ELearning Classes

Monday, June 6, 2011

The Advantages and Realities of Teaching Online

National and International Reach

The courses at UW-Stout are open to learners from around the world. Over the years in addition to North America, I've worked with people from most of the countries of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.  In addition to a large group from the Wisconsin, last semester we had participants from Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Vermont, New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, California, and Alaska. From overseas there were teachers connecting from Korea, China, Taiwan, Okinawa, Dubai, Germany, Austria, and England.

Joining our classes means you are preparing to learn and make a living well beyond the boundaries of our home towns.

Teaching Tactics: Notes Become Grade Book Comments

I'll often write my responses into the grade comments area of the course management area as I read the posts. This helps me capture my thinking, without jumping into the discussion too early or too often.
D2L allows me to make preliminary notes in a grade field invisible to participants. This way I capture my thinking about each post as I read and work a bit on my comments for the week. I can then paste my reactions into the public discussion when I'm ready to wrap up the week.

Discussion Dynamics

You might ask, why not just post what you have to say in the discussion? An instructor already has a big voice in a class. I write my own classes, so my voice is present in both the content and the discussions.  I don't want to dominate a conversation or cut it short. At the same time I want students to know I'm present, and attentive.  Walking this fine line between either hijacking a conversation or disappearing as the discussion rushes by is one of the skills all online instructors must constantly practice.

Seasoned Faculty

All of the instructors in our program are highly experienced professionals with exceptional online teaching abilities.  At the same we're all teachers and learners tuned to the needs of those just entering the field.  Our goal is to help you learn both the theory and practical every day technology driven realities of working and teaching online.

How Dreams Become Goals

If you've ever dreamed of giving up the commute to the classroom for the freedom of e-learning, now's the time to turn your dreams into goals.  Join us for a great semester of online teaching and learning!

Certificate Home Page
Last Call for Summer 2011
EDUC 760 E-Learning for Educators Two start date options: Begins June 20, 2011.  


Where will you be a year from now? Register now!