Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Teaching and Learning Online
Teaching and Learning Online
This handbook is a joint project of the Center for Teaching, Office of Academic Planning and Assessment, the
Center for Computer-Based Instructional Technology, and Continuing Education. Publication was supported by
a Professional Development Grant in Instructional Technology and Distance Learning from the University of
Massachusetts President's Office and the Office of Academic Planning and Assessment.
Contributing Authors
Online Fellows
Keith Carver, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering (Amherst)
Dennis Hanno, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Matters, Isenberg School of Management (Amherst)
John Jessoe, Director, Distance Leaning and Video Production Center (Boston)
Susan Pasquale, Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development in the Department of Medical Education (Worcester)
The contributing authors are grateful for the many UMass colleagues who provided their suggestions on earlier versions of this
handbook. We’d also like to acknowledge the contributions of colleagues at other institutions of higher education whose work is
referenced throughout this handbook.
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . 3
• Common Questions . . . . . . . 9
• Common Terms. . . . . . . . 9
• Common Questions . . . . . . . 18
Student-to-Student Interaction .
. . . . 29
Faculty-to-Student interaction .
. . . . 30
Tone . . . .
. . . . 31
• What is Assessment? . . . . . . 35
Chapter 5: Resources . . . . . . . 41
• UMass Resources . . . . . . . 44
We are very pleased to welcome you to the first edition of Teaching and Learning
Online: A Handbook for UMass Faculty. Whether you are totally inexperienced in
online instruction or are relatively savvy about it, we think you will find the answers to
many questions about how to create and manage a state-of-the-art online course.
This guide was developed by a group of UMass faculty and staff who participated in a
year-long Online Fellows program supported by a Professional Development Grant in
Instructional Technology from the UMass President’s Office. The participants, who
represented all UMass campuses and various disciplines, were already currently
teaching online courses. The Online Fellows Program was developed through the joint
efforts of the Center for Teaching, the Office of Academic Planning and Assessment,
the Center for Computer-Based Instructional Technology, and Continuing Education.
Teaching and Learning Online is designed to guide you through the decisions that you
will need to make if you teach online. It reflects the joint experience and wisdom of
the Online Fellows, UMass faculty like yourself who up until a few years ago had no
experience in teaching online. We have tried to make the guide straightforward and
inviting, raising and answering the basic questions that novice online instructors would
be contemplating.
Of course, no guide is able to cover every aspect of online teaching. There are several
areas that we have not addressed, including specific technical issues (e.g., course
management systems), legal issues involving intellectual property, and compensation
issues.
What we hope we have accomplished, though, is to provide you with a guide to the
major pedagogical and assessment issues associated with teaching an online course.
All of the Online Fellows have found teaching online to be a rewarding and invigorating
experience, and we hope this guide eases your transition into the world of online
learning.
Donna Zucker
Robert S. Feldman
Senior Online Fellows
Contents:
• What is Online Learning?
• Advantages of Learning Online
• Advantages of Teaching Online
• Challenges of Teaching Online
• Common Questions
• Common Terms
This chapter outlines some of the advantages and challenges in teaching and learning
in an online environment.
What is online Online teaching and learning is faculty-delivered instruction via the Internet.
Online instruction includes real-time (synchronous) and anytime, anywhere
learning? (asynchronous) interactions.
• live chat
• audio and video conferencing
• data and application sharing
• shared whiteboard
• virtual "hand raising"
• joint viewing of multimedia presentations and online slide shows
• e-mail
• threaded discussion
• newsgroups and bulletin boards
• file attachments
Asynchronous courses are still instructor-facilitated but are not conducted in real time,
which means that students and teacher can engage in course-related activities at their
convenience rather than during specifically coordinated class sessions. In
asynchronous courses, learning does not need to be scheduled in the same way as
synchronous learning, allowing students and instructors the benefits of anytime,
anywhere learning.
Course Software
Rather than creating your online course from scratch, a number of software programs
are now available that make it easy to develop an online course. These programs
include features such as threaded discussions and document sharing and pre-
designed design layouts to make the course design process easier. Check with the
campus technology specialists to learn more about the preferred software for online
learning in your department.
Student-centered learning
The variety of online tools draw on individual learning styles and help students become
more versatile learners.
