Engaging Online Students Through Design, Motivation, and Support

 

 

Workshop Date to Be Determined

Understanding student motivation and support strategies for online learning can help reduce online learner dropout. This workshop focuses on strategies to motivate, retain,  and engage students in online courses.

What are the Reasons Students Dropout of Online Courses?

Participation in online education continues to grow globally. However, online student retention and factors for student persistence can be alarming. Studies in the new millennium have confirmed that students often fail to complete online courses and as many as 50-70% drop out of their online courses. Reasons for student dropout include feelings of isolation, frustration, and disconnection; technology disruption; lack of contact with instructors; lack of student and technology support; lack of instructor participation during class discussion; lack of clarity in instructional direction or expectation; and lack of social interaction.

 

Why is it Important to Understand Student Persistence in Online Courses?

Understanding student persistence can help us identify external and internal factors involved in retaining students and reducing online learner dropout rates. Students face many barriers when taking online courses, including lack of preparation and skills plus external factors such as financial or child care needs. Also, internal factors, such as self-esteem, feeling of belonging to the course, social interaction, or access to support services, can be instrumental to retaining online students. There are a number of ways that instructors can find out who their students are and what factors could impact their learning and ability to complete an online course so that instructors can utilize strategies and provide the resources and support they need to be successful.

Focus of the Workshop

This workshop focuses on strategies for motivating and retaining students in online courses. 

 

In this workshop, participants will:

• Explore design strategies for retaining students in an online course.
• Discover student strategies for staying motivated and engaged during an online course.
• Identify support strategies for helping online students persist by managing their time and tasks.
• Adopt strategies to promote student success by helping them manage their workload.

For more information, contact us. To see all the workshops we have available, go to Professional Development for Instructors.

Why is It Important to Offer Instructors Professional Development?

Higher education instructors need to learn anew and rethink pedagogical strategies when designing and teaching online and blended delivery formats. Instructors crave opportunities to discuss and share their experiences with others. Yet there are few opportunities in their work to do so. This episode, part of the Adult Learning Exchange Virtual Community Podcast, under the Series “Professional Development for Instructors,” is for administrators, faculty developers, and instructors. This episode explains the importance of professional development for instructors and how instructors can benefit. Subscribe to or follow the online forum. If you are interested in the interactive workshops we offer, check our website.

 

Listen to Podcast

 

 Episode 1 Professional Development for Instructors Transcripts

 

References

Baran, E., & Correia, A. P. (2014). A professional development framework for online teaching. TechTrends, 58, 95-101.

Skibba, K. A. (2012). Adult learning influence on faculty learning cycle: Individual and shared reflections while learning to teach online lead to pedagogical transformations. In Virtual Mentoring for Teachers: Online Professional Development Practices.

Skibba, K. & Widmer, M. (2021). Blended Faculty Community of Inquiry Transforms Online Teaching Perceptions and Practices. In A. B. Picciano A.G., Dziuban, C., Graham, C. & Moskal, P. (Eds), Blended Learning Research Perspectives Volume 3. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

Pelletier K, McCormack M, Reeves J, Robert J, Arbino N, Dickson-Deane C, Guevara C, Koster L, Sanchez-Mendiola M, Bessette LS, Stine J. (2022). [1] 2022 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report.

Instructor Workload and Time Management

 

Workshop Date to Be Determined

 

Teaching online requires unique methods of time and classroom management. This workshop explores a variety of ways to manage an online course, including approaches to support learners, communicate expectations, and plan time effectively. 

Why is it Important to Manage Workload While Teaching Online?

Managing an online course means juggling many responsibilities that can be time-consuming. Because students are located at a distance, online instructors need good course management skills and should communicate regularly with their students. Instructors also need to know how to use their time efficiently in an online environment that is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

 

What's Needed to Manage Workload While Teaching Online?

Teaching online requires unique methods of time and classroom management. It entails a distinctive type of workload in comparison to face-to-face instruction depending on the different components of the design process (such as content type, course format, strategies, instructor role, technology, and support) and influencing factors (such as number of courses taught, learner enrollment, level of instruction [undergraduate/graduate], etc.). 

Focus of the Workshop

This workshop explores a variety of ways to manage an online course, including approaches to support learners, communicate expectations, and plan time effectively for both you and your students.  

  

In this workshop, participants will:

• Identify course tasks that allow online instructors to plan, prioritize, and manage workload.
• Identify tangible factors to determine instructor workload based on time spent on the tasks to be accomplished before, during, and at the end of an online course.
• Discuss the use of a learning design process to balance workload based on tasks.
• Use a template for managing tasks and prioritizing time that can serve as a guide for balancing workload when creating an online course.
  

For more information, contact us. To see all the workshops we have available, go to Professional Development for Instructors.

Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching

 

Workshop Date to Be Determined

Are you concerned that you are not creating an online environment where your students feel like they are part of the course? Learning about creating a sense of presence online will give you the strategies you need to help you and your students feel connected. We offer an interactive workshop that can help you or your instructors. 

Why is a Sense of Presence so Important?

Presence is important to reduce student isolation, deepen learning, promote a more inclusive environment, develop connections, and make learning more enjoyable. As online learning becomes the norm, an awareness and understanding of the concept of presence in the classroom takes on new meaning. 

What's the Difference Between Face-to-Face and Online?

In the traditional face-to-face classroom, learners are with the instructor and other learners in the same space with a clear sense of time and a feeling of closeness with each other. In this case, the feeling of presence is easily perceived because learners, the instructor, and other learners are there with each other. In the online environment, however, the feeling of presence is elusive: there are no spatial or place boundaries; time is flexible; learners, instructor, and other learners are not in proximity; the use of the senses requires adaptation to the online environment; the type of interaction needs to be rethought; and instructional planning needs to be intentional and in advance. 

Focus of the Workshop

This workshop focuses on the social nature of online learning and how the sense of presence is felt and experienced using a framework that provides ways in which you can determine presence in your online course. 

In this workshop, participants will: 

• Explore the various aspects of the “Being There” for the Online Learner Model (the dimensions of the learner, types of experience, modes of presence, and the interface with the online environment). 

• Discover the Framework for Designing Online Courses with a Sense of Presence. 

• Identify activities that create a sense of presence (before the course starts, during the course, and at the end of the course) and apply them through practical examples. 

For more information, contact us. To see all the workshops we have available, go to Professional Development for Instructors.

Welcome to Professional Development for Instructors Online Forum!

 

This forum, facilitated by Dr. Simone Conceição and Dr. Karen Skibba, focuses on online and hybrid resources, webinars, micro-courses, and podcast episodes for instructors. We invite you to join the forum, follow the postings, and share resources!