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The interaction between faculty and students can be used to provide the guidance, support, and feedback essential for acquisition and retention of knowledge and skills. Meaningful interactions can also stimulate and sustain learner motivation and engagement. Please review the following topics and reflect on the difference between faculty-student interaction and faculty-student communication.
Understanding Department of Education Regulations
Department of Education Regulations require all courses to include “faculty initiated, regular and substantive interaction.” Faculty-initiated interaction is key to managing an environment that fosters learning.
Without the proper technologies or appropriate interaction, an online course could be declared as a correspondence course and eligibility for financial aid could be called into question. For a detailed interpretation of the ruling, including answers to the question, What are the elements of “regular and substantive interaction”? you may wish to visit the following article developed by the Director of Policy and Analysis for the WCET- WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies, and the Associate Vice President of Higher Education Policy and Research for Blackboard, Inc., “Interpreting what is Required for Regular and Substantive Interaction”
Initial Communication
Instructors in an online environment establish the tone for course communication through the initial email and course announcement, so it is helpful to keep these communications upbeat. The first three weeks in an online course (or any course, really) are critical in terms of setting expectations, building confidence and enthusiasm, and fostering a positive learning environment. Well-designed communication documents can reduce the amount of time you spend responding to student questions about your course and can prevent student frustration and misunderstandings that cause them to give up or fail to participate appropriately. In this topic, you will have an opportunity to leverage the experience of previous instructors in the form of examples and communication templates.
Effective online communication between you and your students begins even before the first learning activity.
- The initial email welcomes students, introduces them to the online learning environment, clarifies expectations, and sets a tone for the class.
- A welcome announcement on the initial landing page that students reach when they log into the class directs them to activities to begin the course and starts them on the road to success.
Crafting an Effective Initial Email
eCampus Center asks all online faculty to send a start-up email to the students enrolled in their online classes. This initial email clarifies such logistical matters as when your class begins and what students need to do to be ready to learn — which also helps your course design to meet Quality Matters Standard 1.1: Instructions make clear how to get started and where to find various course component