The value of discussions and other interactive strategies in online instruction is to get the student active in exploration, discovery, and deep learning which leads to critical thinking. Learning that enables critical thinking is a collaborative process in which content is generally constructed or discovered rather than transmitted.

In a May 30, 2014 issue of Faculty Focus , Rob Kelly mentioned five things that online students want from their instructors. Let’s look at those five points and consider how we can integrate these concerns into our online courses:

When reflecting on assessment, one often thinks of quizzes, mid-term exams, or final exams. In online instruction, tests are often the assessment of choice because of the automated systems for grading that saves time. In reflecting on your assessment of online courses, consider these questions:

I have discovered that all students taking online courses aren’t necessarily techie ! We know that the majority of online learners are classified as non-traditional learners who are older and have normally been out of school for a number of years. Many of them will have just purchased a computer and acquired access to the Internet just to enroll.

There is an opinion in higher education that lectures are over-rated, boring, and they create passive learners. I’m of the opinion that lectures can be learner-centered and extremely effective for active learning.