Voices of Experience
Learning to create engaging online courses can be both daunting and exciting. There are many opportunities to enable student-to-student, student-to-instructor and student-to-content interaction. This section shares some best practices and innovative ideas of successful online learning activities from UWF faculty, our Voices of Experience. Enjoy!
Dr. Dave Dawson
The Elluminate environment provides limitless possibilites for innovative instructors like Dr. Dave Dawson. In this first video, Dr. Dawson describes his method for advising students in the Engineering and Computer Technology programs at a distance. Through the share desktop feature in Elluminate, he is able to walk students through the process of the SASS audit and set up a trial schedule for successful completion of their degree plan.
In this second video, Dr. Dawson talks about how he engages his students through various sessions in Elluminate to deliver content, clarify questions or issues about required assignments and review for exams.
Dr. Richie Platt
In this short video, Dr. Richie Platt talks about a strategy he used in his online courses to provide incentive that would increase the response rate of the Student Assessment of Instruction (SAI). Below is an example of the email he sent to students explaining the incentive.
Dr. Melissa Howard
This video is an example of Dr. Melissa Howard's course introduction to her online students. It is posted in the News section of her Foundations of Health Education online course.
Dr. Nancy Hastings
Advanced Instructional Design - Using alternative assessments to spark creativity in students.
"The course structure reflects two things, consistent formatting from week to week to allow students to focus on content, not navigation, and incorporation of multiple delivery methods including text, visual and auditory components to address individual learning styles and preferences and establish the instructor’s presence in the course. The somewhat unusual assignment format was intended to provide students with opportunities to creatively demonstrate their attainment of the objectives. The combination of these approaches was well received by the students, who demonstrated high levels of engagement throughout the semester."
Dr. Hastings allows for creativity in assessment
Clearly written content modules provide a pathway for understanding
Presence in narrated presentations bring the instructor's voice into the course
Student examples are posted on a website for sharing ideas
Dr. Dan Kaczynski
Qualitative Research Methods - Constructing meaning with photos and group discussions
"In the Pont Neuf threaded discussion forum students apply qualitative research methods in a visually stimulating exercise. Using art allows students to reach beyond the boundaries of course content and explore the facets of researcher as instrument - a core concept in qualitative inquiry. This exercise also introduces students to the complexities of qualitative data analysis through the construction of meanings."
A course related puzzle is presented for students to review important concepts and terms. --
Graphics are incorporated into content pages
Group work and discussions on a painting
More to follow!!
Mrs. Lucia Bushway
Math and Statistics -- Working math problems with online students
- Elluminate
Dr. Laura White
Finding academic life in Second Life