Designing Web-Based Training: How to Teach Anyone Anything Anywhere Anytime

9.7. TEACH THE CLASS, DON'T JUST LET IT HAPPEN

As the instructor, you must actively lead the class setting the pace, making sure that learners are participating, and overcoming problems.

Contact participants individually. Contact participants individually (phone calls are nice) to let them know you view them as individuals and to listen to any concerns they may have. Visit remote sites and even conduct live activities from there.

Help classmates get to know one another. Have class members post their biographies. Then require each learner to find one common interest or other significant similarity with each other classmate.

Stay on the published schedule. If you publish a schedule, stick to the schedule. Remote learners and those with busy schedules depend on the course schedule to arrange their work and personal calendars to fit the course.

Keep office hours. Most instructors make themselves available about three hours a week at a fixed time [118].

Pace learners. By making assignments week by week, you keep learners from getting ahead of the class and you motivate learners to keep up. However, assign class-long requirements, such as large projects and general readings, at the beginning of the course so that those who want to can start early. You can include the entire syllabus, but have links point to pages that say, 'This material will be available starting the week it is mentioned in the syllabus.'

Do not spend too much time teaching the course software. Learners become frustrated ...