Effective Online Tutoring

7-week online course – 1 February - 19 March 2010.

This course is limited to a maximum of 16 participants.

I cannot make the date above. Please send me details of future courses.

What people say about the course

"The course is a very good way to grasp an understanding of the most important issues regarding online tutoring without getting too technical. The concepts covered are very practical and can be used immediately. Also, the course is paced so that even the non-technical students can feel confident with their progress.

This course has opened the door to online tutoring for me. I am already applying for online tutoring jobs and I am looking into an e-learning doctoral programme for further study on the subject."
Robert Murphy, Head Instructor, Murphy School, Japan.

This new online course provides prospective online tutors with an opportunity to develop the skills and experience they need to teach effectively online.

The target audience for the course is teachers delivering education online, academics looking to develop new skills for teaching undergraduate and postgraduate-level courses online and organisations involved in Continuing Professional Development who wish to improve the effectiveness of their distance learning courses. The course is also suitable for individuals looking to deliver training online or those interested in facilitating online collaborative spaces.

Note that Unit 2, an Introduction to Teaching and Learning Online, is available as a free trial unit.

To access the free online trial, please go to the following link - access Introduction to Teaching and Learning Online free trial here (note that you will be asked to create a user name and password for access to this part of the course using the "Create new account" link on the left of the page).

Fees include full course materials and online IT support. All our courses are VAT exempt. Click here for terms & conditions.

About the course

The course provides a practical introduction to the social, administrative and pedagogical techniques of teaching online. Focused specifically on teaching, rather than on designing or developing online courses, this course will introduce you to the role of the online tutor through selected reading, group discussions, role-playing, case studies and other activities.

This is an online course - there is no requirement for attendance at the University of Oxford at any stage of the course.

In this course we will: explore the online learning environment; identify the responsibilities and practical skills required by online tutors; look at techniques for managing and facilitating online activities; and consider the challenges of teaching online.

Learning by doing is a key concept of this course, and you will have lots of opportunities to try out new skills and techniques and share your experience with other tutors.

This course will use Moodle as the learning management system and Adobe Connect Professional for synchronous activities (which enables the simultaneous delivery of voice, video and presentation documents to imitate a traditional tutorial environment).

The course will last for seven weeks with the course materials being made available to students for a week at the end of the course for consolidation and reflection. The first week of the course will be self-paced (tutor support will be available if required during this week) and weeks 2-6 will be tutor-led. The course tutor will also be available during week 7 to answer any outstanding questions from students, but there will be no formal course activities during this week.

The total study time of the course will be 30-48 hours to study the core content (5-8 hours per week for each of weeks 1-6) plus any additional time students spend reflecting on the course in week 7. Note that the course offers additional optional material during weeks 2-6.

Introduction & learning outcomes – Each unit will start with a summary of the topics to be covered and will include a list of learning outcomes for the unit.
Topics – Three to six topics will be explored in each unit. Topics will include an overview of the subject with a range of activities (some individual and some group) to explore the topic in more detail.
Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional tutorial – Units 2-6 will include a synchronous tutorial using the Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional software. Note that tutorials are normally performed either Tuesday or Wednesday evenings at 8pm GMT. You will not be required to purchase this software.
Summary & reflections – Each unit will include a summary providing an overview of the key points and will also include a ‘reflections’ discussion forum to encourage participants to reflect on their experiences and what they have learnt so far.
Further reading – Most units will conclude with a list of further reading.

There will be no formal assessment for this course.

Delegates successfully completing the course will receive a University of Oxford Certificate of Completion.

To complete the course, participants must actively take part in all the group activities, complete the tutor-marked assignments and participate in a minimum of three of the four core online tutorial units.

"I'm enjoying the course very much so far. We're in the third week and I've learnt a great deal already. I'm looking forward to learning a lot more. Keith Simons is proving to be a great leader in his role as tutor.

I have been operating in the role of online support tutor for a couple of years now and wish I had been able to complete this course prior to becoming involved in it."
Adrian Rowe, Managed Learning Environment Trainer, Colchester Institute.

Who is it for?

This course is aimed at individuals looking to learn the skills required to teach effectively online. No previous experience of teaching online is required. The target audience for the course is academics looking to develop new skills for teaching undergraduate and postgraduate-level courses online, and teachers delivering (or planning to deliver) education online.

The course is also suitable for individuals or organisations looking to deliver training online or those interested in facilitating online collaborative spaces.

Those taking this course in the last year have come from Canada, England, Grenada, India, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, USA and Wales.

Computing skills

In order to participate in this course you must have basic IT skills and be confident using a computer for purposes such as word processing, preparing presentations, e-mail and searching the Internet.

This course involves using the synchronous online conferencing tool Adobe Connect Professional. Such software is more technically demanding on the IT infrastructure than many other e-learning tools, so you should be prepared to spend some time at the start of the course getting your PC set up to use this software. For example, you might need to install a browser plug-in; install new hardware, such as a webcam; or adjust the settings on your PC. An IT Helpdesk will be available to provide advice if you encounter any technical difficulties.

Please also note that as part of this course you will be required to prepare some slides, using PowerPoint, and give a short online presentation. This course assumes that you are already familiar with using PowerPoint, so the study hours indicated above do not include any additional time you might need to learn how to use this software.

Those with limited IT skills may find that some extra time is required for setup at the beginning of the course (IT support is provided as part of the course).

