When online leaders become online students, they get insights and ideas that may translate to online learning administration, practice, and policy. These “leader-students” sometimes get a gut punch of reality about the online student experience or find the online student experience is far better than they could have imagined. Join us for a glimpse of what these online leaders have learned as they present a unique student voice.
What does it feel and look like when online leaders get a first hand look at the online student experience by becoming students themselves in online doctoral programs? For some, this experience is validating and engaging, modeled after the best practices in online teaching and learning and online program design. For others, the experience is frustrating and lonely, limited by inferior course design, issues of support or infrastructure, subpar engagement opportunities, broken pedagogy, or an absent instructor.
While online leaders and online faculty may not be required to have online teaching and learning experience, immersing in the online student experience can be transformational for online leaders. Albert Einstein once said, “The only source of knowledge is experience” and the great Paulo Coelho noted, “People never learn anything by being told, they have to find out for themselves.” Even the poet John Keats saw the value of experience, noting “Nothing ever becomes real 'til it is experienced.” This experience, as online students, is actively contributing to the effectiveness of these online leaders in ways they never realized, particularly as they consider course design, faculty engagement, and student support structures as critical to the online student experience.
Join this conversation with three online learning leaders, who collectively have 40 years experience as designers, instructors and/or administrators in online learning, and who are enrolled in online doctoral programs. They will discuss their online student experiences and how they translate to online learning administration, practice, and policy. The session will be moderated by an instructional designer who has specific expertise in applying Quality Matters and Universal Design principles who is also experienced with participating in fully online graduate programs and will help to facilitate the conversation.
Goals/Outcomes:
At the conclusion of this session, participants will:
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Identify potential pain points in the online student experience that should be addressed at any institution
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Define key issues and roadblocks to online learning and course/program design from a systems thinking perspective
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Identify actionable ideas for improving online programs and courses from a high level administrative + student perspective
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Empathize with the student experience
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Strategize ways to improve the online student experience
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Consider ways to connect with online students to learn more about their online experiences and infuse their feedback into responsive program design
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Identify top opportunities and concerns from the online student experience
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Identify key support structures and “must do’s” for the online student
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Hear how cohort student experiences have unique challenges and surprises
The presenters will engage the participants in these ways:
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The use of Slido for interaction and submitting questions/comments
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Short think, pair, share activities to connect on the topic
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Unique hashtag to interact and share experiences and questions before, during, and after the discussion.