AET 520 Best Practices for Online Educators’

1. AET 520Best Practices for Online Educators’ By: Frank J. Ball Sr. – James Sheridon Ochoa – Jason Oxley – Justin Hefner

2. Introduction Increasing numbers of online courses have resulted in an emphasis toward adult learning. This has led the instructor to serve as a facilitator rather than the distributor of content. • Shift has moved from Traditional content centered courses to learning centered courses. • Curriculum needs to be authentic and applicable to real-world problems and build critical thinking skills.

3. Faculty Support • New Faculty Entering Online Teaching • Attend new faculty online tutorials • Assessing whether online teaching is a good fit • Assists in consideration of how many aspects there are for online learning • Workshops • Gets faculty acquainted with teaching online including beginning and intermediate teaching methods involving technology • Introduction to classroom

4. Faculty Support • Established Faculty • Online blackboards • Accessing new materials and documentation • Web-based Questionnaire • Helps faculty discover their strengths and areas of opportunity • Assists faculty in tailoring course design and presentation • Course design is an ongoing process

5. Student Support • Covers a list of support options, to include: • Career related services • Personal counseling • Disability services • Tutoring • Multi-cultural programs (Note: Some of the most popular student support services offered are resume building, job listings, and job searching.)

6. Student Support • For non-tech-savvy students: • Comprehensive online training (Example: University of Phoenix-Com/516-Professional Communications) • Develop user-friendly delivery systems • Clear and precise expectations and guidelines • Course balance to prevent student overload • Caused by attempts to mimic traditional courses • Quality feedback from the course instructor

7. Design • Design should flow between elements • Elements should be concise • Fancy is not always better • Design should focus on content, not backgrounds • Do more with less

8. Implementation • Implementation should follow analysis • Instructors should implement for the learners • An instructor should prepare for implementation properly • Implementation should conform to a schedule, e.g., a syllabus, etc. • Implementation should fit the instruction topic

9. Organization and Planning • Proper planning helps decrease learner confusion and misunderstanding • Planning can help promote andragogy • Organized courses progress learners toward specific goals • Instructional modules should conform to academic standards • Organization and planning support institutional accreditation

10. Student/Instructor Interaction Today’s online student can attend school at any time, at any place, all one needs is a good Internet connection. Interaction between the student and the instructor/facilitator will enhance the experience of the online learning environment and contribute to a positive performance and course satisfaction.

11. Student/Instructor Interaction A traditional classroom setting allows face-to-face interaction every time the class meets. The instructor/facilitator even has one-on-one time with the student in this type of setting.

12. Student/Instructor Interaction The online instructor or facilitator who provides prompt feedback that is relevant and continual contributes to high student satisfaction. Meaningful dialogue between the student and instructor serves as a basic principle to online teaching. Instructor feedback evaluations are consistently higher for those who have good student interaction in the online environment than those who do not.

13. Conclusion • Faculty and student support helps address diverse issues • Design, implementation, planning, and organization promote healthy learning environments • This environment helps learners achieve personal and professional goals • Learning facilitation helps educators create a positive environment • This environment helps learners engage critical-thinking skills

14. References ABET. (2011). Why Accreditation Matters to Programs and Institutions. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from ABET: Assuring Quality, Stimulating Innovation: http://www.abet.org/accreditation-matters-programs-institutions/ Demski, J. (2010, January 27). Support For Online Faculty. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from Campus Technology: http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2010/01/27/Support-For-Online-Faculty.aspx?Page=1 Fish, W., & Wickersham, L. (2009). Best Practices for Online Instructors. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 10(3), 279-284. Fogarty, R., & Pete, B. (2007). From Staff Room to Classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Knowles, M. S., Holton III, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2011). The Adult Learner: The Definitive Classic in Adult Education and Human Resource Development (7th ed.). Burlington, MA: Elsevier, Inc. National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education [NCATE] . (n.d.). What Makes a Teacher Effective? Retrieved October 24, 2013, from NCATE: The Standard of Excellence in Teacher Preparation: http://www.ncate.org/public/researchreports/teacherpreparationresearch/whatmakesateachereffective/tabid/361/default.aspx Venable, M. A. (2011). Providing Critical Support to Online Students. Online College.org. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from http://www.onlinecollege.org/whitepapers/2011-08.pdf