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, participants should understand:

the main differences between teaching face-to-face and online
the characteristics of and constraints on online students and students’ expectations of their online tutor
the teaching, administrative and pastoral responsibilities of an online tutor
the difference between the following online communication tools – announcements, e-mail, discussion forums and online chat – and know which tool to use in which teaching situation. Participants will also be expected to know what the following tools are and what they can be used for: polls, blogs and wikis
how to host and facilitate online tutorials/meetings (tutorials are normally performed either Tuesday or Wednesday evenings at 8pm GMT)
the rules of online netiquette and how to communicate effectively online
the five stages of the Salmon 5-stage model; how student learning develops through the five stages of the model; and how online tutoring should be adapted as students progress
how to facilitate online discussions and manage the distinction between public and private communication
the social, practical and pedagogical challenges of teaching online; including handling inappropriate communication, maintaining student participation, managing group learning, keeping students ‘on-topic’, challenging able students and supporting weaker students, and using tutoring time effectively

By the end of this course, participants should be able to:

confidently teach an online course in their subject area
use a range of online tools to teach online, and be confident choosing the right tool for the teaching situation
manage an online community and moderate asynchronous discussions using the techniques of weaving and summarising
maintain disciplined online discussions using a tone of communication that encourages student participation
give an effective online presentation using Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional
host and facilitate online tutorials/meetings specifically with Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, and apply the same skills to similar web conferencing tools
communicate effectively online and provide feedback to students on online activities and assignments
manage private e-mail communication with students seeking help and advice
create an online presence and manage their tutoring time efficiently
reflect on the experience of being an online student and think about the key things they, as a tutor, can do to improve the learning experience of their online students
know where to seek further advice on teaching online

"For me, it has been especially interesting being part of a class that includes students from all over Europe as well as a student from Japan. It has been great to have the opportunity to learn from students around the world and compare how what we are doing in the U.S. differs as well as what is the same.

I found this class to be more interactive than I had expected - I was worried I'd be alone out there in the online world and in fact I was not! Keith was a great tutor, he really helped bring the class together. As the CEO of a company involved in online tutoring, this course was immensely helpful to me."
Lisa Philpott, CEO, AskOnline.

Course presenter

Dr Keith Simons, a chemist by training, is an independent consultant who works with high-technology start-up companies as an interim manager. He is also the tutor for our first course to feature Adobe Connect Professional, the University of Oxford Post-Graduate Certificate in Nanotechnology.

Course content

Unit 1 - Tools for Teaching Online
Unit 2 - Introduction to Teaching and Learning Online (unit 2 is available as a free trial unit)
Unit 3 - Communicating with Students
Unit 4 - Effective Teaching in the Online Environment (2 weeks study are allocated for this unit)
Unit 5 - Meeting the Challenges of Teaching Online
Unit 6 - Post-Course Reflection and Consolidation

IT support

The whole course is delivered online through the Department for Continuing Education, Rewley House, Oxford and no attendance at Oxford University is required.

Once you are registered you will receive a personal password so you can access all the course materials and discussion forums and contact your tutor. Personal passwords will be emailed on the first day of the course. An IT helpdesk is available online through the TALL (Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning) unit at the University of Oxford.

Computer specifications

The minimum specification is what we believe to be the minimum you will need to be able to complete the course.

Minimum specification

Hardware:

PC 600Mhz
Mac Equivalent (G4)
128MB of RAM
400MB of free hard disk space
SVGA display 800x600
CD-ROM drive (4X)
Speakers and Microphone (or Headset) and Soundcard
Webcam
Broadband internet connection (minimum 256kbps)
Mouse and keyboard
Some means of offline storage (e.g. USB memory stick, CD writer)
We strongly recommend that students have access to a printer.

Software:

Windows (2000, XP or Vista) or Mac (OS X)
Either Internet Explorer 6 (or above) or the latest version of Mozilla Firefox - Mozilla Firefox is the recommended browser.
The following plug-ins - Adobe Acrobat 4 viewer or higher (standard edition); QuickTime Player (both available for free download)
Microsoft Office 2000 Professional/Premium, Office XP Professional, Office 2003 Professional, Office 2007 Professional or equivalent

Additional requirements for Adobe Connect web conferencing software (Note that you will not be required to purchase this software)

Adobe Flash Player - latest version recommended (free download from www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/)

Note that you will not be required to purchase the Adobe Connect web conferencing software.

All the above components must be installed and maintained correctly.

Computer specification queries

If you have queries about your computer facilities, please contact the TALL (Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning) programme by email: tallithelp@conted.ox.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0) 1865 280990.

If you are intending to access the course on a public computer, such as in a public library or internet cafe, we recommend that you contact TALL before applying.

"If I were to describe the course with just one word, that word would be addictive!

I am learning many fundamentals with direct application to my tutoring requirements. I will be able to improve the way I am acting as an online tutor, interacting with students and also the way I use basic and advanced tools in the online environment. I will tremendously improve the results of the students taking my online courses."
Alberto Gomez, TotallyQ, Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Certification

Delegates will receive a University of Oxford Certificate of Attendance.

Fee options

£595 - standard course fee.

Fees include course materials and tuition. This is an online course.

All courses are VAT exempt.

How to apply

If you would like to discuss your application or any part of the application process before applying, please contact:
Emma Haslam (Course Administrator) - Tel: +44 (0)1865 286958 - Email: CPDpersonaldev@conted.ox.ac.uk

If you would like to pay using a company purchase order / bank transfer, please see the guidance notes below.

Application Form

Guidance Notes (important: please read before applying)

Terms and Conditions (important: please read before applying)