Group items tagged

"...it's essential to understand how to build authentic connections with your students to engage them in learning. ...here are my go-to tools for building meaningful connections with students in the digital classroom"

Many of the things they did would apply to building a quality online course as well as a whole program.

"The Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance (VLLA) and Quality Matters (QM) are leading a broad-based effort to revise the National Standards for Quality Online Learning, building upon the work started by The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL)."

"One of the most common questions we hear from instructors who are first moving to an online teaching environment is, "How do I build community in an online class?""

Meaningful learner interaction is critical to developing second language skills.... What are some tasks that facilitate interaction and build learner community when teaching and learning online?

"The online teachers provided support by building ties to students through interactions via discussion forums and individual communications. Peers also provided support through online forums and webinar-facilitated exchanges. Online teacher and peer student support contributed to the formation of virtual online learning communities. This is important as social and academic integration are mechanisms for retention and success. This research is significant as the numbers of online students have increased markedly in recent times, but student support services do not appear to have changed accordingly. Further, support models for retention and success have not been adequately adapted to suit online learners' needs."