The faculty section of the PreSLP website is intended to provide faculty with the resources they need to develop and teach their online courses.

Teaching and Learning Strategies

Rudestam, Kjell Erik. Schoenholtz-Read, Judith. (2002) Handbook of Online Learning: Innovations in Higher Education and Corporate Training. California. Sage Publishers.
"Beyond the Looking Glass: What Faculty and Students Need to be Successful Online"
"The Jungle Syndrome"
"Harnessing the Power of Complexity in an Online Learning Environment"

Florida Atlantic University
Online Teaching Tips
This resource offers to-the-point ideas and strategies for teaching online. Includes information about how to present content, powerpoint, tests and quizzes, discussion boards, and best practices for communicating to your students.

Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
Written Interaction: A Key Component in Online Learning

Ethics and Cheating

T.H.E. Journal
E-cheating: Combating a 21st Century Challenge
Discusses issues of cheating and plagiarism in online courses and offers some simple suggestions for minimizing cheating.

Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
Ethics and Distance Education: Strategies for Minimizing Academic Dishonesty in Online Assessment
Discusses online assessments and offers strategies to minimize cheating.

Creating Community in Online Environments

Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
If You Build It, They Will Come: Building Learning Communities Through Threaded Discussions
Helps instructors think about ways to build community in discussion threads and how to assess student participation.

Rudestam, Kjell Erik. Schoenholtz-Read, Judith. (2002) Handbook of Online Learning: Innovations in Higher Education and Corporate Training. California. Sage Publishers.
"Critical Dialogue Online: Personas, Covenants, and Candlepower"

Adult Learners Online

Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration Andrological and Pedagogical Training Differences for Online Instructors

Top 10 Tips For Discussion Boards

1. Always put in a title: it helps everyone see what the message will be and will ultimately save time.
2. Keep your responses short and to the point. It's an exercise in brevity. It is hard to read online so try to be as to the point as you can. No more than two paragraphs.
3. When responding to someone, feel free to address them personally. This is great for creating a sense that you are really "speaking" to that person.
4. If you want to post something with more than one point, break it up into different posts. This is especially useful in keeping messages brief and in allowing others to respond directly to one point.
5. Feel free to be funny. A touch of humor can go a long way.
6. Paste a link into your message if you think there is a website or article that explains your point or offers a new way of thinking.
7. While your posts should be articulate, don't feel that you have to write in Word first and then post. You can always respond again if someone misunderstands or misinterprets what you are saying.
8. Only use caps for emphasis. Remember that it is considered shouting in the online world.
9. Be aware of your tone - things like irony don't work well over the internet and can be misinterpreted. Be respectful and pleasant - it will go a long way.
10. Never have more than 10 people in a discussion board group. Break courses into groups of around 6-8 students. The posts will get extremely overwhelming otherwise!