How to get learners to buy-in to online learning

Ever so often, online course tutorials start off with a boring introduction like the following: "Since the dawn of the digital age, electronic communication has...." The sad truth is, most online courses and instruction manuals start out this way very so often, making it almost impossible to create an interest in the learner who is watching. This can be a very boring way to learn, as I have experienced the online video lessons, where I feel as if I'm watching a "Clear-eyes" commercial.

An online instructor may question if there is a more effective alternative that will engage the learners and keep their attention. Five easy ways to draw a high interest in learners for an online course are:

• Using meaningful course names. Skip the explanation.

For example, you wont need to explain the OSI 7-layer model in a networking class, because the learner should already expect that the course will go into detail about each layer, and what each layer contributes to the model.

• Nix the narrator.

In this day and age, adult learners can read and understand material for themselves, so it's best to not present material that is self explanatory-that can be insulting to a reader, giving them the notion they are shallow learners. A better example would be if I explained what a shallow learner is.

• Immediately show concise, appealing objectives.

Briefly tell the learner the goals they'll have accomplished at the end of the course, and focus on what they care about. Don't drag it out and beat around the bush-you may lose your audience completely.

• Motivate by actions, don't simply tell them.

Although your guidelines and expectations should be enough, you may need to tell them a story that will motivate them to want to learn the material.

• Put information into activities, not a presentation, and let people prove that they already know it.

If you want to make sure everyone is up to speed before you continue teaching, it may be a good idea to design learning activities in which people can apply what they have learned up to a certain point. For example, in my previous job at Lowe's, we took yearly re-certification courses online. At a certain point in the course, the online instructor would start a quiz to assess our learning thus far. If we passed the quiz, we would continue on with the rest of the course. If we failed, we'd have to go back and identify areas that we may not have answered correctly. The entire process was helpful because the course was well prepared, concise, and provide many activities that in turn maximized our learning about certain subjects that were vital to the company's success.

Do you think these five techniques, if implemented, can get learners immediately, and actively involved in an online course?

Teams...What are the benefits?

Team projects can potentially yield some unique and valuable benefits. However, challenges are likely to arise due to varied perspectives from others.

When working in teams, I have found that I am more successful in solving problems as opposed to working on my own. In a previous IDT course, the class was split into teams of our choosing. Our assignment was to determine if our chosen organization had a unique instructional design theory that was effective when employed in certain situations. If it wasn't, we were to provide recommendations on how to better incorporate better instructional design theory within that organization. We worked together very well, because we work for the same organization. Scheduling meetings was easy, because our offices are all in the same vicinity, in which we would meet in one of our offices once a week. Being in a group of three also made it easier to distribute a fair amount of work to each member.When teams are allowed to choose their own members, it gives them more sense of ownership, and may motivate them to be a better team member.

Team members will most likely have different goals, abilities, and commitment levels that could hinder the progress of an effective team. In one of my previous courses, I was assigned to a random group, in which the work was 100% online collaboration. Online classes can run smoothly if you and the group you're assigned to at least have the same commitment level, but in my case, this team was a complete mess. Aside from technical difficulties, the team lacked severely in its cohesiveness. There would be times I would go days without speaking to my team members, and an assignment would be due the next day and they are holding on to a piece of information that we need to complete the assignment. We scheduled meetings well, but hardly no one logged in to discuss whatever issue was at hand. Sometimes I would be the only person waiting online (hoping that someone would chime in). I eventually left this group and worked alone for the remainder of the course. In cases such as these, working alone may be the best option if you want to be in complete control of the outcome, but it also increases your work load.

For a majority of my graduate career, I have spent a large chunk of my time working in teams. In working with teams, I have learned that these practices are vital to the success of any team:

• Confidence
• Active Participation
• Open Communication
• Responsibility
• Trustworthiness
• Flexibility
• Supportive
• Always go for the Win-Win (Consensus)
• Have a sense of humor

If these traits are present, any team should be able to work together effectively.

Working on teams will only benefit me and propel me forward as an instructional designer because it is a field in which I am constantly learning and growing. I understand that if I want to have a wide range of skills I will need to collaborate with SME's, and many others so I will know exactly what and how people need to learn.

To re-iterate, working asynchronously can be challenging, but it shows that teams are more effective working together on a project rather than an individual working alone, because if the right kind of team is molded together, they will use each other as a source for motivation and come up with very creative and exciting ideas. With that being said, my intentions are to step out of my comfort zone and be an effective team member-actively participating in every possible way to maximize not only mine, but the group's learning experience as well.

What does it mean to be an Instructional Designer?

According to Wikipedia, "Instructional Design is the practice of creating instructional experiences which make the acquisition of knowledge and skill more efficient, effective, and appealing." Instructional design is whatever you want it to be. It's your ideas, backed with theory and research. Simply put, it's creative solutions. The goal of instructional design is to create a dynamic educational experience in which the learner will be able to apply solutions for existing or emerging technologies that will prove to be useful in any situation.

As a student, I am very attentive. I take as many notes as possible, and ask questions if I feel that any information presented is unclear. If I don't feel comfortable  expressing an issue in front of my classmates, I will speak with the instructor privately after class has been dismissed. I prefer submitting my work in a timely manner. In the event of missing class, it is important to work with the teacher and try to get assignments early to stay ahead of the game. Working asynchronously can be quite challenging. It's best to form alliances/partnerships with those who share the same passion and dedication to accomplish tasks. As a team member, I value honesty and transparency. I don't condone conflict, but I encourage it in some situations, because cognitive dissonance evokes thought-provoking ideas that lead to better solutions. If members are working together to resolve conflict, chances are they are more apt to construct a game plan for completing assignments that will benefit the group as a whole.

There must be 100% commitment, effort, creativity, and communication I have to put forward if I expect to maximize my learning experience. Effort and commitment should come naturally being that there is already a degree of interest with IDT. Companies are often looking for that new "thing" that will give them the competitive edge, for example, an individual or group of persons with creative solutions that can take them to the next level. In order to continuously expand my range of knowledge, it is imperative that I stay up to date with the ever changing world of technology.