How to keep the student "on task" in the online classroom
by Prof. David Jordan, Director of Paralegal Studies Program
L.A. Mission College - Spring 2000
_____________________________________________________________

Thesis: to keep a student "on task" you need to engage the student in "active learning" which means communication. The tools you can use are email, threaded "hypernews discussions", quizzes, assignments, broadcast of information through a "listbot", the use of a calendar linked to hypernews postings of the assignment links., and the "one minute paper", and other classroom assessment techniques, including outcomes/assessment. If students have a easy to use calendar it will "focus" them on all of the interactive elements of an "online class", and keep them "on task". The calendar should be linked to just one page which has all of the interactive links. This provides ease of access. The easier it is for a student to access the information and assignments of your online class, the easier it is for the student to stay "on task", and up to date with work in the online environment.

In an online classroom, you need to keep students "on task:.

Here are the ways to do that (examples below are taken from Law 16 - Evidence - L.A. Mission College Paralegal Studies Program)
1. email the student (one on one type of questions and response)
2. set up hypernews discussions
3. engage the student with quizzes
4. have the students show their understanding with "hands on" type of assignments
4.broadcast information to them through a "listbot program"
5. use a calendar, and link to the assignments, discussions and quizzes using hypernews postings. Try clicking on the Paralegal Calendar on any date for the assignment.
6. at the end of class engage the students in an ungraded exercise called the "one minute paper", or use another form of classroom assessment techniques. (note: there is a great wealth of "teaching tips provided by Hawaii Community College).

here is the Calendar for our Paralegal Program
http://www.calendars.net:8186/paralegl/
The Calendar Program is "free" to the public, and you can set up your own calendar at http://www.calendars.net/

I have found I can keep students "on task" by having a calendar that is linked directly to the websites for my assignments which usually include a reading assignment, lecture notes, a quiz, and a hypernews posting. By linking the calendar to a hyernews posting I can list all of the active links in just one place so the students just have to click on the calendar date, and it goes to hypernews and there are all the active links.

Read our Mission College weekly e-journal "El Timbre" or scan our Staff Development "hot links" for useful websites and information you can integrate into your class. All of the above materials can be located on our reference page for students and faculty at Lamission.org.
(click on the picture of Mission College at the top of the page, this takes you to our index, then click on "O", and then click on "on task...".)

Other online articles by David Jordan.
1. Web page Utilities
2. Web page templates
3. State of Online Education - Alive and Well
4. How to Construct your Paralegal Webpage
5. How to Integrate Technology into your Paralegal Classrooms -Interactive Webpages
6. Getting Started on your new webpage

A special note of thanks: I want to thank John Hartzog, Director, LRC, CSUN, Sheila Harbet, Faculty Coordinator, Web Project, and Sheryl Thompson, Director, PACE, for their wonderful insights, inspiration, motivation, and incredible sharing of resources and knowledge, and their web materials for teaching on the web at VCSUN.ORG. They say in life, "choose your mentors well". I am honored to have them as "my instructors".

updated: 4/28/00