This is a guest interview with Laresa Trusty, an instructional designer at Texas A&M-Central Texas. Would you like to be interviewed for IDeaBook? Contact me at t_b246@txstate.edu.
Why is an engaged online community important in online and hybrid courses?
Simply put, engagement is how interested the learner is in what is going on in the class. When most of the contact is online, it represents a challenge to make a connection with the student.
Research supports the fact that attention, focus, and creativity increase when a student is engaged with the curriculum, the instructor, and with their peers.
A very interesting study by Martin and Bolliger (2018) on the subject of engagement titled, “Engagement Matters: Student Perceptions on the Importance of Engagement Strategies in the Online Learning Environment”, supports the importance of all engagement strategies. It concluded that engagement with the instructor was the most valued engagement by the students who participated in the study.
What methods and tools have you used to build online community in the past?
- Introductory video of the instructor welcoming students to the course
- Introductory discussion between the students
- Contact hours, with additional online meeting with WebEx or Zoom if needed
- Providing in-depth feedback in a timely manner
- Group assignments
- Videos to break up text
How do you go about selecting a tool for building online community?
I conduct a needs analysis and then consult with the SME (subject matter expert) to find out what they are comfortable with and make suggestions about different methods and tools we could use to make the course more engaging. I read blogs, search for new tools, and try out new tools on a monthly basis. Conferences are also a very good resource for the latest tools and successes that others have had with those tools.
How engaged should the instructor or trainer be in the online community of the course? For example, what is the instructor’s role in student forums?
The instructor’s role in online learning is more of a facilitator to keep the class running smoothly. They should let their presence be known without impeding the connection between the students and the curriculum.
The instructor should also post regularly to model the behavior they expect and emphasize their presence in the course.
In the study mentioned above, the author found that student’s perceived the instructor presence to be more valuable than the interactions with the material and other students.
How do you handle issues around netiquette in your online course?
There is a netiquette statement in the syllabus, and I discuss it in the welcome as well. The main focus is to let students know that this is a professional setting, and not social media.
Do you have any online community tips to share with the IDeaBook community?
Create opportunities for the learners to collaborate. Chunk information, and break text and lectures up with videos and short exercises to avoid eyes glazing over, mine included! I’m a big fan of storytelling as well. In my humble opinion, storytelling is the most effortless and effective way to learn and retain.
References
Martin, F. & Bolliger, D. (2018). Engagement Matters: Student Perceptions on the Importance of Engagement Strategies in the Online Learning Environment. Online Learning Journal, 22 (1), 205-222.