Collaborative learning
Online group work allows students to become more active participants in the learning
process. Contributing input requires that students comprehend what is being
discussed, organize their thinking coherently, and express that thinking with carefully
Professional satisfaction
Teaching online can be an enormously rewarding experience for teachers. Teachers
often cite the diversity of students in online courses as one of the most rewarding
aspects of teaching online.
Instructor convenience
Teaching online can offer teachers conveniences not available in traditional classroom
settings; for example, at-home office hours and flexible work schedules.
Common Terms
Following are some common terms used in online courses:
Contents:
• Preparing to Teach Online
• Preparing Students to Learn Online
• Common Questions
• Appendix: Student Guide: Conventions of Communicating Online
This chapter outlines the Online Fellows’ recommendations for preparing to teach and
learn online. These recommendations offer advice to those instructors who may be
relatively new at designing and teaching online courses. Also, they serve as a
reminder that participating in an online learning environment may be a new experience
for many students.
• They provide a safe climate for their students by providing reassurance and support to
Qualities of new online learners.
• They invite student input regarding the goals and agenda for the course.
successful • They give frequent individualized feedback, using a variety of communication tools.
online teachers • They help students connect with one another.
Ladon, E. H. (April 18,2002) “High Touch in a High Tech World: Strategies for Individualizing Online
Learning.”. eCollege.com's eNewsletter http://www.ecollege.com/educator/Resources_edvoice.html
teams when 3. Encourages active learning, i.e., doing and thinking about the
the role of facilitator 4. Gives prompt feedback and helps students understand how to
Teaching is Good 7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning and engenders
An additional good practice that does not appear on this list, but that many
experienced online instructors mention as being essential to successful teaching, is:
communicated to students.
Use these eight best practices as a framework for thinking about your online course.
Of course, it is also important to acknowledge that some aspects of good teaching,
such as faculty-student contact and cooperation among students, are particularly
challenging to accomplish in an online environment. This handbook provides
recommendations on how to accomplish these goals, despite the complications that
may exist.
Respecting Students new to online learning may initially find this kind of learning disorienting
Differences in without the physical classroom space and guidance from the physical presence of a
Technological teacher. Other students may initially misperceive learning online as “easier” than
Comfort learning in a physical classroom space. In reality, students often find the workload in
an online course heavier because they must cover course material on their own and
Keep the main type their discussion comments.
content format of your
online course
accessible for the There are a number of suggestions for how to help prepare students for online learning:
student with the least
technological savvy. Clarify computer skills/terminology
• Provide guidelines that detail the minimum technological requirements needed for
the course (both in terms of hardware and technical expertise).
• Explain online conventions for tone, such as using ALL CAPS for emphasis. Set
rules for using abbreviations and emoticons (or “smileys,” signals of emotions that
look like faces on their sides).
amount of time an
require.
An American Federation How much to post, and what makes a "good" post?
of Teachers survey has These are hard questions to answer because discussions are organic,
found that not all developing and evolving depending upon what is said by whom. . . In general,
students do equally well posting only once is not enough to really engage in a discussion. I am
in online classrooms. expecting probably 3-6 posts depending upon the amount of time I've allotted
Highly motivated for the discussion and how in-depth your posts are. . . What I expect and
students with strong hope to see is a dialogue evolving, with give and take, back and forth,
written communication questions asked and ideas explored like in a face-to-face class discussion. .
skills tend to have more . So as you post be cognizant that you are engaging in a discussion. Do not
success. On the other post long pages of responses--probably a couple of paragraphs at most,
hand, students who are sometimes a sentence or two can be effective, especially if you're asking a
particularly dependent on question.
visual and verbal cues
tend to do less well in
online classrooms.
Address students’ concerns on cyber-culture anxiety
Massy, William. “Distance • Encourage questions and comments about technology.
Education: Guidelines for
Good Practice.” AFT, May • Use a survey to assess student technical knowledge at the beginning of the
2002. semester.
� Tip: See the Pre/Post Survey example in this chapter for ways to assess
student technical knowledge.
• Give a detailed, conspicuous course outline. Because you must clarify course
expectations only in writing, make sure that you give students enough detail to
complete class assignments. Even simple assignments like a journal need
detailed explanations.
� Tip: One instructor uses the following explanation for the weekly journal
exercise. She posts this explanation in every unit to remind students
weekly of the assignment:
Your journal (click on the journal tab at the top of the screen to access)
is the place for you to keep thinking about, wrestling with, exploring the
issues we've discussed online. Feel free to add your own day-to-day
observations about issues related to our course. Your journal is only read
by me. I will never comment on your observations; I only check to see if
you've completed the assignment.
