Teaching & Learning in Online Spaces

A review by Catherine Hillman This is one of my go-to books in my “online learning” shelf because it addresses not only the magnificent vortex of an adjustment that is online teaching, but also because it offers some truly beneficial and practical suggestions for course preparation. There are terrific insights that will help you map out your approach to an online course from a pedagogical point of view, as well as avoiding certain technology pitfalls that can derail the process of converting your lecture materials to an appropriate online activity. While the book does not cover any specific learning management system, it does (correctly) assume that any major LMS will offer an html-based platform for arranging and presenting your materials, and is therefore helpful regardless of your delivery platform. The portion of the book that deals with new approaches to online course design serves as an equal challenge to those of us who also teach Face-to-Face, as it challenges our assumptions...

I can't  think of a better way to illustrate the power of collaborative efforts   than by sharing this video with you. Eric Whitacre composed and  produced this piece with the help of 185 singers from 12 countries. The  result is remarkable. Watch, and then scroll down for more about   collaboration. For the past few years, Dr. Ben Seaberry at Diablo Valley College has been surveying the students at DVC about their attitudes toward their success and satisfaction regarding online learning. In 2009's study, Dr. Seaberry noticed the highest levels of both satisfaction and success in students who had high levels of interaction in their class, with both their instructors and their fellow students. The study is here  and worth looking over, but suffice it to say your students are happier when they learn together . Collaboration, student-led learning projects, focus on the learning process, discovered meanings, and group in...