The Virtual Student: A Profile and Guide to Working with Online Learners

Rena M. Palloff, Keith Pratt9780787964740, 0787964743

The Virtual Student is an essential resource for online educators working with students in higher education and training settings. The authors offer an overview of the key issues of student online learning and provide a practical guide to working with online students. The book covers a broad range of topics including learning styles, multicultural issues, evaluation, retention, and the challenging problems of plagiarism and cheating.Just when you thought you had covered the online teaching waterfront, here come Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt with their most engaging research to date. The Virtual Student enables you to view the entire process through the lens of the learner, and in doing so, to deepen your understanding of online learning dynamics and the results you want to create.- Kathleen Stinehart, Dean for Academic Outreach, Mary Baldwin College”A must-read for those who are concerned about issues such as student satisfaction, retention, and attrition in online courses.- Wilson Azevedo, director, Brazilian Association of Distance Education”The Virtual Student is well written and documented, with frequent illustrations, examples, quotes from learners, and very useful toolkits for faculty and learners. It is a great read and guide for faculty, designers, administrators, and learners interested in online learning. What they will discover is that this book is really about effective pedagogy, regardless of the setting.- Michael J. Offerman, president, Capella University”

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Table of contents :
THE VIRTUAL STUDENT……Page 5
Copyright……Page 8
CONTENTS……Page 11
Tables……Page 13
Exhibits……Page 14
WHY FOCUS ON THE LEARNER?……Page 15
Pedagogy, Andragogy, or Heutagogy?……Page 16
Becoming Truly Learner- Focused……Page 17
Online Learning Across Disciplines……Page 18
The Corporate Student……Page 19
Organization of Contents……Page 20
Acknowledgments……Page 21
BookmarkTitle:……Page 0
ABOUT THE AUTHORS……Page 23
PART ONE: A PROFILE OF THE VIRTUAL STUDENT……Page 27
1 WHO IS THE VIRTUAL STUDENT?……Page 29
Satisfaction with Online Learning……Page 30
A Portrait of the Successful Virtual Student……Page 31
Does This Represent the Ideal?……Page 34
Addressing the Needs of the Virtual Student……Page 35
Concluding Thoughts……Page 39
2 The Student Side of Online Learning Communities……Page 41
De . ning the Online Learning Community……Page 42
The Role of the Learner in Forming the Online Community……Page 43
Maximizing Interaction……Page 50
Concluding Thoughts……Page 52
3 Learning Styles……Page 55
De . ning Learning Styles……Page 56
Addressing Different Learning Styles……Page 57
Concluding Thoughts……Page 63
Cultural Issues……Page 65
Gender Issues……Page 67
Geographical Issues……Page 70
Issues of Religion and Spirituality……Page 71
Issues of Literacy and Disability……Page 72
The Digital Divide……Page 74
Concluding Thoughts……Page 75
A Connection to the Institution: The Missing Link……Page 77
Technological Issues and Support……Page 78
Integrating Student Services into Online Courses and Programs……Page 79
Developing Appropriate Policies……Page 82
Quality Is the Key……Page 83
Dealing with the Needs of the Neediest Students……Page 85
Concluding Thoughts……Page 86
PART TWO: A GUIDE TO WORKING WITH THE VIRTUAL STUDENT:
ISSUES, CONCERNS, AND STRATEGIES……Page 89
6 Designing a Good Student Orientation……Page 91
Elements of a Good Orientation……Page 92
Incorporating Orientation into the Online Class……Page 98
Concluding Thoughts……Page 99
Basics of Time Management……Page 103
Setting Goals……Page 104
Setting Priorities……Page 105
Budgeting Time for Studying and Interacting Online……Page 107
Avoiding Overload……Page 110
How to Get Commitment and Buy- In……Page 111
Concluding Thoughts……Page 112
Assessment of Student Performance……Page 115
Course Evaluation……Page 122
A Few Words About Plagiarism and Cheating……Page 125
Concluding Thoughts……Page 127
9 Legal Issues and the Virtual Student……Page 129
Who Owns My Work?……Page 130
Can I Say What I Really Want To?……Page 131
Use of Student Work in Faculty Research……Page 132
Training Students in Copyright and Intellectual Property Issues……Page 133
Concluding Thoughts……Page 135
Stopping the Exodus: Remembering What Students Need to Succeed……Page 138
Steps to Take to Improve Retention……Page 143
Collaboration + Presence + Community = Quality……Page 146
11 Becoming Truly Learner-Focused:
Best Practices in Online Teaching……Page 150
Being Learner- Focused in the Online Environment……Page 151
What the Online Learner Wants……Page 155
A Focus on Best Practices……Page 156
Concluding Thoughts……Page 159
RESOURCES: THE TOOLKIT FOR A SUCCESSFUL ONLINE STUDENT……Page 163
Introduction to the Toolkit for a Successful Online Student……Page 165
Sample Course Guidelines……Page 169
Sample Expectations Letter……Page 174
Guidelines for Developing Critical Thinking Skills……Page 176
Guide to Developing Good Discussion Questions for the Online Course……Page 177
Case Methodology: How to Analyze Cases……Page 179
Evaluating Student Work……Page 181
Self- Assessment: Is Online Learning for Me?……Page 187
Tips for Being a Successful Online Learner……Page 190
Communication Tools……Page 191
Feedback Guidelines……Page 197
Time Management Tips and Tools……Page 198
Writing Research and Re . ection Papers……Page 201
REFERENCES……Page 205
INDEX……Page 211