When I completed my Master's degree, I commuted 2 1/2 hours one way once a week because I wanted the face-to-face interaction with the instructor. When I completed the coursework for my EdD, I did so in an online setting. I was pleasantly suprised that there was a very strong level of instructor-student interaction , and I do not feel I would have been successful in the coursework had this not been a part of the course design. I experienced first-hand the importance of ensuring the instructor-student interaction in an online format.

I found this to be one of biggest struggles when I was teaching online courses. The courses I taught were 5 weeks in length, and being able to conduct ongoing, frequent assessments was a challenge. If anyone has taught online courses and has any suggestions as to how to best incorporate these ongoing, frequent assessments, I would be very interested to learn from you!

I find this to be one of my biggest challenges this year when working with teachers in mathematics. Several districts still use a curriculum that is not aligned to the Core, and some teachers are torn between aligning their instruction to the Core and teaching each lesson from their curriculum as they have for the past several years.

We have had many discussions as AEA consultants about what our Professional Development offerings will look like in the future. Knowing that online course offerings are more than likely coming down the pike for us in the future, being able to demonstrate effective instructional strategies and techniques appropriate for online education will be something that requires a lot of thoughtful planning.