It is a fact of life that obstacles are evident within any teaching setting. The following discussion attempts to address obstacles specific to the distant teaching environment and provide some ways to overcome these challenges.
| Description of obstacle | Ways to overcome the obstacle |
| In a f2f interaction, the non-verbal, feedback plays an instrumental role in providing communication feedback. In DE it is difficult to assess the tone of interaction without these physical (visual) clues. |
Regularly and frequently request feedback from students to gauge their interest and satisfaction levels. Provide timely feedback to students by requesting clarification of statements posted on the BB, commenting on the content and/or approach of assignments and providing guidance about technology problems an individual student might be experiencing. Ask open-ended and specific reaction questions to elicit participants reactions. Some experienced teachers suggest that the closest thing to resolving this problem is maintaining a sense of humor during the class by letting them know that you are "human" even though your non-verbal cues are disguised by the restriction of the printed medium. However, it is also important to err on the side of caution and not use sarcasm or humor unless ground rules have been clearly defined up front. Take time at the beginning of the course to exchange emails on information about each other. Comment on the bio information might add a human "touch" as well as bring it to the attention of other participants in the group. Exchange of questions to clarify information is more personal and can provide better information for later interaction and understanding. Private emails (not bulletin board) and periodic instructor evaluations throughout the course will also provide quality input to the teacher |
| Description of obstacle | Ways to overcome the obstacle |
| How do you know the person taking the class is the one registered and what can be done about lurkers? If a person is registered but isn't taking the course, then there is someone who could get a certificate but would lack the knowledge while another one would have the knowledge but no way of showing proof. It boils down to WHY a person is registered in the course? Some feel there is no answer to this problem. If the course is taught on-line with all tests being given on-line there is no particular way to solve it. |
Get and keep the student involved in the learning process. That's how you'll learn to know the student's virtual presence better. A student that is involved in the process should feel less likely the need to find a substitute or stay in the background. Knowing the students' expectations at the beginning of the course and address them during the course. Make sure a variety of interaction options are available. The student who is uncomfortable participating in an on-line discussion may be a very active audio conference participant; others may do their best with written, privately submitted work. If on-line discussion is a part of the course, be clear on how many times the student is required to log-on. |
| Description of obstacle | Ways to overcome the obstacle |
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In DE there may be a variety of technical glitches that create worry over collecting assignments and about whether technology is dependable and working correctly.
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It helps to thoroughly explore the technical options available to your student population before choosing a means for communicating with them. One feature to consider is the ability to generate an automatic notice when assignments have been received. Suggest how to send and retrieve assignments, including format, etc. Be sure to have solid technical support for all facets of the technology being used and have a "Plan B" when your original plan fails. It is suggested that the best and maybe only way, to handle technical problems is to have good technical support staff. If an instructor gives breaks during class a good time for a break would be during the time when the problem arises. At the beginning of the class include in the open remarks what the class should do in the event the connection is lost. Assign activities such as group discussion, a reading assignment or a reaction to points that are faxed prior to the class until a re-connect occurs. |
Building Community among Participants
| Description of obstacle | Ways to overcome the obstacle |
| At least initially, there may be an underlying fear of failure that both faculty and students must overcome. The technology itself impedes interpersonal communication and content interactions. |
An ice breaker activity such as finding out certain information about a participant and then retelling that information to another participant is one suggestion. Design group activities and encourage learning from each other's expertise. Use a variety of media to accommodate personal preferences and to mesh with specific material covered. |
Accommodating Styles & Motivation
| Description of obstacle | Ways to overcome the obstacle |
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Accommodating various learning styles and getting participants involved in all Parts of the program, while a challenge in the f2f environment becomes even trickier in the DE environment. Especially in the asynchronous environment, it can be challenging to capture and maintain a good level of student motivation.
Students used to participating and communicating via forums may allow interactions to veer from the topic at hand to extraneous conversations |
Getting and keeping students involved with a variety of exercises is a must. Design various types of activities to accommodate individual needs. Refer to the same content within quizzes, self assessment checks, virtual trips, interactive presentations, simulation and other activities to ensure that all the students find a suitable way for them to learn the material. Use an appropriate of media combinations when designing student activities. (don't choose media arbitrarily). Specific media combinations in each activity help the student relate to one activity better than another. Mix difficult work assignments with activities that generate curiosity, evoke emotions, and make the course more fun, personable and interactive among the students and instructor/team leaders. Allow a variety of outcome projects that the students can choose the one most suitable for them. Use leadership and facilitation skills to guide students back to on-task activities. Learning should not be strictly text based |
| Description of obstacle | Ways to overcome the obstacle |
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The role of the instructor in DE changes significantly from that of a content presenter to that of facilitating interaction. One the main challenges in the role change is that in DE the teaching is inducing knowledge rather than instilling it by focusing on student participation rather than presentation.
The DE instructor must be thoroughly versed in technology, distance, communication and teambuilding skills.
The preparation time needed for teaching at a distance is greater than that needed for f2f teaching. Most instructors do not realize this when they first start teaching DE courses. |
Refer to the Top Ten Teachers' Behaviors page. Resist lecturing and pare content; however, assure a good balance of content and information. This can be achieved by asking rhetorical questions, presenting case scenarios to solve problems and by having students share their Design activities that will get students to interact with the content as well as with you. Allow forum discussions to continue beyond the due date of their related assignments. Perform all your students' tasks yourself before assigning them. This will allow you to detect the technological challenges ahead of time and find solutions for them. Make sure you work closely with technical support staff and have easy ways to communicate with them daily.
Prepare your course at least a semester in advance. Work closely with a team of instructional design and multimedia experts to design and prepare your course. |
Optimally Control Learning to Achieve Learner Autonomy
| Description of obstacle | Ways to overcome the obstacle |
| Because of technological variations and adult student variables, students will self-pace and will not be in sync. In general adults tend to resist being controlled. |
Patience, setting timeframes that take these problems into account and being accessible to students to discuss difficulties will relieve this problem. Using course objectives, ask participants to set personal goals. Establish deadlines that are minimal but are a "must". Keep in touch with participants and provide participants input concerning their progress. Involve self-direction by asking the students to assist with problem solving and resolve issues that may arise. |
Accounting for Local Influences
| Description of obstacle | Ways to overcome the obstacle |
| In DE, it is a challenge to bring the local interests and needs as well as the local knowledge that lies at each distant site into the content taught. In a typical f2f environment the students are usually from within the immediate locality, therefore cultural variation and diversity are lessened | Incorporate local dynamics and variation into the curriculum by devising local group projects. |
Program Administration and Management
| Description of obstacle | Ways to overcome the obstacle |
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The difficulties here can include management of student progress, an overabundance of electronic messages to respond to, as well as things like coordinating the technical and non-technical aspects of it all.
Testing is always an administrative obstacle to interactive instruction because you can't be with the students during the administration of the exam. |
Plan, plan, and plan some more! Be flexible enough to change your plan during the course. Choose a technology that will allow you to assess progress, manage students at the appropriate level and trust your team members to assist. Allow students to participate as leaders too so that e-mail messages are first screened by them. Design tests that require analysis and interpretation of the material rather than memorization of content. Allow (and encourage) to use all the materials during the test. |