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First Day of Class Checklist
Teaching Tips
Encouraging Interaction

First Day of Class Checklist

The first day of class is the most important one for the course, regardless of which technology you will use as your primary delivery medium (videoconference or online). A good first impression goes a long way. If the first day goes well, you are off to a good start. If it goes poorly, you have damage control to perform. Of course, you can't control the technical side if difficulties occur, but you can control how the content is delivered. Here are some suggestions:

Recap the course goals and objectives - Begin by telling people what will happen in the course.

Solve problems, as best you can - Direct students to appropriate technical or administrative help. Students may need help registering for the class, setting up e-mail accounts, or securing course materials. Heading off problems on the first day does much to establish a good first impression.

Invite interaction immediately. As soon as you can, invite your students to participate and contribute.

Give them your best stuff. Don't wait until the second week to start your presentation. Start off strong the first week, so jump right into the content. The first module should be as strong or stronger than the rest of the course.

Teaching Tips for Web-based Delivery

Effective distance teaching requires enhancing existing skills, rather than developing new abilities. Following are some suggested teaching strategies for use in distance education

• Develop strategies for student reinforcement - In a videoconference class, use several minutes at the beginning of class to review material from the previous week, and use electronic mail as a reinforcement tool. For a Web-based or WebCT course, you may include materials that reinforce content you've gone over.
• Organize content - Because of the logistics involved, content presented at a distance must be organized. You may have been able to do last-second preparation for a face-to-face lecture once or twice, but you don't have that luxury or flexibility in a distance education environment. The content should be structured so that students know exactly what you're going to cover and where the course is going.
• "Chunk" it - Teach in "chunks." (This concept is similar to the "module"design of the content.) In a videoconference setting, don't spend more than 15 minutes lecturing without some type of break, such as showing a short segment from a videotape, using computer graphics, having a panel discussion, or initiating a question-and-answer period. Breaks allow students to process what they have just been exposed to.
• Lay down "ground rules" - at the beginning of the semester and follow them throughout the semester. For example, in a videoconference a ground rule may be that participants state their name and site each time before they speak. In a chat room, everyone should know each others' online name before everyone starts chatting. In e-mail correspondence, you may wish for students to have a descriptive "subject" line when they send you an e-mail message so you know exactly what the message is about before opening it.

In a chat room or bulletin board environment, here are some tips:

• Keep your comments short - A good rule is six to eight lines of text in a written comment.
• Include only one thought per comment - Don't string thoughts. Keep each comment focused.
• Get it out - Don't worry about developing a well-constructed paragraph online or checking your spelling. Get out your ideas.
• Use highlighting techniques - such as boldface, different colors, and underlining to place emphasis on certain words and phrases.

Interaction (Learner - Instructor)
The best suggestion to encourage interaction is to be encouraging. Whether in a chat session, bulletin board discussion, or live videoconference, nothing brings out comments more than a teacher who makes positive, encouraging comments to students. Following are some specific techniques to encourage interaction in distance education courses:

• Compliment students when they ask questions - It's sometimes difficult for students to open up and ask questions online or in a videoconference. When they do, tell them they did a good job.
• Allow others to respond to questions and make comments - Keep the discussion moving; don't shut it off.
• Look for connections among comments - Try to connect several students' comments or questions, citing similarities or differences among them. This encourages conversation.
• Build confidence in insecure learners - Don't be condescending. Instead keep the insecure student's desire to learn alive.
• Offer rewards - It could be a positive comment or an information "gift,"such as a link to a new Web site. Rewards should be positive reinforcements.
• Encourage shy students - In an online environment, these shy students sometimes are called "lurkers." Some like to be quiet and learn that way, but there are times when teachers must draw out shy students, possibly through group assignments. One thing to avoid here is embarrassing reserved, shy students.

This is the final module in the Distance Education Faculty Training Program. Please take some time to look at the list of resources in the Resources section of this site.

We hope you have learned more about what goes into creating a distance education course.

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