Pedagogical Resources
How is teaching online different than face-to-face instruction? What
responsibilities do I have as an online educator? How can I assure that
my students are grasping the course content? Just like traditional educative
formats, online education has theories and models that are utilized and
discussed by practicing professionals. If you are interested in
models and theories regarding distance learning, consult the links below.
- Model from the Institute for Distance Education from the University of Maryland University College: http://www.umuc.edu/ide/modlmenu.html#common
- Blended Learning Models by Purnima Valiathan: http://www.learningcircuits.org/2002/aug2002/valiathan.html
Building Online Communities
Online communities are not as difficult to build as some may assume, but educators must make a conscious effort in order to promote and ultimately succeed in creating strong online learning communities. Many resources on this topic exist, some of which are listed below.
- The Online Community Toolkit provides articles, tips, tools, and ideas for online educators. You can visit it at http://www.fullcirc.com/community/communitymanual.htm. Additional articles about online learning communities can be found below.
- "Building
a Learning Community Online" by Chris Waters: http://www.techlearning.com/story/
showArticle.php?articleID=17301672 - "Building Communities—Strategies for Collaborative Learning" by Soren Kaplan: http://www.learningcircuits.org/2002/aug2002/kaplan.html
Additional Resources for Online Educators
- The Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT) is a quarterly peer-reviewed publication that will benefit faculty interested in designing an online course, building an online community, and teach effectively through the use of technology. JOLT can be accessed at http://jolt.merlot.org.
- West Valley College’s tips for teaching online - http://www.westvalley.edu/trc/seven.html
- Designing Courses: Instructional Design for Online Learning - http://www.ibritt.com/resources/dc_instructionaldesign.htm
- Copyright information from the University of Pittsburgh aimed to address common questions asked by members of the University Community: http://www.library.pitt.edu/guides/copyright/