How to teach in cyberspace
Author: Hodgson, Pamela. Source: Techniques (Association for Career and Technical Education) v. 74 no5 (May 1999) p. 34-6 ISSN: 1527-1803 Number: BEDI99013242 Copyright: The magazine publisher is the copyright holder of this article and it is reproduced with permission. Further reproduction of this article in violation of the copyright is prohibited. Distance learning is booming as schools continue to keep pace with the needs of their students. Working parents are taking Web-based courses at times convenient to their schedules. Students in rural areas are using e-mail to communicate with instructors they may never meet in person. A recent Department of Education study of postsecondary schools found that 58 percent of two-year and 62 percent of four-year public colleges offer distance education courses. Another 28 percent of two-year and 23 percent of four-year public colleges plan to start offering distance courses within three years. So, who will teach distance students? If you're a new teacher or you plan to be in the teaching profession for the next several years, chances are you're going to get called up to the plate. Look at it as an exciting opportunity to teach in different ways. And realize that mastering distance instruction can make you a more marketable teacher. FIND YOUR CUSTOM FITSome institutions, like the University of Phoenix, are using custom-made software that automates networking capabilities, making it easier to link the computers of students, teachers and schools. All students must load the software onto their personal computers to access their courses. When students tap into the school's network, course materials, notes and discussions are automatically downloaded and the student's assignments and comments are uploaded. Other schools are keeping it simpler and inexpensive. Thomas College in Waterville, Maine, for instance, uses the World Wide Web to post class information. Students need a current version of Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer to participate. Many schools also use a password-protected system. But the daunting part for many instructors is actually teaching the distance course. It's one thing to learn how to use the technology and quite another to use it well. In almost all cases, the teacher provides a "lecture" at least once a week. This could be in the form of a broadcast e-mail message to all students or it could be a document posted on the course's Web page. In these formats students may not be able to hear the inflections in your voice or see the expressions on your face, but you can include hyperlinks for emphasis. Hyperlinks are words or phrases that when clicked take the reader directly to related Web material, like definitions or additional readings. Most current versions of Microsoft Word include this feature. But live interaction between teachers and students also is key to distance learning success. Live chat sessions, in which students and faculty meet at a set time and have discussions by keying in their comments and questions, can be a lively way to learn. Shy students who tend not to participate in traditional classroom discussions may feel encouraged to type in their two cents. After the chat, which usually lasts about an hour, a transcript of the discussion can be posted to the class Web page for students who missed it. It's also a good reference for teachers to have; they can refer back to it to see which concepts generated the most questions or discussion. Many Internet-based courses, however, rely less on chat sessions because such sessions require all participants to be available at the same time--an obstacle that led to this sort of class in the first place. Professor Thomas Easton's technology education students at Thomas College use weekly chat sessions to exchange notes and ask each other questions about upcoming assignments. They also use online message boards (which unlike live chat sessions always are available) to post questions about their coursework and add to comments from the weekly chat session. Amy Sterling Casil, who teaches writing at several institutions, gives her weekly lectures via live chat sessions, working from notes much as she does in the classroom. MAKE FRIENDS WITH TECHNOLOGYTeachers must achieve a high comfort level with technology to teach distance courses successfully. "Most of the children in my classroom have a computer at home and are comfortable with the technology," says Maryjane Stafford, a veteran classroom teacher who is studying technology education in Easton's Internet-based class. "It's the teachers currently teaching who are caught in the transition who will have the more difficult time," she adds.