Length: 1-2 paragraphs
Due: Every Friday by midnight EST (graded pass/fail, i.e., either you did it
or not)
If you haven't started reading The Color of Water, you better get reading!
It's almost Monday and the weekly exercise is due Wednesday. Look for
Hope you had a great weekend! I look forward to getting your response
Pre-Course Survey
In addition to questions about computer experience, you can also ask questions
such as:
1. Is this your first online course?
If so, what are your expectations about learning online?
If not, what other courses have you taken online? What did you like best/least
about that experience?
2. Why did you choose to take an online course?
3. What are you looking forward to the most?
Introduction
In order to participate in this course, you must obtain access to a computer with a connection to the World Wide
Web.
Communication
General
• Realize that typed messages lack the vocal and nonverbal cues that normally carry a lot of meaning in a face-
to-face conversation. Without this supporting context, satire or sarcasm can come across as meanness. Try
using "emoticons" (also called “Smileys”) to make your emotional intent more obvious (e.g., make it clear
when you're joking ;-).
• Avoid criticizing people's spelling. Typos are more accepted on the Internet, so sending a message pointing
out all the spelling errors or grammatical mistakes in someone's messages may be counterproductive.
• Even so, spell-check your own messages and quickly review them for punctuation and grammar.
• DON'T USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS! Occasional capitals are OK for emphasis, but typing in all caps is the
Internet equivalent of shouting (plus messages in all caps are hard to read).
• Avoid using all lowercase letters. It's viewed as mumbling.
• Avoid using text features like boldface, italics, underlining, or diacritical marks---many online systems won't
display them.
• _Underscored Text_ indicates underline or italic.
• Be brief and to the point. People expect brevity and won't read lengthy messages. Plus, it's harder to read
words on a computer monitor than on paper.
• Have backup copies of files and email messages.
Subject Lines
• Keep subject lines short.
• Make subject lines informative (e.g., don't title messages “FYI,” “Important,” or anything else that doesn't
indicate the content of the message).
Quoting
• Quote the original message when you reply. It may not be apparent to everyone else who you're replying to or
what you're replying about.
• Lines of text with brackets
Email
• Unless you are explicitly given permission, don't publicly post email sent to you in private.
• Recognize that instant delivery of email does not guarantee an instant response. Don't “dun” people for
responses before an acceptable amount of time has elapsed.
• If you are sending information from another source, pay attention to whether the material is copyrighted
(copyright laws apply to email, too). Cite sources.
• If a message is particularly important, you might want to compose several drafts of it in a word processor and
spell-check it.
• Avoid leaving your email account open when you leave your computer. Anyone could sit down at your
keyboard and send out any libelous, offensive, or embarrassing message under your name.
“Spam”
• Do not “spam” (send unsolicited generic email).
• Do not reply to spam, even to demand that they stop emailing you.
• If you really must distribute a message to many people, do not paste all the names into the “CC” field of
your email program (where people can see everyone else's email addresses). Always use “BCC” (blind
carbon copy) instead.
Attachments
• Do not send huge attachments.
• When you're replying to a message that has an attachment, do not include the attachment again.
• Avoid sending attached files that lack filename extensions (that's because some computers won't be able to
open them).
• If you're not sure whether your audience has the correct software to open an attachment, try converting it to
an HTML document so it can be opened in a browser. If the document is large, you could post the document
on the Web in HTML format and email the URL instead of the file.
Flaming
• Do not flame! Flaming refers to derogatory, abusive, threatening, sarcastic, rude, or otherwise mean-spirited
messages directed at people.
• If a message provokes a negative emotional response, put it away for a while, then reread it and see if you're
misinterpreting it. If you don't understand a particular item, ask the sender for clarification before replying to
an incorrect conclusion.
• Messages are not secure. Remember, it's very easy for someone else to forward messages you thought
were confidential. Think of email and bulletin board messages as postcards rather than letters.
• Apologize. If there's been a misunderstanding or miscommunication, you can often nip a flame war in the
bud by a brief apology.
Discussions
• Lurk before you leap. Lurking is visiting without participating. While it's rude to make a habit of lurking, a
little lurking can acquaint you with rules and procedures, help you get the “lay of the land,” and prevent
embarrassment.
