Introduction to week 4: supporting student learning
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Supporting student learning
Welcome to week 4. During the previous 3 weeks you have been focusing on induction, introductions, designing online activities and collaboration for learning activities and support. In week 4 we turn to the topic of supporting student learning in the online environment. In many ways we have been exploring this from the beginning of #tooc14.
Our attention in week 4 focuses on critical incidents in the online environment. We examine the processes and roles that have a significant impact on supporting online learners. This relates very well to Gilly Salmon's (2011) stages 4 & 5 ( link to the model).
Firstly take a look at the welcome video and overview of the week's topic.
- You can read the video transcript here.
- Read the overview of this week's topic
- Listen to some podcasts about supporting and developing online learning
Activities
- Task 1: Tweet about supporting learners online. As you are reading and reflecting on the week 4 activities, please post your thoughts and ideas to twitter about supporting learners in the online environment. Please use the course hash tag.
- Task 2: Student support scenarios (badge activity) (no more than 30 minutes). In the week 4 discussion forum there is a discussion thread for each of two different scenarios which illustrate some of the difficulties that commonly occur in online working. Your task is to read each scenario and plan how you would respond if you were the online tutor responsible for the group. Draw on the key readings for the week in order to inform your plan. Aim to post your responses by Wednesday of Week 4 at the latest. Then post a critique to each scenario, in the appropriate thread, which includes both sample messages to the students concerned as well as an explanation of why you would respond in the way you have. While this is intended as an individual (albeit public) activity, you will probably also want to respond to the posts of others on the course.
- Task 3: Planning support in the online environment and evaluating critical incidents (this should take no more than 1 hour). On reflection of the week 4 resources (support in the online environment videos) and key readings, write a short statement (no more than 250 words) about strategies you could employ in order to enhance student support and prevent or minimise critical incidents. Post your output on the discussion forum. Also take into account the importance of the roles of others and how these may help to facilitate an approach to:
- Overall course design and organisation
- Facilitating discourse
- Directing instructions
Readings
OK, so rules were made to be broken. This week there are two key readings!
Key reading: Teacher presence in the Community of Inquiry Frameworks model. - Key reading: Fetzner , M. (2013) "What Do Unsuccessful Online Students Want Us to Know?" Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 17, Retrieved 7 Feb 2014, from http://t.co/F76mHh3hn2
- (If you read one thing this week it should be these two!)
- Week 4 readings
