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Article
Being There: Basic Strategies for Online Teaching Presence in Canvas LMS*
By N. Rachael Sweeten, M.Ed. Instructional Design & Educational Technologies
The element that sets successful online courses apart from old-style correspondence courses is: presence. Well-taught, well-designed online courses can allow students to get to know each other and their instructors even better than in traditional lecture classrooms. Interaction is the key. Online course presence may require instructors to communicate much differently than their classroom comfort zones. Communication focuses less—or not at all--on body language and tone of voice.
So, how do you communicate?
Online courses do not run themselves. Effective instructors leverage clear, frequent messaging and considerate planning. Ongoing instructor availability for timely questions is vital. Instructors must stay engaged daily to keep students progressing and adding value for each other. Online teaching takes as much time as classroom teaching; it just happens at different times and locations.
Here are some ideas:
Create a Good Beginning
The element that sets successful online courses apart from old-style correspondence courses is: presence. Well-taught, well-designed online courses can allow students to get to know each other and their instructors even better than in traditional lecture classrooms. Interaction is the key. Online course presence may require instructors to communicate much differently than their classroom comfort zones. Communication focuses less—or not at all--on body language and tone of voice.
So, how do you communicate?
Online courses do not run themselves. Effective instructors leverage clear, frequent messaging and considerate planning. Ongoing instructor availability for timely questions is vital. Instructors must stay engaged daily to keep students progressing and adding value for each other. Online teaching takes as much time as classroom teaching; it just happens at different times and locations.
Here are some ideas:
Create a Good Beginning
- Create introductory Discussions with detailed question prompts to break the ice and help students connect personally. Example:
- Shy students who may not speak up in classrooms will often write more in an online discussion post.
- Clarify expectations. In addition to the official policies in a syllabus, be sure to include separate discussion board etiquette instructions and basic explanations of the course structure. Example: “All materials and assignments are accessed through the Modules link. Discussions are due each Wednesday by 11:59 pm and major assignments are due on Sundays by 11:59 pm.”
- Include an Instructor Bio content page with a photo or short, personal video. Avoid reciting information that is already in the syllabus. Reveal what you love about your field, what you want students to gain from the semester, and assure students that you are looking forward to working with them.
- Include Week 1 setup assignments for Instructure Canvas LMS system success (notifications, profile, assignment submissions and system requirements.) Include an email requirement for immediate student questions or comments to you as the instructor.
- Answer each email personally. Use repeated student questions to help you create general Announcements and course improvements.
- Grade weekly assignments before the next assignment is due. Students cannot improve without timely feedback.
- Post due dates for the entire semester on day 1 so that students can plan for success. Lack of pacing and direction is counterproductive. Canvas Assignment Due Dates trigger the To-Do List reminder system and populate the student calendar for your course combined with all of their other courses. (To reduce your instructor communication burden, avoid available and until dates unless absolutely necessary. Example: A Final Exam with a solid end date and no re-takes.)
- Use the Canvas Gradebook reminder/messaging feature to quickly remind students who miss assignments, where late work is allowed.
- Be present in your course daily and strive to complete some type of communication with each login.
- Aim for twice daily [minimum] to respond to messages and questions.
- Be clear. Detailed instructions are written for the least tech-savvy students. Make no assumptions. Include info links, definitions of terminology and expectations of length. Include links to specific Canvas Guides for Students in your assignment instructions for those who need step-by-step tutorials.
- Be sure you understand Canvas and get help from Canvas Instructor Guides to avoid creating dead-ends and frustration for your students. (Example: Make sure that hyperlinks to outside sites open in a neighboring tab. Use Modules navigation and avoid links within text that divert your students to another location in Canvas, ie., students won't finish reading a page if they click a link midstream and land elsewhere.)
- Curate multiple examples of successfully completed assignments for students to emulate and surpass. Varied assignment examples will invite deeper learning inferences and creative thinking.
- Use Rubrics. Students will know where to spend their energy on assignments and have fewer complaints or questions. Rubrics help instructors give consistent, fast feedback without writing the same comments again and again.
- UX. User test your navigation and course layout to ensure it is not confusing. The adventure is in the materials, not in the navigation. (Research QM Quality Matters Rubric for Online Course Design, QOLT, and other quality assurance standards.)
- Plan your course assignment due dates and pacing with the Academic Calendar and Holiday Calendar. Many students work and appreciate Sunday night due dates. Instructors also need to be available for questions immediately prior to deadlines. Clarify your anticipated response times and weekend availability for questions.
- Include early course feedback—approximately week 3 in a semester—to gather student feedback on the course design, not the instructor! Minor course adjustments and clarifications can create major attitude improvements and student success. Use the Quiz tool for a required survey, grading only the student’s participation and not the answers.
- Aim for quality, not quantity. Use the auto-grading quiz tool for low-stakes chapter quizzes to ensure that students read materials. Save precious grading time for the most meaningful projects and writings that require your human touch.
- Reward Curiosity. Make your ePortfolio assignments the most memorable, impactful part of your course. (Research topics: Problem-Based/Project Based Learning, Backwards Design, and High Impact Teaching Practices.)
- Keep assignment settings unlocked and flexible wherever possible so that students can look ahead.
- Remember that many students take online courses for flexibility. Allow responsible students to submit early for holidays, vacations, and personal obligations.
- Reward Persistence. Ease student anxiety by using low-stakes quiz settings that allow multiple attempts to raise grades. Allow major writing assignments to be resubmitted after feedback and revisions.
- Reward Contributions. Create opportunities for students to locate and share content from current events with each other in course Discussions.
- Participate with your own instructor comments intermittently for strongest results. Watch discussion spaces and participate subtly to allow students to converse more authentically.
- Plan group projects in detail. Include detailed outlines, expectations, and suggestions for group roles that align with grading rubrics. Use collaboration spaces like GoogleDocs and Presentations that allow group members to work asynchronously and visibly.
- Offer forums and opportunities for students to answer questions for each other.
- Create open peer reviews in Discussions and set parameters for meaningful feedback where students take on the teaching & feedback role for each other.
- Become a coach. Online courses are designed and polished in advance to free instructors for the coaching role rather than being the Sage on the stage.
- Distill your life wisdom to re-examine the most efficient ways to think like an expert. Then, add inspirations for creativity and allow your students to add value teaching you in return. Courses are improved semester-to-semester by engaged students.
- Help students create their own tools for life and work.
- Help students create proud evidence of what they have learned in the form of research papers, meaningful projects, and creative ePortfolio artifacts.
- Keep feedback positive, wherever possible.
- Be specific when revisions are needed. If your requirements are strict, then assignment instructions and rubrics must match that precision. If your instructions are loose and flexible, your grading should reflect this style of teaching.
- Be human. Use a conversational style in your Announcements and assignment directions that balances professionalism and friendliness. Written format is automatically more cold sounding, so account for this in your writing.
Film Essay: Smoke Signals
Enough Fry Bread to Go Around: A Journey of Conflict and Unity in Smoke Signals
Link to IMDB Film Site: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120321/
Link to IMDB Film Site: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120321/
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Blog: Writer's List“I love a good story...or at very least I will stalk one.”-NRS Top Ten Reasons to Blog:
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