RSA 4: Designing for Learning: Ten Best Practices for TeachingOnline

http://www.designingforlearning.info/services/writing/ecoach/tenbest.html

Self-reflection is an important component of a successful online course, which leads to transformative learning.  Students need to be guided in the right direction in order to achieve this.  According to Palloff and Pratt (2007), “it is important to ask such questions as, “How were you as a learner before you came into this course? How have you changed? How do you anticipate this will affect your learning in the future?”…this is important…as it helps us know whether we have achieved our learning objectives.” (p. 199). This is difficult for students to learn how to do, because it is not something they are typically asked to do.  It is important for the instructor to setup their online course to allow this self-reflection process to occur.

This is addressed on a website, Designing for Learning: Ten Best Practices for Teaching Online- Quick Guide for New Online faculty.  Boettcher (2011) Dr. Boettcher has put together the top ten things needed for a successful online course.  “Best Practice 7: Prepare Discussion Posts that Invite Questions, Discussion, Reflections and Responses” (para. 21) There are six types of purposes for discussions listed, including “Supporting students in their own reflections and inquiries.” (para. 22).  Students need to be given the time think and reflect about what they have learned.

Both the textbook and website agree that self-reflection is an important part of a successful online course.  There are a variety of ways that students can do this, such as a blog or a journal (Palloff & Pratt, 2007).  Students were asked to create a blog for the online EDT 6030 course, and to post a summary of an online resource that supported our weekly topics for a Resource Sharing Activity. An additional component could be added to this, in which students are asked two or three times during the course to post a reflection.  This would allow for an opportunity for the student to have a transformative learning opportunity.

References

Boettcher, J.V. (2011). Designing for Learning: Ten best practices for teaching online- quick guide for new online faculty. (May 2001). Retrieved from http://www.designingforlearning.info/services/writing/ecoach/tenbest.html

Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (2007). Building Online Learning Communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. (2nd ed.). San Franciso: Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 978-0-7879-8825-8.