Subject: [IFETS-DISCUSSION:1708] training online instructors
From: Brent Muirhead (bmuirhead@email.uophx.edu)
Date: Fri 25 May 2001 - 01:55:52 MEST
From: "Brent Muirhead" <bmuirhead@email.uophx.edu> Subject: [IFETS-DISCUSSION:1708] training online instructors Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 19:55:52 -0400
Greetings Colleagues!
I have noticed a number of individuals have made excellent suggestions for
cultivating online discussion by using teams. Art Recesso's idea of having
individuals lead discussions has merit for students who are adequately
skilled or experienced in working online. The key is having instructors who
have a real understanding of group dynamics and know when to make
adjustments to keep the dialog both lively and relevant.
As an online instructor, part of my responsibilities involve training and
mentoring faculty candidates. I have observed that individuals often need
training and guidance to be effective in the online environment. I am
concerned that today's computer-mediated schools are not devoting enough of
their resources to training their faculty. The downside to this situation is
that both instructors and students suffer from this situation. For instance,
recently I heard a story of an instructor at another school who was so
embarrassed by their online performance that they completely dropped out of
the class and would not return telephone calls! Yet, think about the
students who were left without a teacher and their disappointment with the
whole situation. Yes, this is a radical case but it highlights the need to
have a faculty instructional support staff that can help teachers who have a
variety of professional needs.
Brent Muirhead D.Min., Ph.D.
Faculty, University of Phoenix Online
bmuirhead@email.uophx.edu
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