This document discusses strategies for creating engaging online courses through stimulating discussions, structuring topics well, and putting students into groups. It emphasizes the importance of engagement and providing avenues for higher-order thinking. Specific tips are provided, such as using icebreakers to build trust, giving students topic choices, assigning experts to add insight, and putting students into groups to feel more connected. Grading rubrics and both "parallel play" and "real" group projects are explored as ways to enhance learning. The goal is to provide conditions where students can learn through creative and fun activities.

1. Introduction

2. Introduction
Jim
Marteney

3. Introduction
Jim
Marteney
Professor
Emeritus
Communication
Studies

4. 8Years Ago Became
Distance Education
Trainer

5. What’s Online Learning?
MOOC’s
not another
word for
Online
Learning
Just as 800
student
lecture not
another word
for seminar

6. Focus Now
on
Engagement

7. I was told, “You’re lucky
to be teaching adults.”

8. How We See Our Class Role

10. Variety of Challenges
Learning Styles
Generational
Differences
Pedagogy vs. Androgogy
Digital Natives vs
Digital Immigrants

11. Class Interaction
Instructor to Student
Student to Instructor
Student to Student

12. THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN AN
ENGAGING ONLINE
COURSE

13. THE DIFFERENCE
AND A BORING
ONLINE COURSE

14. STIMULATING DISCUSSIONS
From Facebook to
texting, to
YouTube, our
students are ready
to perform.

15. HIGHER ORDER THINKING
Discussions
allow for
higher
order
thinking
skills

16. STRUCTURING A TOPIC

17. STRUCTURING A TOPIC
Title
Background
Sell Topic
Task
Responsibility
Value of Assignment

18. STRUCTURING A TOPIC
Write Enough
Make your
expectations clear
Add video or links
What is it worth?
Don’t Assume they can read your mind.

19. CREATING A TOPIC
Make the topics
interesting
Don’t create topics with
specific text answers
Be Creative
Require Student Evaluation
Require Student Judgment

20. EVALUATIVE TOPIC
“Look back at Chapter 1 and pick three
types of punishments that we no longer
use, and describe them.”
Administration of Justice Course
Introduction to Corrections
“Look back at Chapter 1 and pick
one of the types of punishments
that we no longer use, and explain
why you believe we should bring it
back.”

21. GIVE STUDENTS CHOICES

22. ALWAYS SELL YOUR TOPIC
Why should your
students care?

23. EXPERTS ON A TOPIC
Adds valuable
content and
insight
Students appreciate
experts
Easier to recruit
online experts
Gives you a break

