Taking an Online Course

Taking an online course can be very exciting and satisfying, but it can also be frustrating and discouraging. For the online portion of this course, you will find that this learning environment allows you to attend class whenever you wish, day or night, seven days a week. Each time you “connect” with the class you will find that others have responded to your comments and brought up new perspectives of topics that you have not thought about. This environment will allow you to synthesize the readings and activities you are involved in while you reflect upon their application on your personal and professional life.

Learning online presents its own rewards and challenges. Due to its unusual availability, you may find that the online portion of the class may not easily fit into your schedule as a regular class might. You may discover that it becomes difficult to carry on several conversations simultaneously or that you have difficulty processing all of the information you receive. And, it may be disconcerting to express your opinions in text form only, without having a clear mental picture of who is “listening.” Also, you may have difficulty navigating the structure, asking questions, and submitting your assignment. The following section provides tips on how to be successful in this course.

SET TIME TO WORK ON THE COURSE

You must set aside a regular time and space for working on this course. This course has been designed so that it will take about the same amount of participation time as you would spend in a normal classroom course over a semester. The benefit of an online portion is the flexibility (you can work on it whenever and from wherever you have access to the Internet). But, flexibility can also be a trap. So, plan on spending between two and three hours “ logged on” every week, just as you would spend time in class. In addition, you must find time to do the readings and assignments.

The online discussions will be more enjoyable if you spend that time in three or four sittings during the week. Some students find it helpful to log on everyday, or at least 5-6 days a week, and to work on the course in smaller amounts of time. By checking in almost every day you’ll know if something new has been posted, you’ll be able to keep up with the threaded discussions, and you will not fall behind with your readings and assignments. This will allow you to post your opinions and get feedback on ideas, rather than just reading after the fact on what everyone else has said. In other words, the online course is more interactive to the extent you frequently read and contribute.

PARTICIPATE

Whether you are working alone or on a group project, contribute your ideas, perspectives and comments on the subject. Be sure to read the comments of your classmates – they do the same job you do and can offer valuable insights and resources.

It is a good idea to make at least one contribution each time you are online. Part of your course grade is active, thoughtful messages in the computer conference. You should plan to make at least five thoughtful and reflective contributions to the discussion per module.

Length is not particularly desired for each posting, more important is its benefit to the discussion, the richness of the ideas, and the extent to which it “weaves” into what others have been saying.

READ OTHER’S NOTES

You may consider reading all of the “unread” messages before making your own comment because you don’t know whether someone has already made your point. You should be concerned with keeping track of the specific posting to which you wanted to respond. Therefore, while you are reading, keep track of the message and general ideas you want to state. Try to determine what has not been said yet that you feel is important, or what experience you bring to this topic or task which other class members may not have, or add a synthesis or additional analytical comment advancing the discussion to a deeper level of consideration. Try to refer to the literature (readings) as much as you can.

KEEP TRACK OF THE THREADS

The “threads” of a discussion are sometimes hard to follow, especially if your comments or others’ comments do not immediately follow the posting they reference. Always reference the comment you are responding to. This will allow you and others to go back and use the Message Thread feature of Blackboard to review a set of replies on one topic.

CHECK THE FORUM LOCATION BEFORE POSTING

Computer conferencing implies structured communication, but much confusion results when students contribute postings in the incorrect areas. Review the structure of your posting, check the forum you are posting to. These are the two main forum areas in Blackboard:

(1) STUDENT LOUNGE, where you may share informal personal accounts, social events, and other information. This conference may be used as an informal avenue for establishing personal knowledge of one another’s interests and goals for this class and beyond.

(2) COURSE Q&A, for questions about the course content, technology, and other related course issues.

During the first week of class, we will use the student lounge for the general group discussion and the individual group discussion for acquainting with each other. This first week is very important for everyone to get to know each other and get ready for a safe and comfortable group discussion throughout the semester.

If you have a general question that may be read by everyone, you may post a message in the COURSE Q & A forum. Write the name of the person that the question is directed to and then write your question in the body of the message. If your intention is to post a private message to someone send a private email message to this person. Consider all existing conferencing structures open to change as we determine what best meets our particular learning needs.

PROVIDE INSIGHTFUL COMMENTS

Computer conferencing invites everyone to discuss exciting issues in a way that uniquely evolves. Because the group synergy is greater than any one person’s thoughts could be alone, an effective posting does more than provide agreement to one’s comment. An effective posting does not monopolize the conversation. Rather, it adds something, states the author’s position, and solicits a response

LIMIT THE LENGTH OF YOUR POSTING

The typical message should be no more than a screen or three paragraphs. If it is more than two screens, people will get lost and probably not read further. The key is to limit your contribution to one key idea with supporting points and only one question. If you have more ideas or questions you want ask others, place each in separate postings. Otherwise, you will confuse the conversation.

USE GOOD NETIQUETTE

This course is based on a collaborative learning approach. Therefore, the atmosphere should be friendly and constructive, yet maintaining diversity of expression and critical disagreement. Be aware that dry, sarcastic humor usually depends on voice inflections to carry out, so online the same ideas may be misread or misinterpreted. Mean what you say.

SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD NETIQUETTE

Check the discussion frequently, respond appropriately, and stay on subject.

Provide a little background on yourself the first time you enter the discussion. For example, “My name is Mary Peterson, and I am the Program Manager of the Young People of America in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My question to is…” or, “the most pressing issue my staff faces is…”

Personalize your question or response. Address your message to the person by using his or her name, for example, “Mary, thanks for your suggestions on professional development opportunities for directors.”

Be specific – identify what issue, topic, or specific statement you are asking about/responding to.

Focus on one subject per message. It is hard to answer a question like, “I was wondering what you thought about online learning, the technology tools for online instruction, and what to do about using Blackboard.” Better to ask a specific question about one of these broad topics to start a “conversation.”

Refer to the topic/message you are replying to by including the topic in your message. For example, “Hi, this is Mary again, I’m following up on the comment that was made by John about the history of distance education.”

Invite a response to your comment by asking another open-ended question. For example, “…so that’s what they do at UWM online. What strategies have worked in other institutions that use online education?”

No SHOUTING! - Capitalize words only to highlight a point or for titles.

Be professional and use care when interacting online – you don’t have the ability to gauge a person’s reaction or feelings as you do in a face-to-face conversation.

Use humor carefully – it is equally hard to gauge a reaction to your funny comment or aside – and the recipient may misinterpret your attempt to be funny as criticism.

Identify your sources if you use quotes, references, or resources.

Keep messages brief – no more than two or three paragraphs at a time. (Any longer and it becomes difficult to read, so plan your responses before you write them. And shorter messages encourage more people to join in to the discussion.)

If you do post a long message, warn other readers at the beginning that it is lengthy.

Never forward someone’s message to someone else without getting their permission first.