Welcome/Bienvenue to the Surviving e-Learning Blog

sur·viv·al (/sərˈvīvəl/)

1.      Noun - The state or fact of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of an accident, ordeal, or difficult circumstances. (source: dictionary.com)

Why survival?

Okay, so perhaps associating survival to e-Learning may be a bit of a stretch, but as an “accidental” online instructor who was tossed into the deep end over a decade ago, you have to appreciate the subtle similarities with the definition. My foray into online education started with taking an online course, a first at my university at the time, spending hours in the dedicated computer lab playing games with my classmates, somehow excelling in the course (no thanks to the course material), and letting my instructor know how horrid the entire experience was. My “reward” was an A+ and a job as the teaching assistant. Two years later I was handed the reins to a university-level undergraduate online course and asked to “run with it.” Oh, and did I mention that the course was Introduction to Statistics?!!!* Perhaps the word “survival” applied more to my first few years as an online instructor than it does today. Sure, there are some mornings when I still question why I ever agreed to teach an online course (usually when I look at my unread e-mail messages first thing in the morning), but these thoughts are less frequent than they once were. When I got started I knew nothing about designing and developing online courses, let alone teaching in general. I made up for my lack of experience (or tried to) by doing a lot of reading, attending some conferences and seminars, and by experimenting with tools to create web pages, graphics, animations, and media. Some ideas worked well, others…not so much. Over time I developed enough proficiency with the tools, and experience with the students, to manage through the semesters. I found a way to survive.

Why this blog?

Early in my journey as an online instructor, I realized that I was not alone. Many others have been thrust into the e-Learning spotlight, some even by choice! Online courses have evolved greatly in recent years thanks to continual changes with the technology, rapid e-Learning and publishing tools, the prominence of online soapboxes (e.g., YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and yes, this blog), the establishment of research-based standards and best practices, and an increasing “acceptance” of this form of instruction thanks to massive open online courses (MOOCs). The time is ripe to share my experiences in hopes of helping others “survive” the same obstacles I once faced, and those I continue to encounter. Since the time I first took on the challenge of designing, developing, and teaching an online course, I have completed both a master’s and a doctorate degree in educational technology with a focus on instructional design in online learning. My dissertation focused on the reasons that students voluntarily drop out of online courses and what we (as instructors, designers, and administrators) can do about it.

If you are having trouble sleeping, and/or if this topic genuinely interests you, here is the complete dissertation and the presentation I made based on it at Sloan-Consortium’s International Conference on Online Learning which won the “Best-in-Track Award for Student Services and Learner Support.”

As Chief Learning Officer at KnowledgeOne (+KnowledgeOne)  I have participated in various capacities in the design and development of over 75 online courses (mostly asynchronous), I continue to teach online courses at Concordia University (+Concordia University) in Montréal, Canada, I still conduct research on online learning and teaching, I present at various conferences about online learning, and I continue to learn new tricks. Unfortunately, despite all my good intentions, I have not been able to find the time (ok, the patience) to write articles based on my research and experience. So here I am, writing my first of hopefully multiple blog entries, to set the stage for what is to come.
 

Who is this blog for?

If you teach online courses or are thinking of doing so; if you design, develop, or administer them; or if you have an interest in online learning as a student or as a teacher…I hope that you will find something useful somewhere in this blog. If not, try googling it (whatever that means).  My writing will focus on practical ideas to make your e-Learning life easier. And, for the most part, these will be tips and tricks that I have tried myself. Hopefully they will save you time, make your tasks more efficient, or simply give some crazy ideas to try out when the time is right. For example, I will be sharing tips to help reduce the volume of your e-mail inbox (a common complaint of online instructors), suggest ways to motivate students to help each other out, and identify opportunities to cut down on useless and repetitive tasks. So in a nutshell, I want to help make your job easier. Interested?

I also hope to hear about your experiences, suggestions, and your problems, and I would like to share these and possible solutions with other like-minded souls who are looking for better ways to manage their online learning or teaching experience. So essentially, this blog is indeed all about surviving e-Learning.  

 

The logo I “borrowed” from some television game show. I’m sure you’ve never heard of it.

*Truth be told, I like statistics…especially as they relate to sports. But since I seem to be in the minority on that opinion, I figured it would reinforce the notion of “survival” given that not only was it my first experience teaching online, but the subject was statistics…or “sadistics” as some of my students have called it!