Three Tips- Louis Weiner

Close Personal
Interaction Must Be
Maintained

One of the best things about being inside a classroom with an instructor and other students is the direct personal interaction. Of course that type of interaction is impossible during an online class. That’s why is it so important for the instructor to do everything possible to simulate that close personal interaction online. An instructor who ignores this facet of teaching risks alienating the students. Online instruction is difficult enough for students. It’s made even more difficult if the students feel ignored or unappreciated. Offering various ways for students to communicate with the instructor and each other enhances the learning experience. Through the use of chats, forums and emails online students have various options to maintain close personal interaction.

Courses Should Cover
All Material

In most cases online students pay the same amount of money, or even more, as students who physically attend college classes. For this reason it’s important that the lessons taught online cover the exact material taught inside a classroom. While it may be challenging for an instructor to incorporate all course materials into an online version of the class, anything less would be unfair to the students.

Course Design Should
Be Shaped to the
Potentials of the Medium

While an online course should cover the same material as a similar on campus class, it provides a bigger challenge for the online instructor. Some aspects of an on campus class just can’t be recreated online. That’s why it’s important for an instructor to design the class properly to suit the medium. While a lecture given in a classroom could be also given online, other aspects of that class session may need to be manipulated. For example, a traditional on campus lecture may incorporate hands on manipulation of tools or other technology. Since that would be impossible online, the instructor must figure out a way to get the same points across using available online tools.