Building Interaction Into Your Online Course

You've already decided that you're ready to author online and you have your content organized. Now it's time to face the ultimate challenge in online learning - making it interactive!

Interaction in online courses is a two-edged sword. On one hand you want students to participate. This enhances their learning by letting them question and discuss issues in the course. On the other hand, as the instructor, you need to decide the level of interaction you want to have with each student - and build your courses accordingly.

As an illustration, let me relate a poor choice I made in a course I wrote several years ago. Because I wanted everyone involved, I required that each student post at least one message per week to the discussion group. In addition, I required that they respond to two other messages. Simple? Yes. But because I had decided that my level of involvement was to respond to every posting, I was faced with 3 messages for every student every week - and this was only the minimum requirement! I soon found myself bogged down in responding to an overwhelming number of messages.

To decide on your level of involvement, let's look at 5 levels of interactions you can provide.

1. Respond to every email. At this level of interaction, you are reading and responding to every email or discussion sent. Beware. While this may be effective at the beginning of a discussion when there is little interaction, you'll soon be overwhelmed just responding to and encouraging students.

2. Respond to every nth email. This is a more rational view. Here you can decide to pick every 5th posting and respond to it. The danger is that you'll miss a student's best posting or that you'll miss an important question.

3. Respond to 1 message per student per week. You can set the expectation that you'll welcome questions from everyone, but that you'll only guarantee a response to one per week. That will put the burden of composing an effective message on the student's shoulders, rather than just jotting off a quick question every time they think of it.

4. Post provocative questions. This is a great way to get a discussion started. If you choose this route, you may choose not to participate in the discussion yourself - but instead, just summarize it at the end - or not.

5. Employ help. This may be a Teaching Assistant, a mentor, students who have taken the course in the past, etc. You may also choose to separate the types of correspondence - for example, one person may cover technical questions, while another handles course mechanics and you take the content questions.

Now that you've decided on your level of involvement, it's time to design the exercises. Recognize that almost any type of exercise you use in face-to-face training has an online counterpart. So be creative - and try your ideas. You can even ask your fellow instructors for help by saying "In an instructor-led course we would do such-and-such for this lesson. What would you suggest we use to replicate that learning online?"

Keep in mind that the format of the course you are creating will help determine the appropriateness of an interactive exercise. For example, if you have a rolling enrollment, self-paced course where students sign up and work through the materials at their own pace, it may be difficult to assign them team activities.

To get you started here are some ideas for interactive exercises. These cover a variety of levels of interaction, so choose your favorites.

Polls and surveys - ask a series of questions, then summarize the results for the participants. This can be done with a survey tool or you can use a multiple choice exam. Poll early and often. Your first poll might be the type of computer participants use, how they connect to the Internet, and their level of expertise in computer skills. This provides good feedback to you and gives them a profile of the "average" student.

Go and do - give students an assignment to do offline. Then ask them to come back and use one of the other techniques (reflection, chat, summaries) to report on their activities.

Read and react - give students an article, a series of websites, or other assignment. Then ask them to write a short reaction paper based on their readings.

Reflection - ask each student to use their personal note space to reflect on reading/group discussions.

3-word summary - ask each student to summarize their thoughts in 3 words in the discussion group. Others can ask for clarification.

Teams - use teams to create small discussion groups. Then ask one person from each team to summarize the discussion in the larger discussion area.

Office hours - use a chat to hold weekly office hours. Just tell everyone when you'll be "in", then wait for the questions. As an alternative you may decide to offer a chat time to a smaller group or team of students - either to encourage more interaction or to handle what would have been an overwhelming amount of interaction.

Expert panel - invite one or more experts to participate in a live event such as a video or audio conference. Take questions from the audience. Then continue the discussion with the discussion group. If possible, invite the experts to participate in the discussion.

You will continue to discover new interactive exercises that you use with your courses. For a full course on the topic, send an email to elearning@TechTamers.com

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with experts who are ready to turn their knowledge and their websites into Gold. Her reputation as a speaker and trainer has earned her the title of The Technology Tamer. With more than 20 years in instructional design and elearning, Jeanette shares her news and views in OnlineSuccessNews.com

---

Chiropractic Schools

Before CHIROPRACTIC SCHOOLS accept one into their educational system, it... Read More

Student Removals - How to Get the Lowest Quote

The problem with student and any small move comes when... Read More

College Low Expectations Game Cost Students, Parents, & Taxpayers Thousands of Dollars

During a recent conversation with a client, he shared with... Read More

Naturopathic Schools

NATUROPATHIC SCHOOLS instruct in Naturopathic medicine which is an holistic... Read More

The Distance Learning Explosion!

A generation ago few would have given much thought to... Read More

Outstanding Business Professors at WVU, Part 2

Stratford Douglas enrolled at the University of North Carolina in... Read More

Natural Healing Schools

What are NATURAL HEALING SCHOOLS? Natural Healing Schools teach natural... Read More

Distance Learning Degree Program ? How to Study

The format of distance learning courses is different than what... Read More

Self Marketing 101 - Why Students Should Tell Lies

Everybody lies, and storytellers are some of the best liars... Read More

How To Improve Your Study Habits and Remember Better

If you're a student attending classes, you have probably experienced... Read More

Who Can Apply For Online Nursing Degrees?

Online nursing degrees are college degrees in the field of... Read More

How to Choose the Right School For You

Now that the admission committees have handed you their decisions,... Read More

The All-Important College Application

H.G. Wells once said, "Human history becomes more and more... Read More

CSI Has Made The Study Of Forensics An Exciting Career Opportunity

Forensics is not just one field of study but encompasses... Read More

Higher Education as Service Trade Exporter In South Africa

IntroductionWhilst it is recognized that South Africa is still in... Read More

How to eMail Your Professor

So its 12:30 Pm and there you are at the... Read More

Why You Should Choose an Accredited Online Degree

An accredited online degree is a college degree that is... Read More

Physical Therapy Schools

Physical Therapy Schools administer course instruction to potential physical therapists.... Read More

5 Leading Online Schools

The internet has revolutionized many parts of our economy. You... Read More

College Residence Life Staff: Speak to Gain Respect

When you speak, do residents listen or ignore you? If... Read More

Online Colleges as a Resource for Your New Career

Online Colleges require successful team buildingMost online colleges require their... Read More

Internetworking and Security Multiple Choice Test

Personally, I dislike Multiple Choice Tests. Because they do not... Read More

Acing the SAT Exam

Don't cheat. This goes without saying for 999 out of... Read More

The College-Bound Students Early Bird Menu

Many parents and students I counsel confuse Early Admission, Early... Read More

How to Find Money for College Education

Many current and future college students need help to pay... Read More

Revolt of the Scholars

Scindex's Instant Publishing Service is about empowerment. The price of... Read More

Self-Injury on College Campuses

Self injury is intentionally causing self-inflicted physical pain in order... Read More

Study More Effectively

If you are studying for an exam or if you... Read More

Making the Most of Your Summer

At last, summer is here! After a school year full... Read More

Five Questions To Ask A Computer Training School Before Signing Up

As with any field, there are good technical training schools,... Read More

On-line Universities and Degrees ? Find the Right One for You

The first step to finding the right online university is... Read More

How to Save Money While at College

Still struggling to pay off the college loan? Have you... Read More

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

There are over 50 Acupuncture Schools in the United States.... Read More