Monthly Archives: February 2012
[Summary from: The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, January 2012] Rapport has been recognized as important in learning in general but little is known about its importance in distance education (DE). The study we report on in this paper provides insights into the importance of rapport in DE as well as challenges to and indicators of rapport-building in DE. The study relied on interviews with 42 Canadian high school DE teachers. … Challenges to building rapport … Continue reading
When you replace the traditional classroom with the Internet, it’s easy to lose the vital face-to-face connection between instructors and students. That makes it imperative for distance-education instructors to find new, effective ways to interact with the diverse group of people taking their courses. And thanks to the magic of the Internet, there are a host of innovative resources that can replicate the physical classroom. One of the newest and best tools is Google Hangouts, a video chat program that … Continue reading
Here’s an insightful video that explores the importance of pedagogy and andragogy in online learning, as well as in making the delivery of instruction more than just a one-way conversation, in order to meet the needs of online learners. Using herself as an example, Carla A. Downing, Ph.D. — the vice president of e-learning product development for The College Network — provides insight into how incorporating pedagogical and andragogical theory can increase the quality of discourse in student-student and student-instructor … Continue reading
[Summary from: The Journal of Educators Online, January 2012] Online education is becoming an increasingly important component of higher education. The Sloan Foundation 2010 Survey of Online Learning reports that more than 30 percent of all students take at least one online course during their college career. Because of this, attention is now turning to the quality of student outcomes that this instructional method provides. However, there is a huge gap in empirical investigations devoted to the link between technology … Continue reading