by Wendy Grisham
I never understood this concept until I completed my first online course as a student. I had already been teaching traditional, hybrid, and online courses for over six years when I took an online course in e-Learning theory. It was horrible. There were old due dates (clearly leftovers from the previous term), broken links, unclear or conflicting assignment instructions, and little (if any) feedback. I did let the instructor know about the most obvious problems. I did not think I was being obnoxious about it. I would periodically make a reference to an issue or ask a leading question, like, “Did you mean February 21 instead of September 21?” or “The assignment instructions refer to one text but your syllabus refers to another,” etc. That’s not so bad, right? I expect my students to contact me with such concerns.
At the end of the semester, I completed the course/instructor evaluation, where I offered constructive criticism, of course; but by that point, I felt like I had wasted my time and HOPE Grant funds. However, in listening to some advice from my mother and trying to find “at least one piece of useful information,” I did find value in that course; I discovered that the best online instructor training tool is the experience of being an online student.
I began to look at my own courses through the lens of a student, which I thought I had been doing all along, but my recent online experience led me to change several aspects of my courses and my teaching style. For example, I created brief supplementary videos to clarify instructions and navigation. I also included more information about exactly when and how students would receive feedback and grades on various assignments and projects. I even began personalizing some of the feedback with audio commentary. My courses became stronger when I quit making assumptions about what my students should know or should be able to figure out. Basically, I started to focus on their needs and expectations rather than my own.
Through much reflection and introspection, I realized that I had actually learned a lot about teaching online from taking that first course, just not the way I had originally expected to. Admittedly, I probably was one of the worst students for that online instructor. I expected perfection even when I could not produce it myself, but being an online student became the most valuable "teaching" experience I have ever had.
Visit UWG|Online’s Quality Matters site for beginning your own journey as an online student and instructor. You'll learn how to improve your own courses by example and by experience.
Wendy Grisham is an instructional designer for UWG Online.
