Creating Community in an Online Classroom - What Does This Even Mean?
When I was first asked to teach a new class at Trinity that would be online, I immediately jumped at the chance! Then I was told that I would need to take "How to Teach Online" before actually doing it. Then I was informed that the teaching of my new online class would begin only 1.5 weeks after starting the "How to Teach Online." Imagine my anxiety!
So here I am almost one week into taking the class, and 5 days out from teaching the class. The writing of the Learner's Guide for my new course was easy. I had guidelines and ideas, but how do I write easily understood instructions for people I probably wouldn't ever "see?" So I started doing what I thought was best. Then I received Rick's Getting Started in OL101 and my heart sunk just a little. I had incorporated what I thought were great ideas, readings and assignments. I used Moodle databases, quizzes, assignments, links, etc. But now how do I create a sense of community?
So I started reading Rick's list. There is some pretty fantastic information in those articles, but a few things really stood out for me. Thormann (2014) uses two different types of forums for his online courses. He has named them The Coffee Shop and The Teacher's Room. The Coffee Shop is a place that is less formal and students can write and comment on ideas they may come up with as the course unfolds. Students can discuss ideas, not only for the course or classroom, but also for what they're thinking about trying, what their fears are in teaching, stories about their own classes, etc. The Teacher's Room is a more formal place to submit very well-written assignments. Ideas can, of course be presented here, but this is much more of the formal place. I love this idea! I'm not quite sure how I could incorporate both of those places into my online class with the content I am required to teach, so I would love some ideas! I think this would be a fantastic way to create community because students would have a place they could actually "talk" to one another like you do in a regular face to face classroom.
Second, Riedel (2014) states that Video and Audio trumps Text. This was a huge eye opener for me. As I was writing my online class, I incorporated lots of assignments and projects that students will be able to write, view and then comment on others, but I did not even think about video or audio of themselves. Now I know why Rick had us introduce ourselves over video. Now I can put a face to a name and I really then felt like we were all in this together. I will definitely be changing that for the next time I teach an online course. Riedel also suggests that each class should have to answer two questions: What did you learn from others? and What did you contribute to the learning of others? Again, big eye opener. Because we do not see these students face to face, we have to rely on text, video an audio to learn. I'm considering putting these two questions in every time a student has to make a comment on another student's blog. What a great question starter and they will really need to put some thought into answering that.
Finally, Erickson and Neset (2014) suggest recording weekly video or audio announcements. Another great idea! Instead of writing everything for the course, using some type of recording will show your students that you're human. You make mistakes, you have a sense of humor (or not!), and that you care enough about them as a person to take the time to make a special recording just for that week. This also led me to think about using video or more so, audio, for feedback. What a great way for the students to hear the emotion and inflection in your voice while you offer feedback on an assignment. This again, makes the course more "real" and what students are used to.
I'm curious to see what others have thought and what new ideas I can "steal" from them!
So here I am almost one week into taking the class, and 5 days out from teaching the class. The writing of the Learner's Guide for my new course was easy. I had guidelines and ideas, but how do I write easily understood instructions for people I probably wouldn't ever "see?" So I started doing what I thought was best. Then I received Rick's Getting Started in OL101 and my heart sunk just a little. I had incorporated what I thought were great ideas, readings and assignments. I used Moodle databases, quizzes, assignments, links, etc. But now how do I create a sense of community?
So I started reading Rick's list. There is some pretty fantastic information in those articles, but a few things really stood out for me. Thormann (2014) uses two different types of forums for his online courses. He has named them The Coffee Shop and The Teacher's Room. The Coffee Shop is a place that is less formal and students can write and comment on ideas they may come up with as the course unfolds. Students can discuss ideas, not only for the course or classroom, but also for what they're thinking about trying, what their fears are in teaching, stories about their own classes, etc. The Teacher's Room is a more formal place to submit very well-written assignments. Ideas can, of course be presented here, but this is much more of the formal place. I love this idea! I'm not quite sure how I could incorporate both of those places into my online class with the content I am required to teach, so I would love some ideas! I think this would be a fantastic way to create community because students would have a place they could actually "talk" to one another like you do in a regular face to face classroom.
