Instructional Strategies of Distance Learning

• Focus on Learning
  • Inspiring student motivation is crucial in distance learning. When designing instruction keep in mind Keller's ARCS model of motivation.
    • Attention - make your lesson interesting and surprising, to maintain interesting.
    • Attention - make your lesson interesting by varying the deliver of the lesson or by posing interesting questions to solve.
    • Relevance - emphasize relevance of lesson for present and future of students.
    • Confidence - present a degree of challenge that allows for meaningful success.
    • Satisfaction - provide opportunities to use new skill.

     

• Set Expectations
  • Remind students to actively participate
  • Model different types of active behavior
  • Remind students this is two-way video, NOT TV.
  • Discuss etiquette of two way video.
    • Keeping background noise and motion to a minimum
    • Signaling before responding.
    • "Company behavior" needed.
  • Hand Signals for Video Conferencing

 

• Provide Support Materials
  • Create an agenda, and have it sent to remote sites.
  • Sequence all materials.
  • Send a roster of names from local site and obtain one from remote site. Seating plan is really helpful.
  • When explaining an activity... use a slate, page or file with a simple list of instructions and leave it displayed for the duration of activity.

 

• Engage Students with a variety of activities and interaction
• To promote Interactivity
  • Use visual aids
  • DON'T be the "talking head"
  • Limit lecture time to 15 minute blocks.
  • Assign small inter-site group activites to stimulate interactivity.
  • Include participants in activity within the first 5 minutes.
  • Devote 30%-65% of each hour to student activity.
  • Equal time for questions for both sites.
  • Call on students by name.
  • Always repeat question before answering.
  • Look at the camera when answering
  • Avoid swaying, rocking, pacing or interrupting
• To increase variety
  • Change the pace of instruction often.
  • Use different methods to deliver content
  • Use a variety of media to support instruction

 

• Reduce Distractions during learning activities
  • Post signs on door to warn vistors of conferencing activity.
  • Don't be afraid to use silence.
    
    
• Encourage Dialog
  • Incourage questions.
  • Be aware of body language from students at remote site.
  • "Eye contact" means looking at the camera.
  • Use resources creatively to establish rapport.