Course details

Over six million students currently take one or more of their courses online; 50% of universities offer an online degree program. These numbers are only growing. Technology has changed the nature of education—and the jobs of educators. Online instruction requires different methods to help students learn. This course is designed to help teachers update their skill sets to teach effectively online.

Staff author Oliver Schinkten draws the connections between high-quality instruction and online education. He provides a framework for creating a digital classroom—with or without a learning management system—and guidance to get students interacting with the course material, the instructor, and each other. Collaboration is the key to making the learning experience more dynamic. Oliver also shows how to incorporate digital resources and the latest ed tech into your classroom, and make sure the lessons are accessible to students of all ability levels.

Instructor

• Oliver Schinkten is a national speaker, consultant, writer, and video trainer.

  He is an expert in learning and teaching, specializing in supporting educators as they work to empower their students.

  As a learning facilitator passionate about education reform and revolutionizing education, Oliver believes in providing every student with a real-life, relevant, engaging, and personalized education in which they learn how to learn, develop character and integrity, and get inspired to become lifelong learners and world changers.

  He is the founder of AssistEd Shift and ComPassion Based Learning, as well as a cofounder of the Communities program at Oshkosh North High School.

  View all courses by Oliver Schinkten

Course Transcript

– [Voiceover] In this course we’ll be discussing online education. So. let’s first take a look at what it is. Online education is a form of education which is delivered and administered using the Internet. Twenty years ago it would have been difficult to imagine high-quality instruction delivered online. But today, in the digital age, it’s become a reality. There are over 6 million students enrolled in post-secondary courses online. And that number continues to grow. Now online education or online learning is a broad term. Traditional education is considered to be on the opposite side of the spectrum. But in many cases elements of both can be integrated into a course. Let’s take a look at some terms which represent the degree to which online resources are integrated. First, we have traditional face-to-face learning, in which there are no online components. Often, however, instructors in face-to-face courses will utilize the Internet to some degree to share resources and provide learning opportunities outside of the classroom. This is considered web-facilitated learning. Recently, a hybrid model has surfaced, which engage the students in a significant face-to-face component of the course, but also requires online instruction as well. This is known as blended learning. And then there is online learning, in which everything is done online and there’s little to no face-to-face instruction. All aspects of the course are done online, including: the sharing of resources, discussions, accessing and submitting assignments, administering assessments and delivering feedback. In this course we’ll be focusing on online instruction, although the principles within the course can apply to most of these models. Now, online education can be broken down further, for example, in the synchronous versus asynchronous learning Synchronous refers to the learning in which the instructor and students are interacting in real time. Obviously a face-to-face course is synchronous, but there are synchronous online courses as well, in which classes will meet through live chat or through videoconferencing. And then there is asynchronous learning, which is when the instructor and students do not meet in real time. Resources and activities are accessed and completed online, when is convenient for the individual who’s taking the course. There are varying levels of asynchronous learning as well. For instance, this course that you’re watching right now is completely asynchronous. We’re not meeting face-to-face and there also isn’t a time factor or time restriction. In other words, you don’t have to complete certain chapters and assignments by certain due dates. Most online courses through a secondary or post-secondary program will not meet face-to-face but there will be set due dates and deadlines. Also there are often times in which a course maybe primarily asynchronous, however once in a while the instructor requires the students to meet together using a video-conference or a live discussion forum, making it slightly synchronous. Most online courses are asynchronous in nature, because this method maximizes the flexibility that online instruction provides. However, these are some of the factors you’ll have to determine when creating your online course.