rewards_of_effective_online

Dr. Diane Howard's Publications, Presentations

The Rewards of Effective Online Instruction

by Diane Howard, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2003

World Association of Online Education

Effective online instruction can to lead student to develop higher-order, critical- thinking skills. Best practice online cognitive instructional strategies involve students in active, not passive learning. Active learning facilitates deeper understanding and processing of information. Effective online instruction encourages a posting and writing process that involves brainstorming, collaborating, drafting, and revising. Effective cognitive teaching online strategies are not focused toward a correct number of student responses, that are more behavioral in nature; but they are directed toward encouraging independent thinking, that includes process, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of information. The goal of effective online facilitation is not to encourage passive responses to information but active, independent sense-making. It encourages meaningfulness, as it facilitates links between fresh insights and new ideas.

Effective online instruction facilitates practical, real-world learning tasks. It encourages construction of meaning and connection between abstract ideas and concrete, useful applications. It assists learners in what to know but more importantly in how to know and to utilize meaning (Eggen & Kauchak, 2001). Positive online facilitation impacts affective, social, and cognitive domains of learning. Effective online instruction integrates social interaction and problem or project-based cognitive learning models. This integration includes and facilitates small team assignments that involve inquiry, solving problems, group work, collaborative learning, and cooperative projects.

Effective online instructors can positively impact students' attitudes and learning (Bruning et al., 1999). They can provide constructive tones, standards, goals, objectives, deadlines, learning activities, assessments, and evaluations of students' projects and progress. They can model, generate enthusiasm, and convey positive expectations toward learning. Their modeling can have a productive impact on their students (Bandura, 1986). They can generate interest in topics. They can encourage confidence in the significance and relevance of material covered in a course.

Online instructors encourage more independent productivity, when they actively ask questions of learners and provide consistent, constructive feedback. They facilitate high-level, independent learning when they instruct inductively, constructively, and positively. Effective teaching strategies can make a profound difference and impact on the level and output of online learners.

References

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, N. J; Prentice Hall.

Bruning, R., Shraw, G, & Roming, R. (1999). Cognitive psychology and instruction (3^rd edition). Upper Saddle River, N. J.: Prentice Hall.

Eggen, P., Kauchak, D. Strategies for Teachers, Teaching Content and Thinking Skills. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.