Winning Online Instruction provides concise, pragmatic solutions to common challenges and demands that higher education faculty face in teaching online. This book’s unique question-and-answer format allows readers to easily identify the issues important to them, spanning online formats and teaching methods, course development and technology woes, student motivation and engagement, academic integrity and fair grading, and more. Written for instructors who have little to no experience designing and teaching online courses or who are teaching online courses developed in a hurry, this is an approachable, efficient guide to the real problems of everyday distance education.
The world of education has undergone major changes within the last year that have pushed online instruction to the forefront of learning. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning has become paramount to the continued and uninterrupted teaching of students and has forced students and teachers alike to adjust to an online learning environment. Though some have already returned to the traditional classroom, or plan to very soon, others have begun to appreciate the value of online education – initiatives that had previously been discussed but never acted upon as they have been in the past year. With plenty of positive and negative aspects, online learning is a complex issue with numerous factors to consider. It is an issue that must be studied and examined in order to improve in the future. Curriculum Development and Online Instruction for the 21st Century examines the issues and difficulties of online teaching and learning, as well as potential solutions and best practices. This book includes an examination on the value of teaching fully via the internet as well as the challenges inherent in the training of teachers to teach in online environments. While addressing key elements of remote learning, such as keeping student data safe, as well as methods in which to engage students, this book covers topics that include assessment tools, teaching deaf students, web technology, and standardized curricula. Ideal for K-12 teachers, college faculty, curriculum developers, instructional designers, educational software developers, administrators, academicians, researchers, and students, this book provides a thorough overview of online education and the benefits and issues that accompany it.
Engaging the Online Learner This updated edition includes an innovative framework the Phases of Engagement that helps learners become more involved as knowledge generators and cofacilitators of a course. The book also provides specific ideas for tested activities (collected from experienced online instructors across the nation) that can go a long way to improving online learning. Engaging the Online Learner offers the tools and information needed to: Convert classroom activities to an online environment Assess the learning that occurs as a result of collaborative activities Phase in activities that promote engagement among online learners Build peer interaction through peer partnerships and team activities Create authentic activities and implement games and simulations Praise for Engaging the Online Learner "The Phases of Engagement framework provides a road map for creating community at each phase of an online course. This book is an invaluable guide to innovative practices for online learning." Judith V. Boettcher, coauthor of The Online Teaching Survival Guide "Engagement is the heart of online learning. The authors have developed an encyclopedia of tried-and-true learner engagement activities that are authentic and ready to use." Donald P. Ely, professor emeritus, instructional design, development and evaluation in the School of Education, Syracuse University
"For those who think online learning can't be truly interactive, Patti Shank and her colleagues clearly demonstrate--in hundreds of examples--that it can. The real lesson in The Online Learning Idea Book is that technology doesn't build interactive learning; creative thinking and good, solid instructional design does. Using even a smidgen of the great ideas in this book will increase the learning effectiveness of any online program." --Marc J. Rosenberg, consultant, and author of Beyond E-Learning "Patti Shank has collected great ideas about online learning and teaching from all over the globe. If you are an online instructor or instructional designer looking for new ways to involve and engage your learners, you'll be inspired by this book!"--Terry Morris, associate professor, William Rainey Harper Colleges Filled with techniques, tools, tips, examples, resources, and dozens of "great ideas,? this invaluable resource helps people who are looking to build online instructional materials -- or improve existing materials -- discover and implement what the best and brightest in industry and education are doing to make online learning more engaging and compelling. Increase your know-how in the following areas: Look and Feel: how to increase ease-of-use Graphics and Multimedia: how to make instructional graphics engaging and compelling Activities: how to make instruction itself engaging and compelling Tools: how to use a variety of online tools Instructional Design: how to design better and faster.
The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.
Exploring online learning through the lens of synchronous and asynchronous instructional methods can be beneficial to the online instructor and to the course designer. Understanding the underlying theoretical foundation is essential to justify both types of instructional pedagogies. Learning theory as it applies to online environments encompasses myriad techniques and practices. Edited by Dr. Cynthia Mary Sistek-Chandler, who was named the 2020 Higher Education Technology Leader Winner by EdTech Digest, Exploring Online Learning Through Synchronous and Asynchronous Instructional Methods is an essential scholarly book that provides relevant and detailed research on the applications of synchronous and asynchronous instructional pedagogies and discusses why they are critical to the design and implementation of contemporary online courses. Featuring an array of topics such as student engagement, adaptive learning, and online instruction, this book is ideal for online instructors, instructional designers, curriculum developers, course designers, academicians, administrators, e-learning professionals, researchers, and students.
