W8: Humanizing the Online Course Space: Getting Learners Engaged and Keeping Them There
Abstract: This session is intended to teach online course facilitators how to better humanize, personalize, design, and interact within the online course space. In this highly interactive workshop, learners will discuss their current methods of online course humanization and will learn research-driven, innovative methods for engaging students in the online forum. Many students erroneously believe that taking an online course will be “easy”; however, this is not true. In addition to extended time management responsibilities, students studying online often become disengaged due to the impersonal nature of the course. Learners will explore strategies that better engage their students and revitalize their own online communities. Using the four components of instructor responsibility as the backbone of his or her course management, each facilitator will learn, share, and try out innovative methods for structuring an engaging course and for humanizing their online interaction with their students.