Hi again!
I’m Nancy, who feels a little behind the times! I’m a supply chain management instructor who, among other things, teaches the value of integration and the application of technology within and between firms but who has never taken an online course before now! This post is supposed to be about an effective online practice I have experienced in an online course but seeing as how these OTL courses are actually my first, I’m struggling to find something to talk about. Is it wrong to use something I’ve experienced in this course? Well, right or wrong, I’m going to do it!.
There is something I’ve been thinking about. I find it interesting that these courses have mentioned the benefit of videos and introductions and yet there is very little offered in the body of the course itself. I’ve been trying to decide if I think it’s been an issue, i.e. if it has impacted my engagement negatively, or if it hasn’t bothered me that much…. I’ve enjoyed the videos of other posters/students but it’s been clear that this is a self-directed course. So when it comes to the concept of teaching presence, I recognize that there is none in these courses but I find how the content is written to be very accessible and “friendly” and still feel like there is a person involved in this course. Interesting….
Now, when it comes to courses offered to TRU students, I don’t think the expectation is that they are completely self-directed but I’m not really sure. I’ve had two students working on the course I’m the instructor for and they have both had very different interactions with me. The first one has been engaged and conversational in our emails regarding her course-related questions. The other has taken a purely transactional approach to our interactions: asking a question and thanking me for the answer, nothing more or less. I have attempted to connect with the second student but it’s clear that there is no interest in it so far. In the previous two courses, I learned that I can add to my course and plan to personalize the course a little with a video of myself and some FAQs (first steps). It will be interesting to see what students do in the future when interacting with me. I’m looking forward to learning more about creating a teaching presence in this third course.