• Avoid posting non-informative messages on bulletin boards. Chat is more like a telephone, so saying “Me,
too!” or “I don't know” is accepted. But on bulletin boards, people don't like to read postings that aren't
substantive.
Chat
• Remember that chat rooms are "logged" (i.e., a record is kept of conversations).
• Do not disrupt chat rooms by pasting large blocks of text into the input box (thus causing the screen to
scroll faster than other users are able to type) or otherwise act in a manner that negatively affects other
users' ability to engage in real time exchanges.
• If you are having a conversation that is off the main topic, please move to another chat room.
• If you are a fast typist, please pause occasionally to let slower typists contribute to the discussion.
Contents:
• Structuring an Online Course
• Creating Community
• Facilitating Discussions
Experienced online instructors often emphasize that the issues addressed in an online
environment are similar to those faced by instructors in traditional classes. However,
given the unfamiliar learning environment and the particular obstacles that face
instructors developing virtual classes, some pedagogical challenges are made
particularly difficult.
• Course Planning
• Course Organization
• Communication
Experienced online instructors and students alike emphasize the need to have a
clearly structured and well-planned course when teaching and learning online.
Structuring the course effectively means planning the course well in advance of when it
is being taught, thinking through the organizational structures and qualities that will
help students learn, and understanding that the online environment presents a number
of communication challenges.
Course Planning
Designing a course always takes a great deal of time and thought. That is no different
with online courses. At the same time, the online environment offers particular
obstacles and opportunities for both instructors and students. As you think through
the course elements, pay particular attention to the course components that may
serve as stumbling blocks to student learning online. One particular tension that
emerges is the need to have a clear and organized structure, while allowing flexibility
for making adaptations mid-stream.
Course Home
Syllabus
Calendar
Lounge
Questions
I've posted the topics proposed thus far. Browse to PROJECTS/PAPER #1.
Reminders:
- For Wednesday, Read the Birkerts piece, “Into the Electronic Millennium.”
- For Monday, Read Postman's Chapter 1 and do the IT/HC in the News
Discussion Forum assignment.
Course Homepage • The Table of Contents layout design helps first time online students by providing them a
schema similar to print media.
• Information is chunked into discrete units.
• There are multiple points of entry to information.
• Student-to-Student Interaction
• Faculty-to-Student Interaction
• Tone
- An Emerging Set of Guiding Principles and Practices for the Design and Development of
Distance Education. Available at www.outreach.psu.edu/de/ide
This section provides a number of solutions for creating community in the online
classroom. The Online Fellows are quick to point out, however, that creating
community is a challenge, and classroom dynamics must be monitored throughout
the semester to ensure that students continue to engage thoughtfully in course
content and continue to work together productively.
How to: Students click on a icon, such as the following, to enter the
conference center:
Divide students into discussion groups and change the discussion groups
during the semester
By dividing students into small discussion groups, the class will feel more intimate.
Students do not need to read all postings in order to participate effectively in online
discussions. By changing the composition of the groups over the semester, students
will get to know many members of the class overtime, get varied perspectives, and
learn how to navigate varied online conversation styles.
Contents:
• What is Assessment?
• Evaluating Student Performance for Grading Purposes
• Assessing Whether the Course is “Working”
What is Assessment?
The word “assessment” has taken on a variety of meanings within higher education.
Assessment is the The term can refer to:
systematic collection • standardized measures imposed on institutions as part of increased pressure
and analysis of for external accountability,
information to improve • the process faculty use to grade students’ course assignments, or
student learning. • activities designed to collect information on the success of a course, a
program, or a university curriculum.
The suggestions in this chapter focus on the latter two components of assessment:
At its best, assessment should be valuable to the teaching/learning process and not
another add-on or “make work” of little use to instructors. In fact, assessment activities
can be helpful in promoting all of the Principles of Good Practice (as you look through
the recommendations in this section, note how many of them directly address the
principles discussed in Chapter 2).
Communicate expectations
As was suggested in the previous chapter, students in online courses are in particular
need of clear information about course requirements and instructor expectations.
Therefore, develop specific grading guidelines for course assignments and activities
ahead of time so students know in advance what is expected of them. For example,
articulate what are appropriate responses to questions in online discussions, what is a
substantive answer versus a superficial response, etc. Providing students with specific
examples of the kinds of work you are looking for is also helpful.
