101: Help Your Learners Succeed Online

Your first step to becoming a “power instructor” in the technology-enriched classroom is to understand the student experience of interactive/collaborative e-learning and the skills necessary for effective online communication and teaching. This FutureU™ e-course expands on the cursory introduction to e-learning provided by most course management software vendors and further addresses the common misconception that e-learning involves nothing more than simply putting course materials into a Web-readable format.

The focus of this course is on the two most important skills for successful e-learning from a student’s point of view: effective Internet research (including how to search, how to tell good information from bad, and how to cite what is found) and mastery of Web technology for collaboration (including email, chat, and asynchronous discussion forums). Our “textbook” is a special, annotated version of FutureU’s classic student Web book “Make the Most of Learning Online,” which is normally only available when purchased as part of the FutureU™ Faculty Web Book, “Make the Most of Teaching Online.” The contents of this course are also available as Part 1 of FutureU’s e-course for instructors, “Plan and Create an Online Course.”

Who Should Attend

For individuals who are new or fairly new to interactive/collaborative e-learning or who want to fine tune their skills and understanding of the process. Especially useful for trainers/instructors who expect to have at least some students/learners with limited previous experience of interactive/collaborative e-learning.

Course Design

Duration: Two weeks.
Workload: 1 hour per day, 5 out of 7 days per week, for participation and study time. That’s 10 hours of facilitated learning across 2 weeks for about 10 bucks an hour. Compare to self-paced “info” products that cost the same or double, even triple that amount. It’s quite a bargain.
Teaching Format: Instructor led.
Classroom Format: Online and Asynchronous (Participants “attend class” from their own desktop or laptop computer, at home or at work, and at whatever time is most convenient to them.
Content and Learning Community: Includes the web-based textbook and a 1-year subscription to a special learning community space where individuals using our content may share ideas and have access to the latest versions of our products.

Instructor

This e-course is usually led by FutureU™ co-founder Claude Whitmyer, who has been learning and teaching online since the early 1980s, before the World Wide Web even existed. His friendly communication style makes it easy for participants to master the sometimes challenging tools of Web-based instruction, and his skillful use of threading, harvesting, weaving, and other hallmarks of good online facilitation provides a model for every instructor. He will be assisted by one or more FutureU™ associates who have been trained in FutureU™’s effective online facilitation methods and who have themselves previously completed a course covering this content.

Topics

• A well-tested structure for presenting online course materials.
• Various types of navigation for use with your online course materials.
• Minimum hardware/software requirements for a typical online classroom.
• The many advantages and challenges of e-learning.
• How to avoid student problems with email and online classroom discussions.
• Tips for reducing the instructor’s workload around the online components of a course.
• The advantages and challenges of the “online” classroom versus the “normal” classroom.
• The skills every student and instructor must have for full participation in the online components of any course.
• Tips for using email to enhance learning and teaching.
• Simple tricks for enhancing online communication and preventing problems.
• Standards for frequency and style of online participation for successful group interactions.
• Review of proper ergonomics, eye care, and other aspects of safe, comfortable computer use.
• Time management skills required for efficient online study.
• Why, when, and how to share computer files .
• How to evaluate assignments online.
• How to track assignments online.
• Effective strategies for successful Internet research.
• The benefits of doing group learning activities online.
• The benefits and limitations of different types of media for online group interaction.
• Harvesting and weaving and how to use them to enhance your courses.
• Resources for collaborative learning.
• An annotated list of print books that can further deepen your own and your students’ understanding of the Internet.
• Hyperlinks to numerous other Web sites that address specific aspects of e-learning.

Required Reading

FutureU’s Annotated Student Web Book: Understanding the Student View of E-Learning.

Table of Contents

Preface

Prerequisites

• Ability to work at a detailed level.
• Eagerness to think.
• Ability to keep going in the face of sometimes challenging and frustrating experiences.
• Typing skill of 100% accuracy at a net 20 words per minute, minimum.
• Basic computer literacy, including how to use Windows and Windows Explorer or MacOS and Mac Finder, right click, double click, “file save as” and so forth.
• Ability to enter an http URL into the address window of a browser and have the page come up.
• Ability to create directories or folders and to use Notepad to make files and save files to a particular directory or folder.
• Familiarity with a major-brand word-processing software, such as Microsoft Word, Lotus WordPro or WordPerfect is strongly recommended.

Technical Requirements

Internet access and an Internet email address. Any recent vintage personal computer will provide what you need.

Delivery Options

Off-the-shelf or customized to meet your organization’s needs. Usually delivered entirely online, through FutureU’s online virtual classroom. May be delivered to groups of 10 or more faculty on your own campus e-learning platform. Also adaptable for on-site delivery.

Payment and Price

Payment

Arrangements can be made to pay by PayPal or through the FutureU™ Store. We accept all major credit cards, cashiers checks, or postal money orders. Payment must be received at least 24 hour in advance of the start of an event.

Price

Total Cost: $100. A special edition of FutureU’s Student Web Book is included in the price ($49.00 value). That’s about 10 hours of facilitated learning across 2 weeks and a free web-based textbook, all for about 10 bucks an hour. You can’t find a tutor or coach that cheap.

Customization

We can customize this e-course to address your particular requirements and preferences. For example, the version of this course we created for the American Hospital Association includes resources and examples specific to the healthcare industry. Contact us for more information about customization.

 

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