Early Vacation? A Scenario…

07 Sep Early Vacation? A Scenario…

Hi folks! I’m writing today to describe a scenario specific to online instruction and to gather some input from you as to possible strategies and solutions for helping address the issue.

I met with an online instructor over the summer who ran into an issue in her online course. She initially developed her course with lots of discussion forums so that students could communicate about course-related topics. Discussions are great in that they allow for asynchronous student-to-student and/or student-instructor communication. There were 12 total students in her class, excellent for an online discussion format.  She followed all the usual advice given to online faculty; post to an introductory forum, email your students at the beginning of the term, provide a thorough orientation and syllabus, and establish a presence in the course. Everything was going well; students were engaged and actively participating in the course.  Her format seemed to be working as planned.

The problem began in week 3, when for no apparent reason, half the class decided to disappear. She tried to contact the students, sending periodic emails and phoning them if she had their information. She got very little response. Almost overnight, her course went from 12 to 6 active participants. By her observations, she also noticed that the sudden drop in participation affected the morale of the remaining students. Many were disappointed by the lack of discussions and communication.  She was obviously concerned.

Have you run into a similar issue? How did you address it? While discussion forums have proven quite effective for online courses, what do you do if half your class decides to take an early vacation? I look forward to your responses.

Arturo