Learning by Fire: Reflections of a First Time Online Instructor Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 33, 2006 LEARNING BY FIRE: REFLECTIONS OF A FIRST TIME ONLINE INSTRUCTOR Robert E. Ledman Georgia Southwestern State University rledman@canes.gsw.edu ABSTRACT This workshop will present the experiences of a first time online instructor and the lessons learned from that experience. The presenter was faced with the task of teaching his first online course with no orientation or training on the software used. That experience offered many challenges and rewards which the presenter will discuss. The workshop will also provide the opportunity for participants to exchange information about their experiences and the lessons they learned from them. The presenter continues to teach online courses and has discovered ways to balance the additional workload and maintain quality standards in addition to increasing course content for students. This workshop will be an opportunity for new and experienced online instructors to share and learn from one another. In the spring of 2005 I was asked to teach two courses online using WebCTR. I was generally familiar with the kind of instructional technology that WebCT presented and I had used online supplements to traditional classes. I was also familiar with some of the challenges of online teaching from the limited workshops and conference presentations I had attended. Since my past employer did not offer online courses I, frankly, had not given the subject much attention. All I knew was that online courses required more instructor time to respond to emails and online discussions. This workshop will focus on what I learned from this experience that I have subsequently used to improve my online courses and better manage the time requirements. The workshop will also provide for interactive exchange by participants to share their experiences and suggestions. Some of the topics to be address are: • Adjusting how grades are determined • Finding ways to involve students who also do not have much experience with the online format • Ensuring participation by all class members • Student honesty in testing and assignments • Managing the increased time requirements • Making the class more than an “independent study” course with students reading material and taking tests on that material • Incorporating critical thinking • Class attendance • Communication—explaining course requirements, test formats, etc. • Enhancing course content SCHEDULE After a 5-10 minute introduction there will be open discussion of each of the above topics for @5 minutes each, or as much as is needed. EXPECTED OUTCOMES Through interactive exchange of participants everyone attending should come away from the workshop with useful ideas, techniques, and approaches for improving online teaching and learning. The workshop will focus on what has worked and what has not with the intent to reduce the likelihood of “reinventing the wheel” and helping online instructors be more efficient and productive with their time. 164 mailto:rledman@canes.gsw.edu Table of Contents Volume 33, 2006 Learning Assurance Using Business Simulations Applications To Executive Management Education Team Teaching In An Integrated Business Course Using Critical Problem Based Learning Factors In An Integrated Undergraduate Business Curriculum: A Business Course Success Personality Type And Strategic Planning Business Games As Strategic Management Laboratories The Relationship Between Students' Success On A Simulation Exercise And Their Perception Of Its Effectiveness As A PBL Problem Forecasting Accuracy And Learning: The Key To Measuring Simulation Performance The Business Strategy Game: A Performance Review Of The New Online Edition Using The Socratic Method And Bloom's Taxonomy Of The Cognitive Domain To Enhance Online Discussion, Critical Thinking, And Student Learning Using Negotiation Exercises To Promote Critical Thinking Skills Effective Leadership Experiences For Management Majors In A Futures Class The Role Of Learning Versus Performance Orientations When Reacting To Negative Outcomes In Simulation Games Is Pay Inversion Ethical? A Three-Part Exercise Simulations And Experiential Exercises - Do They Result In Learning? Have We Figured It Out Yet? Examining Program Management In Business Simulations: Student And Faculty Views Validating Business Simulations: Do Simulations Exhibit Natural Market Structures? Characterizing Business Games Used In Distance Education Utilizing Games In A Graduate Level Instructional Game Course Employment Interview Preparation: Assessing The Writing-To-Learn Approach Simulations - Bridging From Thwarted Innovation To Disruptive Technology Creating An Authentic Cultural Lens Using Case Dialogue Learning By Fire: Reflections Of A First Time Online Instructor An International Internship With A Service-Learning Focus Learner Participation In The Online Learning Experience: Help Or Hindrance? Any Given Sunday: Intervention In Pursuit Of Simulation Team Parity Beginning With The End: Creating An Experiential Exercise From Assessment Criteria Simulating Life Cycles: Life Span As The Measure Of Performance In Business Gaming Simulations It's Puzzling: Communications, Competition, And Cooperation Balanced Scorecard Implementation For Strategy Management: Variation Of Manager Opinion In Real And Simulated Companies Cases And Business Games: The Perfect Match! Three-Attribute Interrelationships For Industry-Level Demand Equations Using A Web-Based Module To Teach Information Literacy Decision Support System For Demand Forecasting In Business Games The Invalidity Of Profit=F(Market Share) PIMS Validation Of Marketing Games Online Market Test Laboratory With The MINSIM* Program The Gas Mileage Game - A Policy Simulation Delivered Cost And Differentiation Applied To Threshold 3rd Ed. The Effect Of Team-Leadership Modes On Team Performance: A Preliminary Study The Design And Use Of A Macroeconomics Simulation Using Maple Software: A Pilot Study The Instructor's Toolbox: A Meaning-Centered Framework For The Social Construction Of Experiential Learning Incorporating Strategic Product-Mix Decisions Into Simulation Games: Modeling The 'Profitable-Product Death Spiral' Group Composition And Groupthink In A Business Game A Direct Approach To Teaching Business Ethics A Decision Support System For Planning Sales, Production, And Plant Addition With Manager: A Computer Simulation Polish - American Entrepreneurial Business Cooperation Workshop Utilizing The Income/Outcome Simulation Student Leader Training Exercise Student Preference To Mode Of Learning In Hong Kong Experiential Learning For Technology-Based And Management Programme In Hong Kong: A China Study Tour A Price Game With Product Differentiation In The Classroom Discrete Event Modeling In A New Transportation Simulation Supply-Side Modeling In A Total Enterprise Simulation The Quality Game Towards A Massive Multiplayer Online Business Simulation Making The Connection: Improving Virtual Team Performance Through Behavioral Assessment Profiling And Behavioral Cues Individual Learning Producing A Learning Organization: 'Playing Dice With Polar Bears' Narratology and Ludology: Competing Paradigms or Complementary Theories in Simulation Framework For Evaluating Internet Research Using Children's Games To Illustrate Strategy Concepts: Is Less Better?