Preparing Part-Time Instructors for Success in Online Course Development and Teaching

Part-time instructors are at the heart of each continuing education operation throughout the world. They bring a wealth of industry experience which adds real-life undertones to classes. However, many lack foundational training in areas of instructional strategies and adult education theory, learning management systems (LMS) and their use in online courses, and course design and development. This chapter will provide an overview of how McMaster University's Centre for Continuing Education has addressed all three of the above areas with a view towards better equipping their part-time instructors in providing a better-quality learning experience. Central to the above is the use of online training and a thorough and highly structured approach to online course development.

Prove You Are Not a Dog

Learning online can be isolating for students. Some students may prefer to be anonymous—on the outset, at least—until they feel comfortable participating in the course. Many instructors value interaction between students or between the student and the instructor, and without a sense of “presence” in the online classroom, some students will be reticent to participate. It is thus incumbent on instructors and instructional designers to create courses that foster interaction between users to develop this sense of being “a real person” online. This chapter examines the concept of social presence, articulates reasons high social presence is a desirable feature in an online course, and provides examples instructors and designers might draw upon for developing social presence in their own courses.

Beyond Textbooks

Textbooks can serve as a good starting point for learning concepts or serve as a reinforcing reference tool for students. However, to address the various academic needs of students, as well as to affirm the richness and depth of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions in online courses, online instructors should complement and supplement textbooks with other resources in various formats. Education has a growing need for digital resources, starting with digital textbooks, and expanding to other kinds of educational resources. Open educational resources, in particular, provide cost-effective and flexible tools for teaching and learning.

Understanding Online Learners' Media Literacy for Effective Training of Online Instructors

The increase in online courses offered in higher education, the reliance on highly developed academic literacy skills to learn course content, the complex nature of media literacy, the negotiation of multiple technologies, and the corresponding media literacy together can be quite challenging for online learners. Most research conducted on academic literacies has focused primarily on academic reading and writing practices rather than on media literacy. This chapter discusses an investigation of media literacy in an online course, the experience learners had with this literacy and online tasks. The chapter discusses results of data from the online learners and instructor, which showed the instructor required different media literacy proficiency than what the online learners possessed prior to beginning the online course. Finally, the chapter presents implications the study findings have for online instructors' effective development, design, and delivery of online courses and development of online learners' media literacy.

Evolving Practice for Training Online Designers and Instructors

Online courses place greater responsibility and demands on both the instructor and students compared to traditional face-to-face courses. Online instructors and designers are often given checklists of required or best online teaching practices to help them meet the challenge. But these checklists tend to assume that online courses fall into a single model that is independent of course goals and of the unique teaching style and strengths of the online instructor. This chapter presents the author's methods and values in training online instructors and designers. Conventional online instruction model aside, the focus is on helping the instructor and designer identify salient aspects of the course, the students, and the instructor. The chapter presents methods, content, and values that may to be less known, less understood, or difficult to implement for new designers and instructors. Each model builds on elements such as student interests, deep engagement, group collaboration, and practical assessment.

Blended Mentoring

This study is an integrative literature review to analyze the different approaches of mentoring methods and propose a good model of blended mentoring that can be used in various educational settings. The main foci of this study have been the different forms of mentoring used in educational settings, strengths and limitations of the different forms of mentoring, definition of blended mentoring, different approaches of blended mentoring, and benefits and limitations of blended mentoring. Based on the literature review, this study proposes a model of blended mentoring. Also, this study provides in-depth discussions about the research and practice implications for using blended mentoring in educational settings. The authors expect that school administrators, faculty, and instructors will find this chapter useful as they strive to identify more efficient and effective ways of mentoring.

Professional Development Course for Online Teaching and the Production and Use of Instructor-Produced Video

This chapter outlines how online professional development can assist higher education faculty in their move from F2F teaching to online instruction. The use of instructor-produced video is proposed as the major instructional approach for online teaching. To support this teaching approach, an online professional development course is described using six modules: challenges of teaching online, course design decisions using systematic re-examination of course learning outcomes and pedagogy, video production skill-building, and how to teach online with instructor-produced video. The course can be delivered asynchronously but requires expert feedback of course design decisions, module structure, and video production and use. A hybrid approach is suggested scheduled across a 5-day week. In F2F morning sessions, participants examine online course teaching decisions and screencast product use, while afternoon sessions are devoted to course modules and video production. Recommendations for administrators, support staff, and faculty are provided. Research questions are suggested.

Designing and Delivering Online Professional Development Courses for Online Educators

This chapter is based on a study that examined the International Education and Resource Network Science Technology and Math (iEARN-STM) online professional development course. The study used the constructivist framework as the conceptual model to examine the way in which the constructivist theory has shaped the design and implementation of the course, as reflected by the interactions among the participants in the course. The participants were 28 educators, who were working in different educational institutions in different countries throughout the world. The purpose of the study was to identify the constructivist learning principles that were behind the success of the course. The results of the study show that the constructivist approach to course design and delivery provides a powerful structure for creating learning environments conducive to the development of professional skills among educators. The results provide online professional development course designers with insights on how to plan and deliver a successful course.

Components of Student Support in Blended and Online Learning

For every student cohort that registers for an online program, some will persist through to graduation while a good number will drop out. Studies continue to investigate the phenomena of persistence and dropout without consensus to the solution. However, student support has been shown to impact positively on a student's decision to stay for the duration of the program. Students of online/blended learning formats lack the advantage of socio-physical motivation. Therefore, they require support that constantly reassures them of peers, teachers, and university presence throughout the duration of the program. At every stage in the life of the program, the student will require specific support which are herein referred to as components of student support. They include student support during recruitment, registration procedures, registration requirements, orientation, study skills training, technology, learning materials, counselling and mentorship, communication and interactions, feedback, regional centers, library, students' association, and representation.

Technology Meets Affect

This chapter describes a variety of multimedia incorporated into a course to respond to students' emotional and psychological needs. The course was designed for online, hybrid, as well as traditional face-to-face formats. The multimedia incorporated into the course were tools readily available for collegiate use (e.g., email, Google Drive, Wikispace). This research, based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, asserts that many of the experiences and technological devices integrated into twenty-first century instruction, respond to critical emotional elements of learning. While technological advancements provide convenience, the authors argue that the learner's affective needs are equally supported. Instructors, irrespective of their level of technological proficiency or their access to digital devices, may use these insights to incorporate technology for instruction in more thoughtful ways.