Self-regulation—controlling the factors that affect one’s learning—is an important skill for online learners to possess. Course design that encourages metacognition can help online learners develop their ability to self-regulate. In an interview with Online Classroom, Maureen Andrade, associate vice president for academic programs at Utah
The University of Wisconsin’s Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning is a good place to keep abreast of current trends in distance education. This year the two hottest topics were open education and mobile learning.
At the University of Wisconsin’s Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning, Francesca Catalano, associate professor and faculty director of STEM at the American Public University System, offered several ways to engage students in the discussion board.
Gary Ackerman, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Mount Wachusett Community College, works with faculty to incorporate active learning into their online and face-to-face courses, and while there are differences in these learning environments, active learning can be implemented just as well
Educators need to understand international students’ challenges in online classrooms. Both language and cultural differences influence how well they can fit in U.S. universities. To promote international students’ academic success in online classrooms, faculty should not only focus on teaching their subject matter knowledge, but
The multicultural classroom is found in nearly every online course. It blends students from a variety of cultures, resulting in a rich and diverse learning environment. Some students may use English as a second language (ESL) or English as an additional language (EAL), while others
At both the beginning and end of each day, it is important to remember that there are only so many options for designing and delivering distance education courses that comply with copyright and fair use law. If I wanted to give someone the short version
Andy Stanfield, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at Florida Institute of Technology, is a proponent of using Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning to improve instructional design.
In the face-to-face classroom, nonverbal communication such as facial expressions, body posture, eye contact, gestures, and attendance are often used to gauge students’ engagement and understanding. Instructors can use these cues to know when to provide additional support and instruction before proceeding to the next
It’s important for instructors to know their students learning preferences and needs early in an online course in order to provide the best possible learning environment. One way to get to know your students is to conduct a survey at the beginning of the course,
