Discussion-Based Online Teaching to Enhance Student Learning: Theory, Practice and Assessment

by Tisha Bender

As online courses proliferate, teachers increasingly realize that they have to connect with their students as they would in face-to-face classes. They have to provide true opportunities for inspirational and meaningful learning, rather than a sterile experience of clicking within a labyrinth of links.

With the specific purpose of switching emphasis from the technical issues of online teaching to the human implications of teaching and learning through the Internet, Tisha Bender draws on her extensive research, her training of online faculty, and her own online teaching experience, to create a fresh vision of online pedagogy. Discussion-Based Online Teaching to Enhance Student Learning consists of three

Theory
Practice
Assessment

The author shows how she applies learning theories to online discussion-based courses. She presents a wealth of suggestions and techniques, illustrated by real examples, for stimulating and managing online discussion effectively, and for improving teaching practices. The book concludes with methods for assessing the efficacy of online courses.

This accessible and comprehensive book offers an engaging and practical approach to online teaching that is rooted in the author's experience and enthusiasm for creating a virtual environment that engages students and fosters their deep learning. This is a book for all educators and administrators in higher education, in any discipline, engaged in, or contemplating offering, online classes that involve discussion or collaborative learning. It is relevant both to faculty teaching a hybrid and face-to-face classes, and courses conducted entirely online.

Genres: Teaching, Nonfiction, Education

206 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[Christopher Bergeron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book but clearly it's not for everyone.

If you're thinking about teaching an online class, K12 or Higher Ed, this book has the potential to put you on the right track. If you're green to online teaching this is a perfect starting point. But it does get a bit of pedagogical from time to time which makes it a good read if you're into the larger ideas of online teaching as well.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in the summer of 2006 for an independent study project. I can't recall at this point what exactly the project focused on other than best practices in online learning. Must've been pretty hard-hitting research, eh?

[JoyfulK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended for anyone planning to teach online. An excellent resource about the interpersonal and learning processes involved in online teaching with suggestions for types of assignments.

[Rosa Bell]

good