Being engaged with your online learners throughout the course is one of the three biggest weaknesses of online teachers. It is also one of the three biggest ways to take your online course to the next level, making it a superior learning experience for your learners.

   Come experience how to do it from the creator of the concept and practice of ‘continual engagement’ in teaching.  Discover how to build student success through your interaction, how to give online learners feedback, communicating with them about everything from subject matter to delicate issues to grading.
   You will come away with advanced, practical, how-to tips from one of the foremost authorities on fostering online discussion. And you will see how your instructor models great interaction and engagement in the online environment.

 

One month course, Mary Dereshiwsky, COI, instructor

 

 optional additional $40 USD paid later for graduate credit from the University of South Dakota. 

Course Outline

Unit 1

How Continual Engagement Helps You Foster Effective Online Discussions

Unit 2

Building Your Students’ Success through Your Interaction

 

Unit 3
Assessing Your Students’ Performance

 

Unit 4

Keeping Your Communication Skills Sharp

About online learning

Online learning is a fun, enjoyable and very productive way to learn. Millions of people are learning online each year. You will engage with the instructor and other participants. You will get to know your instructor and other participants. You may make friends.  It’s easy. It’s fun. 

How the Course Works

It is easy to participate in your online course. After you register, you will be given a web address to go to get into your online classroom.  You will have a password and use your email address and password to gain access.

Once inside the online classroom, here’s what you can expect.

Participate when you want

You can participate any time of day or evening. The online classroom is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There are no live real-time requirements or meetings. You decide when you participate.
For the best learning, participants should log into the course on 2-3 different days of the week.

What you will do

For each Unit, you will:

• Read the print readings (about 20 pages a week)
• Have the option of accessing the online readings
• Listen to the audio presentation for the Unit and view the slides
• Have the option of taking a self-quiz to see how much you have learned
• Engage in written online discussion with your instructor and other participants

For best learning, you should make one or more comments at 2-3 different times each week.
The content (readings, audio lectures, slides) and self quizzes are accessible for the entire course, so you can work ahead, or go back and review again, at your convenience.

Discussion

The Discussion for each Unit lasts one week. All comments are made in writing and can be made at any time of the day or night.

Your instructor will log into the Discussion area at least once a day and answer questions, make comments, and respond to comments by you and the other participants.

We encourage you to make 2-3 comments each week to maximize your learning and enjoyment of the course.

It’s easy. It’s fun.

Next offering(s):

Advanced Teaching Online
February 3 - 28, 2025
April 7 - May 2, 2025
June 2 - 27, 2025
September 2 - 26, 2025

Designing Online Instruction
March 3 - 28, 2025
May 5 - 30, 2025
July 7 - August 1, 2025
October 6 - 31, 2025

Fostering Online Discussion
April 7 - May 2, 2025
June 2 - 27, 2025
August 4 - 29, 2025
November 3 - 28, 2025

$665.00 CAD

 

Ave. hours 16, 1.6 CEUs/ILUs

About Your Instructor

 

Mary I. Dereshiwsky, COI,  is a leading authority on online teaching and creator of the concept and practice of ‘continual engagement’ in teaching.  She has taught thousands of faculty about teaching online, has critiqued hundreds of online courses, and heads up the advisory board of the Certified Online Instructor (COI), the leading designation for online faculty in higher education. Dereshiwsky is a Professor of Educational Leadership at Northern Arizona University. She has taught thousands of students in both credit and noncredit situations.  Her new book.Continual Engagement: Fostering Online Discussion, is the leading book on the subject.

 

Course objectives

 

 

Course outcomes

   After attending this course, you will be: