Joel Stake works as a Biological Sciences Lecturer at Louisiana Tech University. Like many educators, he found himself teaching from a traditional classroom to an online college setting. Thankfully, Stake immediately found the key to this new teaching experience – keep the course simple and stay connected.
Keeping students and teachers connected
Stake knew that he would need to build a stronger sense of community and connection in his classes. For that to happen, he started by making an introductory video for his students to get to know him better. He explained that this would show the students that he may be behind the screen but he is a person and is approachable.
Stake also creates weekly videos for him to have a constant “virtual presence.” He goes to various locations to film these one-to-two-minute clips as it adds personality and keeps things fresh. Also, Stake uses an app to have casual interaction with students, which can sometimes be lost in an online learning environment.
Three-click rule
It is essential to have easily accessible online learning resources, especially for freshmen. So, Stake follows his so-called “three-click rule.” He believes that those that take more than three clicks will likely cause a lack of interest among students.
Create strategic course design
Time is precious for everyone, especially those who are juggling family, work, and other responsibilities. Because of that, Stake felt the need to create a course design that would be valuable for students at every step.
Stake said that he makes the reason behind every assignment crystal clear to his students. He explains how their activities relate to what they are supposed to learn that week and its correlation to their overall goals.
Keeping students motivated
It can often be tempting for educators of asynchronous courses to load up their students with readings and assignments. However, Stake recommends limiting activities and avoiding those that are not clearly aligned with the week’s learning goals. Through this, students had a broader stroke of the material, which hopefully made them appreciate the subject more. As Stake noted, students can learn it well without a million reinforcement activities.
