Effective Online Teaching

Foundations and Strategies for Student Success

Tina Stavredes

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781118038802
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Inclusive Education

Effective Online Teaching is an essential resource that offers a clear understanding of how cognition and learning theory applies to online learning. This much-needed resource provides specific strategies for incorporating this knowledge into effective learner-centered teaching that gets results. The book includes strategies on motivation, tailored instruction, interaction, collaboration, monitoring and communication, time and information management, student concerns, and legal and ethical issues.

Designed as a text for online instructors, the chapters can be used for self-directed learning or in a formal training setting in concert with the companion Training Manual and CD.

"Tina Stavredes has done something sorely needed in the online teaching world —she has successfully combined solid theory and research with the practical application of instructor training. Both the book and the training manual are a 'must' for any online education organization. Bravo!"—Dr. Darcy W. Hardy, assistant vice provost for Technology Education Initiatives, University of Texas at San Antonio, and chair emerita, United States Distance Learning Association

"Drawing from years of experience and solidly grounded in an understanding of the adult learner and learning, Stavredes offers dozens of helpful instructor strategies, activities, and resources to support adult learners' success in an online environment. Effective Online Teaching and its accompanying training manual is a 'must-have' set for online instructors in higher education, corporate, and government settings."—Sharan B. Merriam, professor emeritus of adult education, University of Georgia, and coauthor, Learning in Adulthood

"An eminently practical book that provides clear and unpretentious explanations of the learning theories that are essential knowledge for every online teacher, together with equally uncluttered and easy-to-follow guidance about how to apply this knowledge to achieve excellent teaching."—Michael Grahame Moore, Distinguished Professor of Education, The Pennsylvania State University, and editor, The American Journal of Distance Education

Part 1

Profile of the Online Learner

Part 1 presents the profile of an online learner and discusses the importance of knowing your online learning audience in order to deliver a quality learning experience that meets the needs of all learners to improve their ability to persist. Chapter 1 examines learner demographics and considers cultural differences that affect online learners. Chapter 2 looks at the general attributes of online learners, including their attributes as adult learners, their self-directedness, and their social learning styles. Chapter 3 considers issues online adult learners face as they engage in online learning and provides an understanding of critical factors that influence their ability to persist in the online environment to achieve their goals. Overall, Part 1 will help you develop an understanding of your learners, what motivates them, and what barriers may prevent them from being successful in an online learning environment. Understanding the characteristics and needs of the online learner may not necessarily guarantee success in an online course, but it may inform your pedagogy to help learners persist.

Chapter 1

Characteristics of the Online Learner

From its beginnings, online education has primarily been focused on nontraditional adult learners. However, this is changing, and we are beginning to see traditional learners considering online education. Because of the wide range of characteristics and needs that make up the online learner population, it is critical to understand the diversity of online learners in order to develop unique approaches that support learners and facilitate their ability to persist and learn.

Characteristics of diversity fall into two categories. Primary characteristics are those attributes of a person that do not change over time, such as age, gender, and ethnicity. Secondary characteristics are those that are acquired or change over time and include characteristics such as occupation, income, education, marital status, and parental status, to name a few. Exhibit 1.1 describes the primary and secondary diversity characteristics of online learners.

Exhibit 1.1 Diversity Characteristics of Online Learners.

Primary Diversity Characteristics	Learner
Gender (Noel-Levitz, 2009)	60% Female 40% Male
Age distribution (Noel-Levitz, 2009)	20% under 24 32%—25–34 26%—35–44 18%—45–54 4%—55 and over
Ethnicity (Noel-Levitz, 2005)	74% White 12% African American 4% Hispanic 3% Asian 7% Other
Secondary Diversity Characteristics	Learner
Enrollment status (Noel-Levitz, 2009)	81% Primarily online 19% Primarily on campus
Work status (Noel-Levitz, 2005)	70% Employed full-time 17% Employed part-time 13% Unemployed
Marital status (Noel-Levitz, 2005)	37% Married with children 18% Married 31% Single 11% Single with children

Noel-Levitz publishes the yearly National Online Learners Priorities Report, which includes a comprehensive examination of online learners (Noel-Levitz, 2009). The 2009 study included 68,760 learners from 87 institutions and showed that the online learner population is 68% female and 32% male. The age distribution is 20% 24 years and younger, 32% between the ages of 25 and 34, 26% between 35 and 44, 18% between 45 and 54, and 4% 55 years and over. Ethnicity was not reported in the 2009 report, but the 2005 Noel-Levitz study reported ethnicity of online learners as 74% White, 12% African American, 4% Hispanic, 3% Asian, and 7% of other races (Noel-Levitz, 2005). The majority of online learners are between the ages of 25 and 44, which is a wide age distribution that has implications for the types of instructional strategies that you use in your online course. Although a large percentage are White, there are a growing number of African-American, Hispanic, and Asian learners, a trend to consider as you determine the appropriate teaching strategies for your online courses.

