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Black Hawk College
Best Practices for Exemplary Online Instruction


PRINCIPLE 3:  GOOD PRACTICE ENCOURAGES ACTIVE LEARNING.
"Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just by sitting in classes listening to teachers, memorizing pre-packaged assignments, and spitting out answers. They must talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences and apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves." (Chickering & Gamson, 1987)

The following best practices from the literature on online teaching and learning may provide you with specific ideas for what this principle might look like in an online course.


  1. Anchor instruction with authentic tasks situated in real-world contexts.  Create activities relevant to learners that allow them to attach personal meaning to content.  Ex: use simulations/case studies that apply to real-world issues.

  2. Combine the power of technology and active online activities to enhance student learning (addressing multiple learning styles) Ex: (1) video clips of interviews, famous speeches, etc. followed by an active discussion on the discussion board; (2) flash simulations of course content followed by small group projects to invent solutions; (3) screen animations followed by an online quiz or practice session with automated feedback.

  3. Employ activities that develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills connected to the course outcomes, such as case studies, collaborative exercises, portfolios, compare and contrast activities, etc.

  4. Encourage a variety of opportunities for student-student interaction and collaborative work.  Ex: see Principle #2 above.
Other ideas:
 
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© 2007 Last Updated: 4/25/2008