E-Learning Instructor Guide
3. EFFECTIVE TEACHING PRACTICES
To a large extent, education research offers significant insight in effective means of teaching for instructors. Learning outcomes can best be met when appropriate teaching methods are used. The following methods have proved to be effective and, thus, should be utilized within your learning environment.
3.1 Feedback
Typically, classes are composed of two types of students: those who have little prior knowledge of the domain and those who have a good deal of prior knowledge of the domain. Some students may be high achievers, and some may be low achievers. Moreover, there are varied types of feedback. In order for feedback to be effective, it must support learning.
There is an inherent gap between what the student currently knows and what the student should know. Feedback should help diminish this gap.[1]
Hattie and Timperley1 suggested that feedback address the following three questions:
1.
Where am I going?
2.
How am I going? and
3.
Where to next?
For an underachiever to move from
Point A (i.e., What I Know) to Point B (i.e., What I Need to Know), more
information will be required. Supplementary information that directs behaviors
and reinforces correct understandings is more efficient than the provision of
mere scores. Avoid comments of praise, punishment, and/or extrinsic reward since
they offer little support to learning; rather, offer comments that assist
students in adopting new learning strategies and, thus, lead to deeper
learning. Students will grow to be self-regulators; they will be able to correct
their own misconception.[2]
3.1.1 Feedback Examples
3.1.1.1 Direction (clarification of learning objectives)
Jane, this week’s discussion addresses two specific questions. Please
read the discussion prompt carefully to identify the questions. Determine what
each question is asking. Prepare a response for each and include supportive
information from this week’s lesson that justifies your views.
3.1.1.2 Corrective feedback (adjustment to misconceptions)
John, you state that a person’s action is the sole determinant in
criminal law. You are excluding the mental element, mens
rea. An essential tenet of criminal law is that it is
composed of both a mental and physical element. See page 115 in your textbook.
3.1.1.3
Supplementary
information (deeper understanding)
Jane, I found many errors regarding the formatting of your end
references. Please refer to the APA Style guides provided in the course. I am
attaching an example References page for you to view. All sources included in the References
section should be cited within the body of your paper too. In other words, an
in-text citation such as (Smith, 2010) should refer to a source listed in the References
section (i.e., Smith, R. (2010). Politics today (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Thomson.). Moreover, sources on this page
should be alphabetized.
3.1.1.4 Self-regulatory (develop new strategies)
John, every online course will contain course materials, including the
content; your course textbook; and any other supplemental materials required
for the course. When you start reading the course materials, try to find
connections between the information provided. You can group information in
categories and then place supporting information under its parent category. By
doing this, you will be able to understand and remember the information better
than trying to understand separate pieces of information. Further, you can
relate this new information to information you already know. This will make the
new information more meaningful to you.
[1] Hattie, J. & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77, 81-112.
2 Mason, B. J. & Bruning, R. (n.d.) Providing Feedback in Computer-based Instruction: What the Research Tells Us. Received from http://dwb.unl.edu/Edit/MB/MasonBruning.html