“The second type of interaction-regarded as essential by many educators, and as highly desirable by many learners-is interaction between the learner and the expert who prepared the subject material, or some other expert acting as instructor.”
“The instructor is especially valuable in responding to the learners’ application of new knowledge. Whatever self-directed learners can do alone for self-motivation and interaction with content presented, they are vulnerable at the point of application… It is for reality testing and feedback that interaction with an instructor is likely to be most valuable. “
Moore, M. (1989)
“Effective feedback isn’t a fix: it’s food, not medicine.”
Torcivia Prusko, P. (2020)
- Regular interaction with students and provide feedback (Berge and Clark 2009)
- Planned and spontaneous communication, and transparency
- Instructor as participant, facilitator, mentor (Burkle and Cleveland-Innes 2013)
Think about any class you’ve taken or are teaching right now. How do you currently create a sense of connectedness? Which of the following is not included in your course currently, and how might they be incorporated?
- Communication Planning:
- proactive or reactive (module overviews, muddiest point)
- communication purpose, methods, frequency/timing, e.g.:
- Announcement: course adjustments, announcement tool or email, once
- Discussion: task related Q & A, discussion forum or webinar, duration of task
- Feedback: personal concerns or feedback, email/gradebook/call, as soon as possible
- audience: whole class, groups, individuals
- Feedback Planning
“I worked with two different Ph.D. supervisors. One of them was well able to convey his feedback clearly and supportively via text, whereas the other was much better able to express his feedback constructively in person, on the phone, or via Skype.”
Bali, M. in Kilgore, W. (2016)