The instructor as the facilitator creates an environment that through communication builds community and encourages student participation.

Best Practices:

A best practice is a technique that, through experience and research, has proven to reliably lead to a desired result. A commitment to using the best practices in any field is a commitment to using all the knowledge and technology at one's disposal to ensure success. The term is used frequently in the fields of health care, government administration, and education.

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Constructs:

• Learner-Centered Approach
• Virtual Learning
• Participation
• E-Learning Community
• Attendance

Learner-Centered Approach

The learner-centered approach deals with how individual students learn. Students become active participants in the learning community, taking responsibility for their own learning. This approach focuses on motivation, attitude, and personal goals. Students learn because they have the opportunity to set personal goals, test out ideas and assumptions, link new learning to personal experience, and shape ideas in conversation with others. The learner-centered approach assumes that knowledge is constructed through interactions with experts, other learners, and resources.

http://myeclassonline.com

Virtual Learning

A virtual learning environment (VLE) is a set of teaching and learning tools designed to enhance a student's learning experience by including computers and the Internet in the learning process. The principal components of a VLE package include curriculum mapping (breaking curriculum into sections that can be assigned and assessed), student tracking, online support for both teacher and student, electronic communication (e-mail, threaded discussions, chat, Web publishing), and Internet links to outside curriculum resources. http://whatis.techtarget.com

Participation

Successful online learning requires active discussion area participation. Substantive participation includes responses to discussion questions as well as discourse between students related to the subject matter. Substantive responses must be based upon the course content, theory or personal experiences…not mere opinion. Substantive participation is measured by recording the posting date on which a student makes a substantive posting in the classroom. A student is graded on substantive participation and is expected to participate 4 x 7 (four out of seven days a week).

As a general rule of thumb, students need to post at least 10-15 substantive notes each week above and beyond the posting of assignments to be considered for full participation points. Quantity is considered important, but the quality of the notes is even more important.

www.myeclassonline.com

E-Learning Community

E-learning communities are groups of people connected solely via technology. All interactions begin and occur over the Internet, through conference calls, via videoconferencing, and other means. These communities promote virtual collaboration that's focused on addressing a specific topic, and they are supported by one or more online learning and media tools.

www.astd.org

Attendance

The online courses are focusing on substantive participation vs. attendance. Attendance is described as posting a greeting, not participating or contributing, but “dropping” in on the discussion without exchanging content. Attendance with substantive participation is required by policy. www.aionline.edu/facultyform/participation_policy.asp