6.6 | Student-to-Instructor Engagement | Facilitating the First Week
Facilitating Week One
In a review of online and blended learning (Arbaugh et al. 2010) social and intellectual integration into the college experience were highlighted as key factors predicting college retention rates. Arbauch et al. discuss the positive effect on retention that can be developed through student involvement and through the relationships the student has with peers and professors. This type of social and intellectual integration can thrive in the online environment, however, it does not happen spontaneously or by accident. It is an intentional action that must be curated and facilitated by the instructor. Too often, the sense of community is not established right at the beginning of the course due to a lack of social presence by the facilitator.
The instructor should lead by example and be perceived by students as always in the classroom at the beginning of the semester to lead and encourage meaningful communication in discussion forums and by using other LMS tools. During this critical time, the instructor will also need to act as the immediate "go-to" person concerning course navigation and other issues.
There is no getting around it. The first week of online facilitation is a lot of work for the instructor, however, the outcome is worth the investment to improve student success and retention. Before moving on to the next section of this page, check out this great article by Instructional Designer, Dr. Deonne Johnson, which discusses ways to Bring More Humanization into Your Online Course including strategies for instructor presence and teacher-student connection.
Communication and Feedback in the First Weeks
Since your students may not physically see you twice a week in class, you will need to clearly state how and when they can communicate with you. In addition, you might want to set some ground rules for how they should communicate with you and with their peers. Try to remember, though, that students in face-to-face classes have many opportunities to speak with us informally. Students may not feel welcome if all their online communication is held to very formal standards. Thus, as was mentioned on the previous page (Before the Course), try to use tone that will welcome and invite students to reach out.
Please click on each of the following strategies to implement effective communication and feedback in the first weeks of class. When you are done reviewing these materials, move on to the next page to learn about strategies for fostering student-content engagement.
Works Cited
- 10-10-10: Communication That Matters by CVC-OEI (CC BY). Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Arbaugh, J. B., Desai, A., Rau, B., & Sridhar, B. S. (2010). A review of research on online and blended learning in the management disciplines: 1994–2009. Organization Management Journal, 7, 39–55.
- Clapper, T. (28 March 2012): Retention In Online Courses: Surviving the First Week.
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