Lesson four: Provide opportunities for synchronous instruction. In secondary settings, students are still children. Teachers must demonstrate presence in the virtual classroom in a tangible manner. Providing opportunities for live interaction with the teacher, either in person or through communication technologies, increases the student-teacher relationship. Combining elements of online and face-to-face communication improves the online learning experiences for students and alleviates feelings of isolation. Synchronous instruction can take the form of live lessons, office hours, or collaborative group work in real time.
Studies indicate distance-learning outcomes were less positive when instructor involvement was low (as in “canned” applications), with effects becoming more positive when instructor involvement increased (Zhao et al, 2005). Bottom line, teachers and district administrators must have policies and expectations in place that entrench teacher presence and live interaction to obtain positive student outcomes.
Lesson five: Chose content carefully. If you build your own, purchase or lease content, make sure it is aligned and does not require heavy customization to line up with your standards. When first starting out, renting content is the quickest way to get started. However, teachers need to have the ability to customize the curriculum to fit their needs and teaching styles. When developing your own content, realize designing online curriculum requires a different skill set than classroom teaching.
If a district is using teachers to build content, online design principles, instructional technology, and the ability to create digital content skills must be taught and modeled. You do not want a course that is a series of PDF files or dizzying amounts of text on a page. Model what you want the end product to look like. If possible, hire instructional designers to support the building of curriculum.
Lesson six: Select passionate leaders. As with any new instructional model, a new program will come under scrutiny. Be prepared to answer questions about effectiveness and worth. A leader who can share the benefits of online learning and help others navigate the changes a new program brings to a district will garner needed support. Hire teachers that are believers in the benefits and authenticity of online learning and who will be committed to student and program success.
- 7 key steps in creating an online learning program - July 4, 2014