The 2005 and 2009 reports also describe secondary diversity characteristics of online learners. The 2009 report states that 81% of online learners are primarily online while 19% are primarily on campus. The 2005 report shows 37% of learners married with children, 18% married with no children, 31% single, and 11% single with children. The 2005 report also states that 70% are employed full-time, 17% employed part-time, and 13% not employed. Most of the online learner population are new to online learning, having taken fewer than three classes previously, and take from one to six credits at a time. Most plan to complete their degree online. The top reasons learners choose online learning are convenience, work schedule, flexible pacing, and program requirements (Noel-Levitz, 2009).

The online learner is different from the traditional learner, who is usually under the age of 25, single with no children, and attending school full-time while holding a part-time job. Most online learners have the responsibilities of children and full-time jobs, responsibilities that make it difficult to manage online learning with their already full lives. You will need to set clear expectations for learners along with some degree of flexibility. Being too flexible can result in learners getting behind and trying to catch up toward the end of the course, which can have an impact on persistence and achievement. Not having enough flexibility can cause learners to become anxious and discouraged, which may result in prematurely dropping the course.

Cultural Differences

As the diversity data show, the online learner population is a heterogeneous group of learners who come to the online learning environment with diverse values, beliefs, and perspectives. Cultural differences can have an impact on how learners engage in the online environment. Culture is the collective mind of a group or category of people that distinguishes it from other people based on a set of values (Hofstede, 2008). Geert Hofstede (Hofstede & Bond, 1984) has researched the effect of culture on psychological functioning, as well as its impact on sociological, political, and economic functioning of social systems. In his studies, he identified four cultural dimensions that influence social systems, including power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism versus collectivism, and masculinity-femininity.

Power Distance

Power distance refers to the status position of individuals in society. It also signifies the extent to which less powerful members of a society accept that power is distributed unequally, and individuals of higher power exert influence on individuals or groups of lower power (Hofstede, 2008). Countries such as China, India, Czechia, Poland, Korea, Japan, Russia, and those in South America have high power distances, whereas countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, and Israel have low power distances.

The effect of power distance on teaching and learning is pronounced. In cultures where there are high power distances, learners tend to be dependent on the instructor to direct the learning experience and initiate all of the communications in the class. Learners treat the instructor with respect because they are considered gurus who transfer personal wisdom to the learners.

Cultures with low power distances are more learner-centered. Instructors and learners treat each other as equals, and learners initiate some of the communications in class. Instructors are viewed as experts who transfer their impersonal truths to learners, that is, they are more of a “guide on the side.”

Uncertainty Avoidance

Uncertainty avoidance refers to the degree to which certain cultures are able to tolerate unstructured or ambiguous situations and environments. This relates to how a society deals with conflict and aggression, as well as life and death. Germany, Japan, South American countries, Korea, Russia, Hungary, and Israel have higher uncertainty avoidance, whereas Nordic countries, the Netherlands, China, and India have lower uncertainty avoidance (Hofstede, 2008).

Uncertainty avoidance has an impact on how a learning environment is organized. Learners who come from cultures with high uncertainty avoidance are concerned about knowing the right answers, which they believe the instructor holds. Learners are able to express emotions in class but they feel pressured to conform to other learners.

Cultures with low uncertainty avoidance are tolerant of individual differences; however, there is little tolerance for the expression of emotions in class. Learners enjoy good discussions and it is acceptable for the instructor to not know all of the answers.

Individualism Versus Collectivism

Individualism versus collectivism refers to the position of a culture along a continuum. On one pole is individualism, which refers to a group of people whose concern is looking after themselves and their family. On the other pole is collectivism, which refers to a group of people that look after each other in exchange for loyalty. Individualist societies include Spain, France, the Netherlands, Nordic countries, Poland, Hungary, Italy, German-speaking countries, and the United States. Collectivist societies include Thailand, Korea, Costa Rica, Chile, Russia, Bulgaria, Portugal, China, Japan, Mexico, Venezuela, Greece, and the Arab world (Hofstede, 2008).

Individualist cultures believe the purpose of education is learning how to learn. Learners are encouraged to seek individual goals and are expected to speak up in class when they need or want to. They collaborate with peers who have similar interests. The value of education is to increase one's self-respect and economic worth.

Collectivist societies believe the purpose of education is learning how to do something. Individual goals are not encouraged and learners speak only when the group asks them to. Learners form collaborations based on popularity rather than similar interests. They believe that education will provide them entry into higher status groups.

Masculinity-Femininity

In Hofstede's construct, masculinity-femininity refers to how certain cultures look at differences based on gender differences and value differences. In masculine societies, men are supposed to be assertive, tough, and focuse...