The prospect of moving part or all the way from face-to-face to online can introduce concerns that things will get out of hand, with your students wondering off into the ether and never working as a group. And, as Exemplar 2 illustrates, it can sometimes feel like that:

‘The online module feels like a big void. Right now [mid-way through the module], it is not clear how my students are progressing. For example, we came across a student yesterday who hadn’t even started his assessment, because he didn’t know where to start. We’ve only heard from three students-the rest are a worry.’

The issue of staying in control doesn’t only apply to modules like this that are done at a distance. You may be doing some online work in a classroom setting, only to have some students race ahead and then feel confused about what to do next, while other students struggle with the basics. Given the range of students in many classes, how to you stay in control?

There are a number of things you can do to prevent things getting out of hand. These include:

  • being clear, right from the start of the course or module, about your expectations:

‘When students start out, we give them a very good online student guide that contains all the rules about communication with staff and expectations of participation.’

Exemplar 1 illustrates what can go wrong if information about an online course is not made clear at the outset:

‘We failed to let our evening students know, when they enrolled, that... there would be an optional information session. The result was that a lot of people probably didn’t hear about the information session. Next semester, we will let everyone know up front, and we’ll make the information session compulsory.’
  • letting students know exactly what the activity requirements are:

‘Our course information says: ‘This week, you need to do X’. I also tried to be realistic. I never had more than three activities for each learning outcome- for example, ‘send me an email and post comments on a forum’.
  • providing a definite structure (although, of course, the amount of structure will depend on the level of students and the subject matter). Where students are working independently online in the classroom, you can still apply some structure:

‘One week, we might all look at a particular set of web resources together, and each class member applies these to their projects. Another week, we’ll do something different. You need a definite structure... Next time I run this, I’m planning on having a timetable I give students so they know what to expect each session: "For the next 30 minutes, we will be doing X. For the next hour, we will do Y".’
  • keeping an eye on student participation, and getting in touch with anyone who seems to be dropping out:

‘I use [the module platform] to check on who is logging on, and how often. The danger with teaching online is the students who are shy or underperforming can draw back and, before you know it, they’ve disappeared into cyberspace. You need to intervene before that happens. Regular contact is essential!’

In some classes, there are also ‘control’ challenges related to how students use the internet or what they post in forums and chats. Exemplar 13 describes a situation where this was an issue, and recommends online moderation:

‘Some of our students posted comments couched in very inappropriate language during a chat session. One can understand this behaviour, given that some would have only used home computers for recreational chat. Nevertheless, we quickly realised the need for an online moderator who can exclude people from the chat when appropriate.’