The online classroom • Because it is difficult to ensure that students taking an online exam are not using
provides a great their books, some faculty encourage open book exams but place a time limit on
opportunity for how long students have to complete the test. These instructors believe that if a
students to complete student knows where to go in the text book to get the information they need in a
research projects and timely fashion then that student has clearly done the reading, and the issue of
even tests memorizing the information is less important. Some online course software allows
collaboratively. you to limit the time that students may view test questions and post test answers.
Collaborative
assessment reduces • Unlike many traditional classes where students never see their completed exams
the sense of after they hand them in, students in online courses can usually go back and look
isolation in online at the exam questions at a later date. While this can be a useful learning tool for
courses. students, it can lead to additional questions from students about exam content or
the wording of a question.
• The majority of students focus their academic effort on those elements of the
course that will affect their grade in the course. Be sure that your grading policies
reinforce the activities and assignments you value and that you take advantage of
learning activities that are particularly suited for an online course. For example, if
you want students to meaningfully participate in online discussions, be sure to
include participation as part of the grading scheme.
• Have interactive learning activities (e.g., threaded discussion) account for a high
percentage of the course grade.
• Identify the qualities you look for in discussions and grade students according to
those criteria (See sample rubric on next page).
Student Name:
Category 1 2 3 4 Points
Promptness Does not Responds to Responds to Consistently
and Initiative respond to most most postings most postings responds to
postings; rarely several days within a 24 postings in less
participates after initial hour period; than 24 hours;
freely discussion; requires demonstrates good
limited initiative occasional self-initiative
prompting to
post
Total:
Adapted from Edelstein, Susan and Jason Edwards. “If You Build It, They Will Come: Building
Learning Communities Through Threaded Discussions.” Available at
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring51/edelstein51.html.
Adapted from Bersin, Josh. “Measuring E-Learning’s Effectiveness: A Five-Step Program for
Success.” E-Learning. March 2002.
Resources
Contents:
• Troubleshooting Student Issues
• Troubleshooting Technological Issues
• Electronic Resources
• UMass Resources
Teach students how to recover lost files and backup their work
Emphasize to students the importance of backing-up their work on multiple locations
(e.g., floppy disk and hard drive, zip drive and hard drive, etc.).
Berge, Zane L. (2002, April 2). The Role of the Online Instructor/Facilitator. Available at
http://www.emoderators.com/moderators/teach_online.html.
De Vry, Janet R. and David G. Brown. (2000). A Framework for Redesigning a Course.
In Brown, D.G. (Ed.) Teaching with Technology. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing
Company.
Edelstein, Susan and Jason Edwards. If You Build It, They Will Come: Building
Learning Communities Through Threaded Discussions. Available at
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring51/edelstein51.html.
Feenberg, A. (1998). “The Written World: On the Theory and Practice of Computer
Conferencing.” In Mason, R. and Kaye A. (Eds), Mindweave: Communication,
Computers, and Distance Education. Oxford: Permagon Press. (Excerpted at
www.emoderators.com/moderators/feenberg.html)
An Emerging Set of Guiding Principles and Practices for the Design and Development
of Distance Education. Innovations in Distance Education. A Report of the Faculty
Initiative. Pennsylvania State University in collaboration with Lincoln University and
Cheyney University. Available at www.outreach.psu.edu/de/ide.
Ladon, E. H. (2002, April 18). High Touch in a High Tech World: Strategies for
Individualizing Online Learning. eNewsletter. eCollege.com. Available at
http://www.ecollege.com/educator/Resources_edvoice.html.
Massy, William (2002, May). Distance Education: Guidelines for Good Practice. AFT,
pp. 9, 16.
Mersotis, Jamie P. and Ronald A. Phipps. (1999, May/June). What’s the Difference?
Outcomes of Distance vs. Traditional Classroom-Based Learning. Change, p. 13-17.
Ragan, L.C. (1998). Good Teaching is Good Teaching: An Emerging Set of Guiding
Principles and Practices for the Design and Development of Distance Education.
DEOSNEWS (8), 12.
Teaching at an Internet Distance: the Pedagogy of Online Teaching and Learning. The
Report of a 1998-1999 University of Illinois Faculty Seminar. Available at
http://www.vpaa.uillinois.edu/tid/report/tid_report.html.
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