Lessons from the Virtual Classroom, Second Edition

The second edition of the classic resource Lessons from the
Cyberspace Classroom offers a comprehensive reference for
faculty to hone their skills in becoming more effective online
instructors. Thoroughly revised and updated to reflect recent
changes and challenges that face online teachers, Lessons from
the Virtual Classroom is filled with illustrative examples from
actual online courses as well as helpful insights from teachers and
students. This essential guide offers targeted suggestions for
dealing with such critical issues as evaluating effective
courseware, working with online classroom dynamics, addressing the
needs of the online student, making the transition to online
teaching, and promoting the development of the learning
community.

Praise for Lessons from the Virtual Classroom,
Second Edition

"Palloff and Pratt demonstrate their exceptional practical
experience and insight into the online classroom. This is an
invaluable resource for those tasked with creating an online
course."

-- D. Randy Garrison, professor, University of Calgary, and
author, Blended Learning in Higher Education: Framework,
Principles, and Guidelines

"Faculty will deeply appreciate and make use of the many
explicit examples of how to design, prepare, and teach both blended
and fully online courses."

-- Judith V. Boettcher, faculty coach and author, The
Online Teaching Survival Guide: Simple and Practical Pedagogical
Tips

"Lessons from the Virtual Classroom is filled with
insightful caveats and recommendations, pointed examples to enhance
your practice, succinct summaries of the research, and engaging
visual overviews. Each page brings the reader a renewed sense of
confidence to teach online as well as personal joy that there is
finally a resource to find the answers one is seeking."

-- Curtis J. Bonk, professor of education, Indiana
University-Bloomington, and author, Empowering Online Learning:
100+ Activities for Reading, Reflecting, Displaying, and
Doing

Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt have consulted to universities in the development and delivery of online learning since 1994. In conjunction with Fielding Graduate University, they developed the Online Teaching and Learning academic certificate program. They are the authors of Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom, The Virtual Student, Collaborating Online, Building Online Learning Communities, Assessing Online Learning, and The Excellent Online Instructor all from Jossey-Bass.

Lessons from the Virtual Classroom, Second Edition

The second edition of the classic resource Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom offers a comprehensive reference for faculty to hone their skills in becoming more effective online instructors. Thoroughly revised and updated to reflect recent changes and challenges that face online teachers, Lessons from the Virtual Classroom is filled with illustrative examples from actual online courses as well as helpful insights from teachers and students. This essential guide offers targeted suggestions for dealing with such critical issues as evaluating effective courseware, working with online classroom dynamics, addressing the needs of the online student, making the transition to online teaching, and promoting the development of the learning community.

Praise for Lessons from the Virtual Classroom, Second Edition

"Palloff and Pratt demonstrate their exceptional practical experience and insight into the online classroom. This is an invaluable resource for those tasked with creating an online course."

— D. Randy Garrison, professor, University of Calgary, and author, Blended Learning in Higher Education: Framework, Principles, and Guidelines

"Faculty will deeply appreciate and make use of the many explicit examples of how to design, prepare, and teach both blended and fully online courses."

— Judith V. Boettcher, faculty coach and author, The Online Teaching Survival Guide: Simple and Practical Pedagogical Tips

"Lessons from the Virtual Classroom is filled with insightful caveats and recommendations, pointed examples to enhance your practice, succinct summaries of the research, and engaging visual overviews. Each page brings the reader a renewed sense of confidence to teach online as well as personal joy that there is finally a resource to find the answers one is seeking."

— Curtis J. Bonk, professor of education, Indiana University-Bloomington, and author, Empowering Online Learning: 100+ Activities for Reading, Reflecting, Displaying, and Doing

Figures, Table, and Exhibits xi

Preface to the Second Edition: The Face of Online Learning Today xiii

The Authors xix

Acknowledgments xxi

Part One: Rethinking Education for an Online World 1

1 Online Learning in the Twenty-First Century 3

Online Learning Today 6

Current and Emerging Technologies 8

Emerging Issues for Both Faculty and Administrators 9

Technology for Online Teaching Is Chosen Without Faculty Input • Governance Issues Have Emerged • Intellectual Property, Course Design, and Course Ownership Issues • Just Like Faculty, Students Need to Be Trained to Learn Online • Instructor Workload

Recent Developments in K12 Online Learning 16

The Effectiveness of Distance Delivery 18

2 The Art of Online Teaching 21

Lack of Preparation 22

Who Should Teach Online? 23

Training, Training, and More Training 24

Using Mobile Technology in Faculty Training 27

New Processes, New Relationships 28

Online Pedagogy 30

Keys to Success 30

Ensuring Access to and Familiarity with Technology • Establishing Guidelines and Procedures • Achieving Maximum Participation • Promoting Collaboration • Promoting Reflection

The Final Transition: Assessing and Evaluating Students and Ourselves 41

Supporting Instructors to Make the Transition 43

3 Administrative Issues and Concerns 45

Faculty Time, Compensation, and Questions of Tenure 47

Program Planning and Development 49

Another Look at Faculty and Student Support, Training, and Development 52

Governance and Intellectual Property 54

Student Retention 56

Some Last Thoughts on Administrative Issues and Concerns 58

4 The Tools of Online Teaching 61

Technology in the Twenty?]First Century 62

Matching the Technology to the Course 64

What Are Web 2.0 Technologies? 70

Common Forms of Web 2.0 Technologies • Using Web 2.0 Tools in Online Courses Choosing Technology Wisely 75

When the Technology Is a Problem • Evaluating Technology • Use of Technology • Infrastructure • Instructional Strategy

When Money Is an Issue 81

Accessibility Is a Major Concern 82

Part Two: Teaching and Learning Online 85

5 Transforming Courses for the Online Classroom 87

Starting Over: Considerations in the Development of an Online Course 89

Who Are My Students? • Is This a Course That Will Successfully Transfer to the Online Environment? • How Do I Define Learning in This Content Area, and What Do I Want to See as the Learning Outcomes? • What Do I Want to Accomplish Through This Course? • What Guidelines, Rules, Roles, and Norms Need to Be Established for Course Completion? • How Do I Plan to Deliver Course Material? • How Comfortable Am I in Releasing Control to the Learners? &b…