows that videos should be no more than 5-7 minutes long. Link to Media 

Make the course accessible:

Creating courses that are accessible to all students  is required by federal law. Instructors should have  their media captioned or transcribed and upload documents that follow accessibility best practices [More on Accessibility]

Provide support for students and enforce academic integrity

All courses should have a clear section about the support systems for students offered by the university. For online classes, resources for technology support are especially important.

Include clear instructions about the academic integrity policy and if you will be using TurnItin within Blackboard for assignments.

For more detailed information refer to the John Jay_Handbook of Online_Teaching

Encourage your Students to be Successful Learners

At John Jay,  all students are encouraged  to complete the Are you Ready course, whether they are taking an online course or not. This course covers expectations for students to be an online learner. Students are automatically enrolled into this course and can find the Are You Ready link in the John Jay Student tab on Blackboard or through a link in the Blackboard Help section of all John Jay courses.

You can share this video with your students

 

Building a learning community is essential to avoid the feelings of isolation that could occur in
an online class. Online teaching also requires that focus is taken off the faculty member and placed on the learner. The instructor online acts as a learning
facilitator, allowing students to take charge of their own learning process.

Moreover, online learning takes place at all times of the day, therefore student communication with each other and with the instructor can occur throughout the week. Learning may occur in small chunks of time throughout a students’ day, Online teaching also requires that the instructors remain aware of diversity in the students’ learning styles, computer skills, online search skills, and their likeliness to utilize mobile learning devices.

Tips for a better start to the Semester

Tips for a better start t the Semester – PDF ADA compliant

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