7.3 Reflection: Personal Learning Plan for Online Coaching

Having never taught an online course there are many things that I need to learn and many skills that I need to gain and strengthen. Although I believe that my skills gained from being a classroom teacher apply to all four roles, I see the role of technician as my weakest.  Although technician is my weakest it may be the easiest to master through training, online tutorials, and learning by trial and error. Being unclear about how systems work together and what is actually visible from the student perspective causes anxiety for me. There is also anxiety around the possibility of technical problems occurring and being unable to help students. The best cure for this is to identify ahead of time where to get help. As program manager I need to make sure to identify the best communication tools to use with my particular students. I need to survey my students in the beginning to see what communication tools they like best as well as use a variety of tools. This will require that I practice using these tools so that I become comfortable with them. I will need to provide a comprehensive syllabus so that the expectations are very clear. This will make handling student disagreements easier and avoid confusion that might lead to frustration, discouragement, and loss of motivation for students. As social director I need to give clear guidelines for behavior “netiquette” and make sure I address behavior that is inappropriate through positive communication. Overall I need to consider ways to create a positive tone for the course and try to foster a strong sense of community. As the instructor it will be important to communicate the course goals and outcomes using the syllabus as well as refer to goals throughout the course by including them in weekly announcements. Providing timely feedback is something I will need to prioritize as a way to facilitate student understanding and avoid student frustration. Feedback should be concrete with specifics about strengths and areas for improvement. There is a lot to consider when planning an online course. Fortunately, a lot of resources have been created to help me along the way.

Four Roles of an Online Teacher

Social Director, Program Manager, Technician, Instructor

List the Four Roles of an Online Teacher from Your Weakest to Strongest	What Skills Do I Need to Gain or Strengthen?	How I Will Gain The Skills?
Technician	Using a Learning Management System Manage course roster Manage student submissions Manage course files and folders	Participate in online tutorials and training for the LMS that I’m using. Consult with colleagues Learn more about Google Docs
Program Manager	Use communication tools Communicate grading Provide comprehensive syllabus FERPA policies	Read articles such as: “What online teachers need to know”; “The Online Educator’s Complete Guide to Grading”; “Syllabus Template Development for Online Course Success”; “Classroom Management Issues in Online Courses”; and “FERPA and Social Media”
Social Director	Netiquette Asynchronous discussions	Read articles such as: “Eight Ways to Increase Social Presence in Your Online Classes”; “Sweating the Small Stuff”; “Eight Tips for Facilitating Online Discussion Forums”; and “The Core Rules of Netiquette”
Instructor	Communicate course goals Plan for feedback interaction Statement of sensitivity to disabilities and diversities	Read articles such as: “Measuring Educational Experience Using the Community of Inquiry Framework”; and “Mapping Success: Essential Elements of an Effective Online Learning Experience”