Activity
Help students connect with each other at the beginning of an online course with an icebreaker.

Example icebreaker from Engaging the Online Learner by Rita-Marie Conrad and J. Ana Donaldson

Snowball
Task: Introductory exercise for the beginning of a course
Objective: To find commonalities with others in the learning community
Method: Asynchronous or synchronous

Instructions

Have one person enter a basic introduction of himself or herself, including his or her interests. A second person must then enter an introduction of himself or herself and find one thing in common with the first person. A third person then enters his or her introduction and finds one thing in common with the first person and the second person. Each of the rest of the class members then enters an introduction and must find something in common with at least three other people in the class. The first person, in turn, must respond to at least three people with whom he or she has something in common. The second person must respond to at least two additional people. The third person must respond to at least one additional person.

• What is the most common question you get asked about?
• How can faculty get their students engaged?

• What question do you get asked the most about teaching online?
• What is your favorite tip on getting to know your students?

They describe the characteristics of a good online instructor and offer ideas for what it takes to develop a new instructor with the goal of promoting excellent online teaching.

Palloff and Pratt will be presenting a session on this topic during the Jossey-Bass Online Teaching and Learning Conference Online, October 18-20, 2011. Learn more.

Question: What characteristics do you think define an excellent online instructor? How do you provide training to develop those skills or attributes? Share your comments below.

Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt are the managing partners of Crossroads Consulting Group, working with academic institutions and business and professional organizations in the development and delivery of effective online education and training programs. Rena and Keith are program directors and faculty in the Teaching in the Virtual Classroom program at Fielding Graduate University, a graduate level academic certificate program that trains instructors to teach online. They are the authors of the 1999 Frandson Award winning book Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace: Effective Strategies for the Online Classroom (Jossey-Bass, 1999), Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom (Jossey-Bass, 2001), The Virtual Student (Jossey-Bass, 2003), Collaborating Online: Learning Together in Community (Jossey-Bass, 2005), and Assessing the Online Learner (Jossey-Bass, 2009). The second edition of Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace, now titled, Building Virtual Learning Communities was published in July 2007. The books are comprehensive guides to the development of an online environment that helps promote successful learning outcomes while fostering collaboration and building a sense of community among the learners. Drs. Palloff and Pratt have been presenting this work across the United States and internationally since 1994. Their newest title, The Excellent Online Instructor, published in spring 2011.

Podcast Show Notes:

Susan and Dan are joined by Rita-Marie Conrad and Ana Donaldson, the authors of Engaging the Online Learner.

In the time since publishing this first edition of the book, what’s changed? Rita starts with a reminder that interaction and collaboration have always been key in traditional education. The big change is that students now expect to be engaged. Getting them to the point where they expect to be the people leading the engagement might take a bit more time.

Ana thinks the change in expectations is due more to technology than generational differences. Social networking and web 2.0 tools make it possible for people to always be connected, including older adult students. Our challenge is to be able to bring the social part into the learning environment and make it viable. Ana’s explanation helps Rita re-think her position!

Susan references research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Dan adds that early adopters are often men 50-55 who have disposable income and therefore can afford to grab up new tools (toys).

Dan asks about the model in the book and what new insights they’ve gained since the first publication. They’re updating the current version and working on a new book, tentatively called Continuing to Engage the Online Learner. Rita walks us through the phases.

• Phase one is “Connect”. Connect with the people in the learning environment.
• Phase two is “Communicate”. Expand the conversation from social to academic.
• Phase three is “Collaboration and Cooperation”. Now the learners are in one phase together.
• Phase four is “Co-Management and Co-Leadership”. We’re all in this together, learner ownership.

Ana describes how the model is being affirmed through faculty stories.

Susan asks if it takes longer to get to the fourth step. Rita thinks it takes less time! Younger learners want to lead. What gets in our way as adults is trust. The less mature learners want learning to be “handed to them on the plate,” but as we ask students to take more responsibility for learning, it may be a change for them to do that.

Rita discussed how she saw the power of taking responsibility in a traditional community class years ago and how this turned around the level of engagement.

How does this change with global, diverse student audiences? Ana suggests that you may need to spend a little more time in the earlier phases. Taking control of one’s learning is not part of all cultures, but students across the world have strong social network skills. It’s also important to model what you say you’re going to do!

About the Podcast Guests:

Rita-Marie Conrad has been teaching, designing, and consulting about online courses for the past decade. She has taught online courses for Florida State University, Capella University, and Nova Southeastern University as well as an online course on designing online instruction for the Learning Resources Network (LERN). She holds a Ph.D. in instructional systems design, with a focus in distance learning, from Florida State University, a master’s degree in educational media and computers from Arizona State University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Illinois State University.

J. Ana Donaldson is assistant professor of Educational Technology at the University of Northern Iowa. Donaldson is a published author, keynote speaker, international presenter, and for many years has conducted workshops on integrating technology into engaged learning environments. She is co-author, with J. Ana Donaldson, of Engaging the Online Learner: Activities for Creative Instruction.

About the LT Green Room:

The LT Green Room is a podcast for Renewal, Retooling and Conversations about Learning. It is co-hosted by Susan Manning and Dan Balzer and show topics are often drawn from the impressive work being done by members of the LearningTimes community. Susan is co-author, with Kevin Johnson, of Online Education for Dummies and the forthcoming book Technology Toolbelt for Teachers (Jossey-Bass).

Learn more about OTL 2011.

Jonathan Finkelstein explores creative uses of Closed Captioning during real-time online sessions. He also discusses a unique service he developed called Virtual Graphic Facilitation (VGF), which is now being used for live online events with groups like the Smithsonian and Jossey-Bass.

What is Virtual Graphic Facilitation? It’s taking information that is shared during a webcast or other live online event — from group discussion, to the presenter’s ideas, to slides, to research data — and transforming it into something visual, organized and accessible. It’s finding the right mixture of words, illustration and design to capture a subject and make it memorable. Moreover, it unfolds in real time, adding an element of engagement, fun and anticipation that few other online experiences can offer.

During the 2011 Online Teaching and Learning Conference Online, Jonathan will be demonstrating clever techniques for engaging learners in real-time online environments.

About Jonathan Finkelstein

Jonathan Finkelstein is founder and executive producer of LearningTimes. He is the author of Learning in Real Time (Wiley/Jossey-Bass), which translates well over a dozen years of experience facilitating online learning into a practical resource guide for anyone facilitating or teaching online. Finkelstein also authored the chapter on live online outreach in The Digital Museum: A Think Guide, published by the American Association of Museums (AAM). As the founder of the first online certification program on real-time online instruction, Finkelstein shares his expertise leading effective events and building community with education professionals around the globe.

Finkelstein is the moderator and producer of many live webcasts, online conferences and 3D virtual world events for education, training, library, and museum professionals. He serves as a member of the board of the Media and Technology Committee of the American Association of Museums, and is a well-known online voice facilitating online learning conversations in numerous interactive formats. Finkelstein is the son of two New York City public school teachers, is a Certified Synchronous Training Professional (CSTP) and received his AB degree with honors from Harvard University.

About the LT Green Room:

The LT Green Room is a podcast for Renewal, Retooling and Conversations about Learning. It is co-hosted by Susan Manning and Dan Balzer and show topics are often drawn from the impressive work being done by members of the LearningTimes community. Susan is co-author, with Kevin Johnson, of Online Education for Dummies and the forthcoming book Technology Toolbelt for Teachers (Jossey-Bass).

Learn more about OTL 2011.

She talks about using a graphic syllabus; creating courses with re-use in mind; and setting up navigation that ties directly to your course content.

During the 2010 Online Teaching and Learning Conference Online, Robin will be speaking more about the use a graphic syllabus in your online courses. A graphic syllabus is a low investment/high yield addition to your online course that can assist students with information storage and retrieval of your content. Robin will highlight the use of a graphic syllabus to facilitate course design and development. During the session you will acquire examples of graphic syllabi, tools for creation of graphic syllabi, and templates for use in developing your own graphic syllabus.

Robin Smith, Ph.D., is coordinator of e-Learning at the Office of Educational Development at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. She is also author of Conquering the Content: A Step-by-Step Guide to Online Course Design (Jossey-Bass).  Smith will be presenting at the 2010 Online Teaching and Learning Conference Online, October 19-22, 2010.  Learn more.

Lehman and Conceição will be presenting a session on this topic during the Jossey-Bass Online Teaching and Learning Conference Online, October 19-21, 2010. Learn more.

Rosemary M. Lehman, Ph.D. is an author and consultant in the field of distance education. For nearly 20 years, she worked for the University of Wisconsin-Extension. Most recently, she was the Senior Outreach/Distance Education Specialist at Instructional Communications Systems (ICS), University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX), and Manager of the ICS Learning Design and Outreach Team, where she supervised the training of faculty and staff in the use of technology for teaching and learning and taught via technology. She received both her doctorate in Distance Education and Adult Learning, and her Master’s in Television and Media Critique, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the author of The Essential Videoconferencing Guide: 7 Keys to Success (2001), a number of book chapters and journal articles, the editor of Using Distance Education Technology: Effective Practices (2002), and the co-author of 147 Practical Tips for Synchronous and Blended Technology Teaching and Learning (2007).

Dr. Lehman’s research interests include teaching and learning at a distance for all ages, technology accessibility, the relationship of perception, emotion, and cognition to distance learning and instructional design; educational applications for media and technology; and the development and integration of learning objects into learning experiences. She has keynoted and presented at a wide variety of statewide, national, and international conferences, and was the recipient of the 2005 University of Wisconsin-Extension Award for Excellence in distance education and leadership.

Simone C. O. Conceição, Ph.D. is an associate professor of Adult and Continuing Education and teaches courses in the areas of distance education, use of technology with adult learners, instructional design, and principles and foundations of adult learning. She received her doctorate in Adult and Distance Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Master’s in Adult and Continuing Leadership Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Prior to joining the faculty, she was an Instructional Design / Technology Consultant, working with faculty and staff providing training and consultation on instructional design and the use of technology for instruction. She has co-authored the book 147 Practical Tips for Teaching Online Groups: Essentials for Web-Based Education (2000) and is the editor of Teaching Strategies in the Online Environment (2007).

Dr. Conceição’s research interests include adult learning, distance education, impact of technology on teaching and learning, instructional design, learning objects, and staff development and training. She was born in Brazil and has lived in the United States since 1989. Her diverse background brings an international perspective to the fields of education and training. She has researched and identified many aspects of good practice in online environments, and she is an expert in helping instructors and trainers understand web-based technology tools, software, and design processes. She received the 2006 Early Career Award from the Commission of Professors of Adult Education.

Description: Join Stephen Brookfield, author of several books, including Discussion as a Way of Teaching: Tools and Techniques for Democratic Classrooms, as he chats about what it takes to foster good discussions — both offline and online. Stephen grounds the conversation in an adult learning context, and provides concrete examples and strategies for how you can take facilitating engaging discussions in the classroom to the next level and improve learning outcomes.

Duration: 40:46