Developing An Orientation For First-Time Online Students

From yesterday’s inbox…

Why do students fail or drop out of online courses? Many times, they’re unprepared or have unrealistic expectations for what online learning really is. In this blog post Dena Coots will share her experience developing and implementing an online orientation for first-time online students and how it has impacted them and faculty at Alvin Community College in Texas. Some key takeaways are: Tips for redesigning an orientation that contains assessments, maintains outcomes and can be completed in less than an hour The structure and organization of the orientation Student feedback on improved orientation This article is one of a series published in SoftChalk Talk, a blog covering timely issues related to all aspects of instructional design and published by SoftChalk LLC. Have a comment on this topic? Suggestions for future topics or interest in being a guest writer? Send me an email at natalie@softchalk.com. I look forward to hearing from you! Natalie Saltzberg www.softchalk.com www.softchalkcloud.com Like us on Facebook  •  Follow us on Twitter  •  Check out the SoftChalk Talk Blog

SoftChalk LLC 22 S. Auburn Ave. Richmond VA 23221  877-638-2425

Upgrade The LMS Course Experience – Create High Quality Online Lessons

See these up-coming webinars.

You have a learning management system (LMS)—but is the content in your LMS course awesome, or is it meh? If you’re a college or university educator, instructional designer, or school administrator who is looking to upgrade the LMS course experience, look no more! In this webinar, we’ll show a fast and easy way for faculty to create high quality online lessons that are interactive and will engage students. Did we mention it’s FAST and EASY? You’ll also learn how you can deliver your lessons directly inside of your school’s learning management system (LMS). Register for a FREE webinar today and see how you can create a professional-looking, interactive, online lesson in an hour with SoftChalk Cloud! Tuesday, October 2 3:00PM ET Tuesday, October 23 4:00PM ET Wednesday, November 7 3:00PM ET We look forward to seeing you there! The SoftChalk Team www.softchalk.com www.softchalkcloud.com Like us on Facebook  •  Follow us on Twitter  •  Check out the SoftChalk Talk Blog

SoftChalk LLC 22 S. Auburn Ave. Richmond VA 23221  877-638-2425

The 5 Minute University (5MU) Project

Finishing up a slow blogging day.

Finding spare time when you’re an educator can be difficult when you’re juggling the many responsibilities and commitments that come with the job. That being said, professional development is more valuable than ever with constantly changing regulations, student needs and education itself. How do you find the time to keep up with the literature, effectively educate your students and participate in (sometimes lengthy) instructor development workshops? Enter: the 5 Minute University Project (5MU)… IN this blog post, you will hear from a team of educators—all from different institutions—and how they developed the 5MU in order to  improve educational practices 5 minutes at a time. Some key takeaways are: How 5 minutes to talk about teaching and learning can benefit educators The structure of the 5MU modules An example of a module on how to get students to prepare for class This article is one of a series published in SoftChalk Talk, a blog covering timely issues related to all aspects of instructional design and published by SoftChalk LLC. Have a comment on this topic? Suggestions for future topics or interest in being a guest writer? Send me an email at natalie@softchalk.com. I look forward to hearing from you! Natalie Saltzberg www.softchalk.com www.softchalkcloud.com Like us on Facebook  •  Follow us on Twitter  •  Check out the SoftChalk Talk Blog

SoftChalk LLC 22 S. Auburn Ave. Richmond VA 23221  877-638-2425

OERs: Benefiting Students Educationally And Financially – An Innovators In Online Learning Webinar

Note this up-coming OER webinar.

Join us for our upcoming Innovators in Online Learning Webinar: OERs: Benefiting Students Educationally and Financially Education must always be focused on the learner. It is this focus on students that led to Lane Gunnels’ incredible journey to lower his students’ attendance costs while improving their learning experience. Textbooks are expensive and while the information for various subjects may not change greatly, what does change as time rolls on is how our students are able to receive and process the information that we provide. In this webinar, Lane will share how he used technology and Open Educational Resources (OERs) to eliminate the need for his students to purchase textbooks for his electrical technology program at South Louisiana Community College. Main Takeaways: How OERs have lowered student costs while streamlining content delivery. The impact of developing a holistic training program and increased classroom time. Why this is not change for the sake of change. Before the webinar: Check out these blog posts from Lane for information on his experience and work. Friday, September 21 2:00PM ET We look forward to seeing you there! The SoftChalk Team www.softchalk.com www.softchalkcloud.com Like us on Facebook  •  Follow us on Twitter  •  Check out the SoftChalk Talk Blog

SoftChalk LLC 22 S. Auburn Ave. Richmond VA 23221  877-638-2425

Great Online Lessons Created By Educators, Like You!

From yesterday’s inbox…

We’re here to highlight the wonderful work educators, like you, are doing at your institution. Each week we select a stand out, top notch, lesson from SoftChalk Share and feature it across our social media platforms. These lessons are interactive, engaging and cover a wide variety of subjects. Through these, you can see the endless possibilities SoftChalk has to offer and learn something new in the process. Agencies that Protect Critical Infrastructure Professional Work Ethics Hazards in the Clinical Environment Modern Real Estate Practices in Ohio We hope you enjoy! The SoftChalk Team www.softchalk.com www.softchalkcloud.com Like us on Facebook  •  Follow us on Twitter  •  Check out the SoftChalk Talk Blog

SoftChalk LLC 22 S. Auburn Ave. Richmond VA 23221  877-638-2425