principles of managing time and boundaries in the virtual classroom harry starn, jr., ms, cfa, cfp®...
TRANSCRIPT
P r i n c i p l e s o f M a n a g i n g T i m e a n d B o u n d a r i e s i n
t h e V i r t u a l C l a s s r o o m
Harry Starn, Jr., MS, CFA, CFP®Director of Distance Learning
How Many Students in the Class?
“The Most Needed Competency for Online Instructors” by Daniel Fusch, AI Academic Impressions http://www.academicimpressions.com/news/most-needed-competency-online-instructors
“A faculty member told me once that he was just overwhelmed, just swamped, by the amount of communication needed in his online course. He just couldn’t handle it.”
Introduction
“Workload Management Strategies for Online Educators” by Tena Crews and colleagues. http://www.thejeo.com/Archives/Volume10Number2/MandernachHudsonWise.pdf
Time issues:- Student contact- Course admin- Grading
8 Suggestionsfor managing your time and boundaries
in the virtual classroom
#1 – Establish Expectations for Student-Contact Responsiveness
• Set bar for how quickly will you respond to student inquiries– During the week– During the weekend
• Office hours• Scheduling of appointment
Online learning is 24/7 but that doesn’t mean you are in the virtual classroom all day and night
Course Expectations Thread
Set a reasonable standard
#2 – Sustainable Pace / Daily Routine
Daily Routine
• You select time and place to check in• When are you most effective?• Consider blocking out time• You may have to adapt for rhythms of the
class (they will be different dynamics)
Tip: Higher frequency / less time per engagement
#3 – Aim for “Strategic Presence”
• Communicate regularly (e.g., class reminders, group emails)
• Balance synchronous and asynchronous contact• Show discussion board presence several times in
the week• Meaningful, timely feedback
Establishing the right balance… not too little, not overload, but just right
“Instructor Presence in the Online Class – Key to Learner Success” Online Learner Insightshttps://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/instructor-presence-in-the-online-class-key-to-learner-success/
Strategic Presence
• So professor… “What’s the answer”• Guiding the discussion
2 Personal Case Studies
#4 – Think Leverage for Group Communication
• Use live chats as your face-to-face session to answer content questions
• Send out group announcements• Consider building a resource of FAQs• Weekly one-minute surveys
When can group communication replace 1-on-1?
What is the best communication tool?
One-on-One Class Feedback
Answer student questions during the live chats or discussion board thread, rather than by email.
#5 – Shift Student/Faculty Roles
• Student-led activities• Study groups• Research activities in discussion board• “Flipped classroom” concept even in fully-
online environment
Students learning from students
Students as the Instructor
Interactive Live Chats
#6 – Leverage the LMS
• Detailed, automatic grading and feedback on quizzes
• Resource links• Learner analytics• Course shells / course copy
Let the learning management system do some of the work for you.
“Instructor Presence in the Online Class – Key to Learner Success” Online Learner Insightshttps://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/instructor-presence-in-the-online-class-key-to-learner-success/
Efficiencies of the LMS
Taking the time to create detailed feedback can save hours of work in answering student questions.
Learner Analytics
#7 – Setting the Stage
• User-friendly course navigation• “Self-help” introductory materials • Student orientation to the online environment• Technology training and help desk information• Detailed syllabus• Course expectations thread• Broadcast letter
Reduces administrative/technology questions
Broadcast Letter (pre-class)
#8 – Use Institutional Resources
• Center for Teaching and Learning• Distance Learning Group• ISS• Your colleagues
Ask for help and you will get it
In summary…
1. Set the boundaries (expectations) on day one
2. Incorporate time-management efficiencies so that you can focus your energies on student learning outcomes
Discussion
Resources
“Effective Workload Management Strategies for the Online Environment,” Lawrence C Regan and Sara L Terheggen, Penn State University World Campus, 2003. http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/sites/default/files/legacy_static/pdf/fac/workload_strat.pdf
“Faculty Strategies for Balancing Workload When Teaching Online,” Simone C O Conceicao and Rosemary M Lehman, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2010. https://www.msu.edu/~mwr2p/ConceicaoLehman-MR2P-2010.pdf
“Where has the Time Gone? Faculty Activities and Time Commitments in the Online Classroom,” B Jean Mandernach, Swinton Hudson and Shanna Wise, Grand Canyon University http://www.thejeo.com/Archives/Volume10Number2/MandernachHudsonWise.pdf
“The Most-Needed Competency for Online Instructors,” Daniel Fusch, Director of Penn State’s Center for Online Innovations in Learning, Academic Impressions, 2014. http://www.academicimpressions.com/news/most-needed-competency-online-instructors