24. EXPERTS ON A TOPIC

25. DISCUSSION USES

26. ICE BREAKERS
Not so
successful

27. ICE BREAKERS
Successful

28. ICE BREAKERS
Tips
Build Trust:
Answer your own questions
Ask interesting questions
Ask specific questions

29. ICE BREAKERS
Tips
This may be their first
discussion, make
instructions clear

30. ICE BREAKERS

31. ICE BREAKERS
This is the first
step in tearing
down the wall
between
instructor and
student.

32. WHAT MIGHT YOU TRY?
What icebreaker
topics might you use?

33. TOPIC SAMPLES

34. EVALUATION TOPIC

35. USER GENERATED TOPIC

36. RESPONSE TO VIDEO

37. CREATIVE TOPIC

38. CREATIVE TOPIC

39. USER GENERATED TOPIC

40. USE POETRY

41. OFF THE WALL

42. DEBATE

43. SUMMARIZE HOMEWORK
Benefit From Tribal Learning
Combine Individual Work
and
Sharing With Others

44. SUMMARIZE HOMEWORK

45. SUMMARIZE HOMEWORK

46. AVENUE FOR THOUGHTS

47. AVENUE FOR THOUGHTS
Malala Yousafzai

48. AVENUE FOR THOUGHTS

49. AVENUE FOR THOUGHTS

50. AVENUE FOR THOUGHTS

51. We can also have some fun
while learning

52. FUN LEARNING

53. FUN LEARNING

54. JUST PLAIN FUN
Social Communication Important
Increases Trust
Builds Learning Community

55. Halloween Party

56. Halloween Party

57. Halloween Party

58. Halloween Party

59. Halloween Party

60. Halloween Party

61. Halloween Party

62. Halloween Party

63. Halloween Party

64. Halloween Party
Thank you! That site was so
fun! My friend and I were
on it for hours!
--- Fall 2011 student

65. ACTIVITY

66. RESULTS

67. RESULTS

68. WHAT MIGHT YOU TRY?
What topics might
you use?

69. GRADING A DISCUSSION
Make Your
Expectations
Clear

70. GRADING A DISCUSSION
My Rubric
Wanted them to Post Early
Wanted them to Post Often
Wanted them to Respond to Classmates
Wanted Quality Posts

71. GRADING A DISCUSSION

72. WHAT MIGHT YOU TRY?
What might be your
grading criteria?

73. PUTTING STUDENTS IN
GROUPS

74. PUTTING STUDENTS IN
GROUPS
Student feels
disconnected in large
group
Would feel more
comfortable in
smaller, intimate
group

75. PUTTING STUDENTS IN
GROUPS
Too many in class for
one discussion group
Tough to come up
with original answer as
42nd student
Can make a unique
contribution in
smaller group

76. PUTTING STUDENTS IN
GROUPS
Want to create
special groups

77. PUTTING STUDENTS IN
GROUPS
How many do you
put in a group?
First a couple of questions
A regular discussion 20
A student project 10-12

78. PUTTING STUDENTS IN
GROUPS
First a couple of questions
How do you select
members of a group?
Mix up high achievers with low?
Keep high achievers together?
Have students self select?

79. PUTTING STUDENTS IN
GROUPS
First a couple of questions
Assigning will save time
Assigning will save frustration
Can rotate assignments
Do you assign group
responsibilities?

80. USING GROUP ASSESSMENTS
Groups of One
Journal Writing
English
Communication
Child Development
Lab Reports

81. USING GROUP ASSESSMENTS
Group Projects

82. USING GROUP ASSESSMENTS
Group Projects

83. USING GROUP ASSESSMENTS
Group Projects
“Real” Group Projects
“Parallel Play” Group Projects

84. USING GROUP ASSESSMENTS
“Parallel Play” Group Projects
Group projects where members in the
group are not dependent on each other
to complete the task
They can help and inspire each other but their
grade is not dependent on other group
members

85. USING GROUP ASSESSMENTS
“Parallel Play” Group Projects

86. USING GROUP ASSESSMENTS
“Parallel Play” Group Projects

87. USING GROUP ASSESSMENTS
“Parallel Play” Group Projects

88. USING GROUP ASSESSMENTS
Group Projects
“Real” Group Projects
“Parallel play” Group Projects

89. USING GROUP ASSESSMENTS
“Real” Group Projects

90. USING GROUP ASSESSMENTS
“Real” Group Projects
Group projects where people in the
group are dependent on each other to
complete the task
Members divide duties and responsibilities and
work together to complete the task

91. USING GROUP ASSESSMENTS
“Real” Group Projects
Group Class Project:
Grading Points
Work together on a task
80 evaluation of the group process
20 evaluation of the final product
10 “bonus” participation from each other

92. USING GROUP ASSESSMENTS
“Real” Group Projects
Group Class Project:
Chapters will create an eBook
A chapter in a group text.

93. YOUR EXPERIENCES
Any ideas for Groups?

94. More than oneMore than one
way to teachway to teach
online.online.

95. We should not be about creating
educational content.
We should be be about creating
educational experiences.

96. ““I never teach myI never teach my
pupils. I only attempt topupils. I only attempt to
provide the conditions inprovide the conditions in
which they can learn.which they can learn.””
--Albert Einstein

97. Looking to the Future

98. EffectiveEffective
Distance LearningDistance LearningThank youThank you