By Christine Sparta and Ysolt Usigan
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Who says sacrifices have to be made when obtaining a degree online? These professors dish on their special online teaching strategies.
Getting Personal
Challenge: No Face-to-Face Contact With Students
Solution: Student Biographies
Dan McBride, a retired federal agent and terrorism expert, requires students to submit autobiographies before the start of his terrorism certificate course at Kaplan University. In the course, McBride knows everyone's business. In his mind, knowing which student is a police captain in Omaha or who has a husband in Iraq makes him a better teacher. Especially since he's never met his students face to face.
Not only does he want to get a sense of who his students are, he puts himself on the line as well. Students receive a biography of McBride with their class syllabus. "I actually get to know the students better online," he says, noting that there's a good exchange of information in live chats. Although some online courses are asynchronous, McBride's students log on at a specified time to answer discussion questions.
Even better, whether the topics involve the use of different surveillance techniques or what to expect in a trial, the course is designed to include talks about real-world experiences - so students can engage in class with a more personal approach. "They have an opportunity to step outside the textbook and be creative," explains McBride.
Spurring Encouragement
Challenge: Lack of Motivation
Solution: Discussions, Not Lectures
Though cyber learning eliminates most time and space constraints, Norbert Elliot, an English professor who teaches world literature online through the New Jersey Institute of Technology, has found that distance learning is not for everyone. "It works wonderfully for certain groups," he says, pointing out that individuals juggling a career and a family find the nature of online learning most conducive.
"It's detailed work. Students must be willing to engage in that level of detail," he explains. The challenge for online teachers is gauging students' interest and keeping them motivated.
Unlike in the traditional classroom, there's no opportunity to read students' expressions and see who's responding or zoning out. Bill Gray, dean of academic operations at DeVry University Online, says professors have to induce excitement with class discussions on the computer screen.
"In the early days of online learning, we felt we could only work with a student population that was mature and self-motivated," he points out. "We have now learned how to better support students who need some encouragement to become involved in the courses. But you still need to be motivated to sit down at your computer and participate."
Gray teaches cyber courses like business planning, marketing, and eCommerce. "My style in the classroom is to engage students. I try to minimize the lecture aspect," he explains. "Online, I also use the technique of engaging them in discussion. Our online courses actually grade students' participation in the weeklong discussion of each unit."
While the most outgoing students thrive in the traditional classroom, the online learning environment can actually work to the advantage of the wallflower. "[Quieter students] don't have to compete for limited class discussion time because they have an opportunity to consider their answers to questions," Gray says.
Facilitating Learning
Challenge: Difficulty Measuring Students' Progress
Solution: Everything's in Writing
Frances Ward, a nursing teacher at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, has only been teaching online for three semesters. Nevertheless, she has already learned many things about the process that have made it easier to facilitate learning.
In fact, she says she was initially surprised at the level of critical thinking present among her classes. "It's a little more scholarly [than a traditional setting]," she explains. "People are more exposed online. [Plus], there's a permanent record."
Larry Beebe, a professor who teaches information systems and business courses at Walden University (Minneapolis, MN), agrees. "It places the burden for quality courses in preparation because everything must be in writing."
Although Ward was initially reluctant to instruct students online, she's been converted to the cyber approach. "It's a better way to teach," she says. "The leaders show up quickly in a group. You get to know people - shy, gregarious, opinionated. It all pops out."
Along with personality revelations are patterns of behavior, she surmises. Ward can tell who's late, who the sharper students are, and who has the best quality of work.
When she teaches her pharmacology and pathophysiology students, for instance, Ward works primarily with case studies, patient scenarios, and problem solving. Such teaching methods allow for a great deal of interchange in the classroom. With up to 30 students in a class, she does a lot of individual interacting about the assignments, which is why her syllabus must be organized before the semester begins.
"The level of panic among confused students moves quickly. They don't have you right there. There's no comfort zone," she explains. When she can, she posts answers to commonly asked questions.
Because Ward has noticed her students thrive on feedback, she logs on just about every day to see how they're doing. "They want more interaction in this medium than in class because you're capable of giving it," she says, as opposed to a class that meets once a week for an hour and a half. With the differences in settings, there are a variety of obstacles for online teachers, who work out the kinks as they go along.
As a matter of fact, Gray has discovered a new challenge for online teachers: "Students can be a bit more creative because they don't have to look their instructors in the eye when they tell their story," he says. "We're amazed at the number of computers that 'break down' each term. It's the leading cause for homework not being turned in - it's the modern version of the old 'the dog ate my homework.'"
A Look Inside
In McBride's cyber classroom, which presents Kaplan University's terrorism certificate program, various criminal justice students, federal agents, and other law enforcement personnel converge. In order to engage such a diverse student body, McBride's teaching strategy is to incorporate synchronous lessons (those done in real time) once a week. All of his students log on at a specified time and answer discussion questions previously assigned.
One question might involve the use of different surveillance techniques or what to expect to see at a terrorist's trial vs. any other criminal. The course is designed to include talks about real-world experiences. McBride's class also communicates on a message board where questions are posted and further exchanges between him and the students take place. Web field trips, in which students simultaneously review an article written by a terrorism expert, add a cooperative element to the class as well.
Once McBride is online with his students, he can see who comes and goes from class, and he attempts to get the shy ones typing. "It's not as easy for some people to jump in as it is for others," he says. Just like in a traditional classroom, McBride might ask specific questions about the lesson to provoke a response. And, fellow classmates often try to get the reticent students involved.
"Every class develops its own character," says McBride. His fast-paced teaching style doesn't allow for much non-essential online chat. "I have to keep students focused on the lesson so they don't talk about Aunt Millie's pie recipe. I give them an inch, not a mile."
One of the things about which he is most proud is the versatility created both for him and his students. While one classmate was taking class in the Caribbean aboard a cruise ship, McBride was logged on in England where he was working toward a Ph.D. in criminology at the University of Portsmouth.
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