Stafford's colleague and classmate Lynda Ogden agrees. "Part of the problem stems from the fact that teachers are expected to learn the technology on their own time." Most schools that offer distance courses may offer (or require) technology training for faculty. But there are some that leave it up to the teacher to become familiar with the software or computer network. In these cases, teachers should take the initiative to meet with the technology administrator or coordinator--whoever is in charge of maintaining the distance learning system. Other good resources include the "for dummies" technology manuals that are available at virtually any bookstore. If students will be filing assignments electronically, teachers should be prepared to translate various file formats, too (such as Microsoft Word, Word Perfect and Corel). Hand in hand with feeling comfortable about distance learning technology is feeling comfortable with the written word. "Written communication better become your strength," says Al Stauffer, who teaches several subjects, including technology education, at the University of Phoenix. "There's no room for ambiguity.". Without the benefit of an ironic tone or joking facial expression to expose the true meaning of a statement, Stauffer recommends that teachers be cautious and direct in their comments--and be alert to student statements that could be taken the wrong way. But when conflict does arise, teachers must not participate or allow themselves to be offended under any circumstances, says Paul Levinson, whose company, Connected Education, has been developing Internet-based courses for accredited institutions since 1985. He advises teachers to comment on the conflict quickly to neutralize any hostility among students that could take away from learning. That's not to say that everything you or your students say online has to be boring. Stauffer, known for the jokes he tells in his traditional classroom, brings his sense of humor and lively conversational style to his online lectures and discussions. He says maintaining this approach and applying it to his keyboard helps keep his students interested and involved. BE A QUICK AND PERSISTENT COMMUNICATORA downside of distance learning is that you can't see the student in the back of the room looking puzzled or bored. Most successful Internet-based courses require students to participate at a certain level. For example, they must engage in live chats; no silent sitting allowed. This helps teachers know if students are having trouble. Levinson trains teachers to coax comments from students and weave various comments together to keep discussion rolling. He also tells teachers to respond promptly to e-mail messages or other comments or questions posted during a live chat or on a message board. The longer a student waits, the more anxiety can build if he is having trouble. This means teachers must check their e-mail messages or check the course Web site frequently. On the online message board for his class, Easton frequently adds brief, encouraging comments or clarifications to the discussion threads, along with additional questions that may have been prompted by other comments. Stauffer's students are required to log on five days out of every seven, and to do frequent assignments to help him monitor progress. When a teacher finds a student is having trouble (either through lackluster participation or a direct e-mail message), how to help varies according to the need. Direct e-mail communication with the student is one of the best ways to tackle such a problem. Teachers can go over troublesome concepts, recommend supplemental study materials and answer additional questions. Students also may feel more comfortable discussing via e-mail personal matters affecting their class performance. Many teachers also will talk with students on the phone. Stauffer says that if he hasn't seen a student online for a few days, he'll call to make sure there isn't a problem. He also accepts class inquiries over the phone, but makes clear to his students that phone calls are not for re-teaching the material he has covered online. A student with that level of need probably is ill-suited for online courses, he says. Levinson says most students and teachers welcome the diversity a distance course can bring to the learning experience. As a trainer, he's had students from 40 states in one class. Most students can learn in a distance course, Easton says, adding, "I have not yet found any that can't do it.". Even as you're reading, technology continues to progress. The average home computer is getting faster, making graphics and videos easier to download and view. Two-way audio and video systems, which already are popular in many postsecondary institutions, are becoming more affordable and accessible. On the horizon there are even more technological possibilities, such as using holographic images in distance courses. If you've never taught a distance course, do a little of your own research by looking up
some of the Web sites listed in the box on this page. Talk to your colleagues about any experiences they've had with distance learning. But most of all, get started. Added material. Before she became a freelance writer, Pamela Hodgson (Ithaca, N.Y.) was director of the Ithaca Center for Postgraduate Medical Education. 3 REASONS DISTANCE LEARNING IS A GOOD IDEA* Many distance courses don't require that students all be in the same place at the same time, making them attractive to working parents and other busy professionals. * Schools can draw students from a larger geographical area, so classes are more likely to fill. And the increased diversity often is an asset in broadening the students' perspective on the course subject. * Faculty can teach at various campuses or institutions without the hassle of travel. --P.H. WHERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DISTANCE TEACHINGMany of these Web sites feature examples of how various institutions are teaching distance courses. Others include links to sites about distance learning technologies. * Distance Education Clearinghouse www.uwex.edu/disted/home.html. * Going the Distance www.pbs.org/adultlearning/als/gtd. * Educause www.educause.edu. * Yahoo! Distance Learning Directory http://dir.yahoo.com/Education/Distance_Learning. * How to Offer a Course Over the Internet www.edgorg.com/course.htm. * United States Distance Learning Association www.usdla.org. Reprints of the "Tips for New Teachers" series are available from the Association for Career and Technical Education. Topics include classroom management, interviewing techniques, copyright laws and many others. To order, call (800) 826-9972.