Summarizing my online learning

The development of an effective online course

            The way to develop an effective online course is to understand the learner takes on more responsibility in their learning. The instructor becomes a mentor to the online learner. The online community built does take more effort as the instructor orchestrates this now. Conrad and Donaldson state “planning and utilizing activities that assist a learner in moving through the developmental phases of engaged learning ensures that learners are motivated and able to successfully interact and collaborate in an online learning environment and eventually engage in independent knowledge building (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011, p. 14). This is very encouraging because it shares the fundamental plan to help learners share and be involved in their learning.

My online learning experience

            The difference of being in class to online is a lot. As the students find ways to feel unattached to the people online then the content of the course. It is the drive and goals that help students understand the growth of change to an online student is at their reach. Or not if they choose to feel discouraged that they do not complete the course online. This frustration is and was a big issue for me, as I felt discouraged of myself. It took an understanding that it was up to me and all my excuses to get motivated. This internal lesson changed me to understand there is a way to be successful and that was to recognize my weaknesses and take hold of my time.

            I would like to address the issue of knowing how difficult it is to not feel discouraged. I think to acknowledge this in the online course and then resolve any issues that may occur will be another journey of trying to find activities that may help online learners. I think for now it would be to see if a personal email to students at the first quarter point might be beneficial to see how they are feeling with the workload.

            The workload of the online course will have to be thought out. If the course is not balanced with the amount of work needed to finish a course it feels like the little assignments become rationalized. Students will ‘gamble’ to themselves and ask ‘do I need to hand this in it is only 5%?’ That is one of my goals is to ensure students are getting the information and course objectives with the assigned activities and assignments.   

      

Insights about online learning experience

            I have gained the knowledge that an effective online course has to follow a quality guideline as you do for an in class course. The public gains so much access to information online that the importance of ensuring you are producing and executing an effective online course is the main goal of an online instructor.

            The learner needs to have various tech tools to help interpret information which acknowledges there is many ways a learner can receive information As this is the case for the way you deliver different methods of teaching for the different learners.

Application to the online course

            There are necessary phases needed to create an effective online course. The “Phases of Engagement 1 to 4” (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011, p. 9) are laid out such as the expectation of joining in on the online community, working in groups then moving ahead to the tasks at hand is now incorporated in the online format. They are active knowledge generators who assume responsibility for constructing and managing their own learning experience (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011, p. 5). The student’s role has changed in many ways and as instructors we have to access the growing pains of working in a new format. To ask the questions of comfort level and addressing different learners and generations to work through the information and course in order to have all students more involved in their online learning. The guidelines provided in this course have given me an understanding the necessary steps and tools needed to develop an effective online course.

References

Conrad, R. & Donaldson, (2011). Engaging the Online Learner: activities and resources for creative instruction (Updated ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-­‐Bass.