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Learners must feel free to pose questions either via email (directly to the teacher as a private communication) or by posting a discussion forum (publicly).
The drawback of the email approach is that the learner is relying on the teacher as the sole provider of information.
It is advisable, therefore, to set up a Q&A discussion thread for the duration of the online course. This saves time for the teacher and encourages communication:
“The purpose of this thread is for you to have a place to ask course-related questions. When appropriate, please feel free to post thoughts to questions posed by others as well.”
Putting it into Practice
- iClicker Cloud is a student response system based on the concept of the original iClicker devices, but available online and on mobile devices. MSU has purchased a site license, so there isn’t any cost for Instructors and Students to integrate this into an online experience. This is great way to keep students engaged, offer synchronous participation, and you can even use this for attendance.