Know your students to enable better customization of their learning needs. Given that learners come from all age groups whether locally or overseas with different learning styles, one size doesn’t fit all. The more I know the students, the more it allows me to customize the course materials and activities to meet their learning needs. This will help to overcome issues, such as learner’s boredom and technical competency, overwhelming information, etc. At the start of the course, ask students to provide a brief description of themselves. The student’s profile will offer you some insight of their educational, professional and technical backgrounds.
Create a nurturing “classroom” environment and be sensitive to language barriers. Words matter even more so in an online environment. To build trusting relationships with a group of diverse students, small little gestures help. Use humor or internet memes to get on the students’ levels even when introducing yourself, or course outlines and policies. Such extra effort will go a long way in relating to students.
Show Compassion. As an instructor, be the first to share your own personal challenges in eLearning. When you start talking, students are more to follow and share their learning challenges on the online portal as they realize that they are not alone. Most students will not be the first to initiate this conversation. Take my recent challenge on the second assignment. I was frustrated but I didn’t share my feelings online for fear of embarrassment.
Over-communicate. Unlike in a classroom environment, you cannot read body language and other communication cues to be able to assess the learner’s understanding of the materials. To minimize this issue, use different modes of communications and do so frequently based on per week or per activity.
Provide a plethora of instructional guidelines in written formats and videos. According to the 2018 Pew study, 85% of teens use YouTube gain knowledge or learn skills (even if it’s how to apply winged eyeliner correctly) (Jiang, J, Anderson, M, 2018). This way, students can instantly access the information at their own convenience 24 x 7, without stressing out themselves while waiting for responses from the instructor.
Quality Checks and Surveys. Before launching the new course portal, test every component of the portal to ensure that it is supposed to work the way you wanted it to work. Conduct polls and surveys online to better understand their learning preferences which will then allow you to adjust the course materials accordingly.
References
Jiang, J, Anderson, M. (2018, May 31). Teens - Soial Media Technology. Retrieved from Pew Research Centre Internet & Technology: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/
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