Folks who study student retention and success in community colleges are well-acquainted with the concept of "high-impact practices." They're a set of measures that have been shown through empirical research to make positive differences in student outcomes. The list of high-impact practices usually includes learning communities, service learning, writing-intensive courses, undergraduate research, internships, and capstone courses, among others.
I thought this was a funny and insightful explanation into why smart academics find it impossible to write directly or clearly. It's kinda long (ironically?) but eventually starts listing a few good (specific) insights. Thought yall might enjoy from a "how can we improve communication and content" perspective.
Great article -- and a real issue in some online courses, where we often need more of a technical writing style, such as numbered lists for directions instead of super-long paragraphs. Thanks for sharing!
"To humanize online teaching is to create a situation where strangers can meet by the campfire, discuss what is important to them, and depart with the sense of connection, despite the darkness, and a feeling of community. It is that feeling of authenticity."
"The case for learning out loud extends beyond the development of effective communication skills. An asynchronous, multimodal learning environment that invites students to verbally converse with one another has been shown to improve the social and emotional elements of learning." (also see http://www.slideshare.net/brocansky/learning-outloudsept2014)
This study of 70,000 courses identified five course design archetypes in terms of LMS use:
Supplemental - high in content but with very little student interaction
Complementary - used primarily for one-way teacher-student communication
Social - high peer-to peer interaction through discussion boards
Evaluative - heavy use of assessments to facilitate content mastery
Holistic - high LMS activity with a balances use of assessments, content, and discussion
Join a community of learners, do-ers and teachers. Journey through a Design Thinking experience, apply it in the real world, and go forth and teach others the methodology. This is a paired activity, so there must be an even number of participants. Internet connection, a large screen or projector with sound.
Resources and ideas from CSU Channel Islands for faculty development, especially blended and online, including slides from a presentation their Teaching and Learning Innovations team did at OLC Innovate. Content and approaches include a toolbox, Facebook, Twitter, learning communities, course construction workshops and a faculty/staff blog. Impressive.
A survey of literature regarding Twitter use in the higher education classroom finds substantial support and good advice regarding its usefulness in pedagogy. Research found that Twitter aids students in building relationships, fosters students' connections with each other, and allows them to create meaning through sustained communication.