Second, Riedel (2014) states that Video and Audio trumps Text. This was a huge eye opener for me. As I was writing my online class, I incorporated lots of assignments and projects that students will be able to write, view and then comment on others, but I did not even think about video or audio of themselves. Now I know why Rick had us introduce ourselves over video. Now I can put a face to a name and I really then felt like we were all in this together. I will definitely be changing that for the next time I teach an online course. Riedel also suggests that each class should have to answer two questions: What did you learn from others? and What did you contribute to the learning of others? Again, big eye opener. Because we do not see these students face to face, we have to rely on text, video an audio to learn. I'm considering putting these two questions in every time a student has to make a comment on another student's blog. What a great question starter and they will really need to put some thought into answering that.
Finally, Erickson and Neset (2014) suggest recording weekly video or audio announcements. Another great idea! Instead of writing everything for the course, using some type of recording will show your students that you're human. You make mistakes, you have a sense of humor (or not!), and that you care enough about them as a person to take the time to make a special recording just for that week. This also led me to think about using video or more so, audio, for feedback. What a great way for the students to hear the emotion and inflection in your voice while you offer feedback on an assignment. This again, makes the course more "real" and what students are used to.
I'm curious to see what others have thought and what new ideas I can "steal" from them!
Rick did give us a lot to think about, did he not? :) I too like the idea from Thormann about "The Coffee Shop" and "The Teacher's Room." If a F2F class , I find it pretty easy and natural to work out with students both implicitly and explicitly where non-Standard English is okay and where Standard English is required, or where we are just spitballing ideas versus where we are making polished arguments. Thormann's suggestion gives an easy and clear version of that in the online classroom, and I really like that.
ReplyDeleteDiane, you really don't have a lot of time to learn how to teach online before you are in the thick of it, do you? I know that it's best to have your online course totally in place and ready to go before you ever begin, so I also know that it's going to be difficult to include much that you learn from OL 101. Hopefully you can glean some strategies and ideas that you will be able to infuse as you go, but I think the real benefit will come the next time you teach the course and actually have a chance to build it all in before you start.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you like the idea of using video and audio, and I believe that you can do quite a bit here, even at the last minute.
Hi Diane,
ReplyDeleteI'm in the same boat as you...I am also teaching a hybrid course while taking this course (as well as teaching in Chicago Public Schools until it closes on June 20th). I also like the ideas of The Coffee Shop and The Teacher's Room as well as asking the students, "What did you learn from others?" and "What did you contribute to the learning of others?" It certainly makes sense that "Video Trumps Text" in Riedel's article because most people are visual and auditory learners and can retain much more information when presented in this format. I wonder if there is a simple way to also have the text displayed as we speak on video, that is, like closed captions for the hearing impaired. I know that people with processing deficits benefit from using all 3 modalities for comprehension.
I'm also a fan of The Coffee Shop/Teacher's Room idea, and I'd be interested to try it out. I can see it being a spot where students can communicate while toning down the academic pressures. Plus, it seems to me that it's better to err on the side of too many "community building" opportunities in an online class, rather than risk too few. However, the skeptical part of me thinks that The Coffee Shop/Teacher's Room will likely just sit idle the entire 8-16 weeks, if there are no assignments attached to them.
ReplyDeleteDave I agree with you that if there isn't an assignment attached or even a simple reflection some things will go unnoticed and just sit Idle as you say. In the adult education program the courses are only 5 weeks long so I often find myself picking and choosing wisely when I need more time on a topic and what I can trim. I want my students to get as much information as possible without contributing to their already hectic lives.
DeleteDiane,
ReplyDeleteI want to learn more about online teaching to use as a tool for connecting with the Adult Studies Adjuncts. I am thinking about ways to start blogs, resources and online chats so that our adjucts will feel connected to the college and we will have ways to support the adjuncts with information and staying connected to colleagues. In other words, I would like to build a community of support for our adjncts. I appreciate the opportunity to have that idea manifest.