This timely volume documents the immediate, global impacts of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) on teaching and learning in higher education. Focusing on student and faculty experiences of online and distance education, the text provides reflections on novel initiatives, unexpected challenges, and lessons learned. Responding to the urgent need to better understand online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, this book investigates how the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) impacted students, faculty, and staff experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown. Chapters initially look at the challenges faced by universities and educators in their attempts to overcome the practical difficulties involved in developing effective online programming and pedagogy. The text then builds on these insights to highlight student experiences and consider issues of social connection and inequality. Finally, the volume looks forward to asking what lessons COVID-19 can offer for the future development of online and distance learning in higher education. This engaging volume will benefit researchers, academics, and educators with an interest in online teaching and eLearning, curriculum design, and more, specifically those involved with the digitalization of higher education. The text will also support further discussion and reflection around pedagogical transformation, international teaching and learning, and educational policy more broadly.
Building Online Learning Communities further explores the development of virtual classroom environments that foster a sense of community and empower students to take charge of their learning to successfully achieve learning outcomes. This is the second edition of the groundbreaking book by Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt and has been completely updated and expanded to include the most current information on effective online course development and delivery. A practical, hands-on guide, this resource is filled with illustrative case studies, vignettes, and examples from a wide variety of successful online courses. The authors offer proven strategies for handling challenges that include: Engaging students in the formation of an online learning community. Establishing a sense of presence online. Maximizing participation. Developing effective courses that include collaboration and reflection. Assessing student performance. Written for faculty in any distance learning environment, this revised edition is based on the authors many years of work in faculty development for online teaching as well as their extensive personal experience as faculty in online distance education. Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt share insights designed to guide readers through the steps of online course design and delivery.
What makes a powerful and results-driven Professional Learning Community (PLC)? The answer is collaborative work that expands the emphasis on student learning and leverages individual teacher efficacy into collective teacher efficacy. PLC+: Better Decisions and Greater Impact by Design calls for strong and effective PLCs plus—and that plus is YOU. Until now, the PLC movement has been focused almost exclusively on students and what they were or were not learning. But keeping student learning at the forefront requires that we also recognize the vital role that you play in the equation of teaching and learning. This means that PLCs must take on two additional challenges: maximizing your individual expertise, while harnessing the power of the collaborative expertise you can develop with your peers. PLC+ is grounded in four cross-cutting themes—a focus on equity of access and opportunity, high expectations for all students, a commitment to building individual self-efficacy and the collective efficacy of the professional learning community and effective team activation and facilitation to move from discussion to action. The PLC+ framework supports educators in considering five essential questions as they work together to improve student learning: Where are we going? Where are we now? How do we move learning forward? What did we learn today? Who benefited and who did not benefit? The PLC+ framework leads educators to question practices as well as outcomes. It broadens the focus on student learning to encompass educational equity and teaching efficacy, and, in doing so, it leads educators to plan and implement learning communities that maximize individual expertise while harnessing the power of collaborative efficacy.
The field of e-learning continues to experience dramatic and turbulent growth. Over time, as technology has improved and the method's real capabilities have emerged, e-learning has gained widespread acceptance and is now the fastest growing sector of corporate learning. As in years past, Michael Allen's Annual offers a diverse and important collection that contains some of the most current insights and best practices that will help both educators and workplace learning leaders address issues of design and implementation, as well as strategy and culture. In addition, this new volume offers a diverse mix of content that spans the full spectrum of technology-based learning. Year after year, the Annual discusses emerging trends in social media; showcases e-learning innovation; presents contemporary- and best-practices; tackles big-picture, strategic issues; and provides a host of useful tips and techniques. Additional content is also available online. Praise for Michael Allen's 2012 e-Learning Annual "Michael Allen's Annual really is annual. I found new examples and provocative ideas—just what I was looking for." —Allison Rossett, professor of educational technology, San Diego State University "Just another academic anthology? Hardly! Michael Allen has convinced e-learning's super-heroes to join forces to crush complacency, demolish dogma, rewrite rules, streamline strategies, and light a brighter future for e-learning. Warning: The accumulated wisdom and original thinking of this elite team of designers, practitioners, consultants, and researchers will leave you dissatisfied with your current e-learning efforts and aching to put their ideas into play." —William Horton, author, e-Learning by Design and consultant, William Horton Consulting "The real learning at conferences takes place in the hallways. This wonderful book is like eavesdropping on those conversations, except that Michael has put the top thinkers in our field in the hall for you." —Jay Cross, chairman, Internet Time Alliance Nabeel Ahmad Clark Aldrich Bobbe Baggio Tony Bingham Julia Bulkowski Bryan Chapman Phil Cowcill Allan Henderson Peter Isackson Cheryl Johnson Cathy King Leslie Kirshaw Tina Kunshier David Metcalf Corinne Miller Craig Montgomerie Frank Nguyen Maria Plakhotnik Tonette Rocco Anita Rosen Patti Shank Clive Shepherd Martyn Sloman Belinda Smith Susan Smith Nash Ken Spero Carla Torgerson Thomas Toth Reuben Tozman Marc Weinstein
