Blake, Denise A (2009) What I Learned from Teaching Adult Learners Online. eLearn Magazine.  Dec.

http://elearnmag.org/subpage.cfm?section=articles&article=105-1

Abstract:
One summer, I was asked to take over an online course (in a master of education program) that had already begun. I accepted the job, but with hesitation. I knew the course material because it was within my field of expertise, but I had never taught an online course or taught masters-level students.

I asked a colleague for help in determining what course material to use. Since my colleague had originally designed the course and had taught online for manyAdult learner years, I figured she would be the logical contact.

My colleague was a tremendous resource in determining both the amount and type of material to use. After spending a week sorting through and updating the materials, I posted the course requirements online. I had already contacted the students to let them know that they were not behind (seeing as I had taken over a course that was already in progress), and that I would be the new instructor. After that initial point of contact, I used email to correspond with the students and Blackboard to post assignments and the syllabus, and for discussions between students.

Because the class was a skills course on how to evaluate articles for a literature review, I had the students read articles of their choice (related to their thesis topics) and evaluate them according to specific criteria. They posted the articles and evaluations on Blackboard. Additionally, the students were asked to read other students’ articles and evaluations, and then comment on at least two postings.

I found that I had to be explicit in explaining what I expected for each assignment and in drafting the syllabus. I made certain that the students understood what was expected of them, such as what time the assignments were due and when their feedback on other articles were to be posted. This was one of the most challenging academic activities I have ever tried to do.

I was curious: What experiences have others had teaching online, and are they similar to my own? What did I need to know about masters-level students? And what exactly would I need to do to teach a quality online course?

In this article, I share my findings. In the end, I will reflect on how well my first online teaching experience went.