By Steve Jefferies (Admin) on Wednesday, April 04, 2001 - 11:15 am: Edit

If you have participated in any type of online instruction please help us to collect tips we can share with others who are considering enrolling. Because this type of instruction is so new we are sure there are ways to make the experience more or less successful. By adding your insights you will help to enhance the success of others.

If you have questions about participation please create a new conversation on the forum and invite others to share their experience.

We would like to thank you in advance for your participation.

PELINKS4U Production Team

By Janice on Tuesday, April 10, 2001 - 11:08 am: Edit

I am junior at CSU-Chico, with a major in P.E. (pedagogy). One of my upper division classes is Computors in P.E. I am interested in sharing what I've learned and learning more from others.

By Timothy Hatten on Tuesday, April 17, 2001 - 10:39 pm: Edit

Hi, my name is Timothy Hatten and I am a professor at Rock Valley College in Rockford, IL. I have taught online and have taken courses online and I think I can add some points to this discussion. I currently teach Drug and Alcohol Education online and am getting certified through the Illinois Online Network, as an online instructor. I am currently going through their certification program online and will finish 5 courses and a practicum, pertaining to teaching online.

Last year I took part in a grant and was a team member that developed an assessment tool to self-assess basic computer literacy. One of the problems, that I see with online classes, that many individuals do not have the basic computer literacy skills to appropriately handle an online course. If you are going to take a course online, you must be very comfortable using a computer. This means that you can download files, attachment files, open plug ins, send and receive e-mail, search the internet, use search engines appropriately, make basic adjustments to your computer to utilize any conferencing software that may be used. For some of you this is very easy, but for many it is difficult and frustrating if you have assignments due and you cannot figure out why your information is not posting correctly. I have added a link of a self-assessment we developed at RVC, to help individuals determine if they can handle an online course, from a computer literacy standpoint.

Online learning is a totally different medium and you must be a VERY ACTIVE learner, as the shift of learning is more focused on the student and less on the instructor. We become more like facilitators of knowledge than providers of knowledge. In an online course, the assignments are set up and the student must complete the assignments, post to discussion folders, answer assessment questions, work in online group assignments to enhance their learning. If someone needs that constant f2f feedback from their instructor and auditory feedback, online courses may not be right for you. Also an online student must be focused on deadlines, as the instructor will not be reminding students, in class, about their assignments that are due.

I suggest that you go through the assessment and if you have troubles, than your computer literacy skills may need to be brushed up.

http://ednet.rvc.cc.il.us/assess/home.htm

Thanks,

Timothy Hatten, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., NSCA-CPT
Rock Valley College
Division of Fitness, Wellness, and Sport
Quincy University, NYSP Activities Director
3301 N. Mulford Rd (PEC)
Rockford, IL. 61114
815-639-2491
http://www.rvc.cc.il.us/faclink/thatten

By Christa Matter on Wednesday, June 13, 2001 - 01:02 pm: Edit

Christa Matter: cmatter@vax2.winona.msus.edu

I'm writing from Winona State University, currently a "LapTop University". I have utilized the software of "Blackboard" in all of the physical education courses I teach (volleyball, racquetball, lifetime fitness, Adapted Physical Education, Perceptual Motor Development). I have found Blackboard to be very "user friendly" for both the students and faculty who use it. Of course, it is important to have tech. support at your school, but Blackboard has an on-line support system as well!

More specifically, I use on-line quizzes/exams, a survey which is used for the class evaluation form, searches/links on-line for assignments related to physical activity, discussion forums to facilitate class discussions out of class(obviously), and I post assignments, syllabi, instructor information, etc. all on the blackboard site.

I have found that by using Blackboard, and the way I develop assignments, the students are able to expand what they learn in the classes I teach.

If any one is interested in viewing the Blackboard site I use, please email me and I will zip you a student name and password to enter the site!