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    Character Formation in Online Education: A Guide for Instructors, Administrators, and Accrediting Agencies
    Character Formation in Online Education: A Guide for Instructors, Administrators, and Accrediting Agencies
    Character Formation in Online Education: A Guide for Instructors, Administrators, and Accrediting Agencies
    Ebook171 pages2 hours

    Character Formation in Online Education: A Guide for Instructors, Administrators, and Accrediting Agencies

    By Joanne J. Jung

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    About this ebook

    The unfortunate reputation of online courses today is one of little or no effort on the professor's part and little or no learning on the student's part. A missing element in online courses is the kind of mutual engagement between student and instructor that provides not only a higher level of learning but also lasting character formation within the student.

    Character Formation in Online Education stems from author Joanne Jung's years of experience teaching online courses with the aim of improving the teaching environment for professors and the learning environment for students. By replicating, customizing, and incorporating the best and most effective practices of what a great professor does in on-campus classes, reimagined for an online delivery system, Jung shows how a higher level of learning and transformation can be achieved through online learning communities.

    Handy and practical, this user-friendly book provides guidance, helpful tools, and effective suggestions for growing learning communities in online courses that are marked by character growth in students—the kind of growth that is central to the mission of Christian higher education.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherZondervan
    Release dateOct 13, 2015
    ISBN9780310520320
    Character Formation in Online Education: A Guide for Instructors, Administrators, and Accrediting Agencies
    Author

    Joanne J. Jung

    Joanne J. Jung (PhD, Fuller Seminary) is a professor of biblical and theological studies and the associate dean of online education and faculty development at the Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. She is the author of Knowing Grace; Character Formation in Online Education; and The Lost Discipline of Conversation. She and her husband, Norman, attend Mariners Church in Irvine, California. 

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      Book preview

      Character Formation in Online Education - Joanne J. Jung

      TO THE READER

      Character formation is grounded in Christian values, borne by belief in a triune God. He has ordained us as educators. We have been esteemed with the opportunity, responsibility, and honor to deeply impact our students’ lives. Character Formation in Online Education provides practical ideas for customizing your online courses and improving your pedagogical methodology, irrespective of your discipline. As the reach of online education expands, so do the opportunities to effect real character formation. It is my hope that your students will not be the only ones to experience transformation.

      FOREWORD

      You are about to enjoy the great privilege of drinking deep from the well of a master. Dr. Joanne Jung is among the most skilled instructors I know. With seeming effortlessness she combines academic rigor, passionate teaching, effective course design, and heart for her students. I know of no better model from whom to learn the art and the craft of teaching.

      Many of us regard online teaching as a barren land, devoid of the possibilities of true learning or the creation of a learning community. At Biola Dr. Jung has shown these stereotypes false. Although she enjoys sterling evaluations for her classroom teaching, Dr. Jung ventured into the world of digital delivery. She discovered there the possibilities for rich interaction and deep learning for her students, in some ways surpassing that which is possible in the traditional classroom. A passionate advocate for digital instruction, Dr. Jung here freely shares with the rest of us what she has learned.

      Brimming with insights and practical advice, Dr. Jung’s text breathes the commitment and concern of a skilled disciple-maker. It abounds with arresting insights. With painful realization I discerned my own early efforts at online teaching in her section How to Create a Loser Course.

      The book is clear, compelling, and practical.

      Dr. Jung somehow manages to blend broad overview with organized and helpful detail, and the text is studded with suggestions and delightful examples.

      This book delivers more than advertised. It is an excellent primer on good teaching in the digital age, whether the form of delivery is in the classroom, online, or hybrid. You hold in your hand one of the essential tools for successful teaching in the digital age.

      Good teaching is student centered and outcome driven. Here you will find a trustworthy and sapient guide to both. Recognizing that today’s students are digital natives, Dr. Jung embraces this reality and has discovered how to connect with them in ways that can surpass your expectations.

      David Nystrom, author, NIV Application Commentary: James; former Provost and Sr. Vice President, Biola University

      Introduction

      RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

      Advertising for online courses is ubiquitous: TV, radio, billboards, newspapers, magazines, the Internet. But are all online courses created equal? The general consensus among students is that online classes are easy. That descriptor, however, does not generally refer to the ease of access to these courses, though they are accessible. Nor does it describe the students’ poolside relaxation while taking the course, though I’m sure that has been done. In this case, easy means completing some reading, adding to a discussion board, and submitting a final paper. The course is essentially taken in isolation with no requirement to interact or converse with anyone — the professor or other students. It is easy to simply go through the motions of learning in order to earn course credit.

      On the instructional side, similar impressions exist. Imagine the appeal of teaching a class where the professor appears only in videos, students periodically respond to discussion questions, and a teaching assistant grades the assignments and final paper. Meanwhile, the professor sits on a sandy beach, sipping a tall iced mocha Frappuccino. These professors claim they teach an online course, but they are not really teaching and their students are not really learning. These courses are merely put on autopilot and thus are viewed as easy.

      Compare this to a good, in-class learning experience where students are presented with engaging material and the rigors of the class are personally demanding. And of course, nothing beats the personal conversations before or after classes or during office hours where a student’s interaction with her professor could change her life. Face-to-face classroom settings with the personal, unmediated presence of the professor and students can be very effective, but even these do not guarantee relational connections that foster learning. In physical classrooms, just as in online ones, teachers can seem detached and impersonal.

      Cultivating effective pedagogy in an online class is possible. Learning outcomes and expectations need not be compromised. Students can engage in transformational learning that impacts their lives. This type of online class is not only possible but may even offer experiences superior to those found in on-campus classes.

      Here’s one example. In a typical on-campus class, there are times when a professor presents a question for large-group discussion. The percentage of students who respond is relatively low, perhaps 10 – 15 percent. Students who require time to process information and form their own thoughts are conscious of the time constraints. Before their viewpoints are defined enough to articulate and the risk is low enough to communicate those thoughts out loud, the opportunity to respond has already been seized by more prepared, spontaneous, or unreserved students. As a result, the usual handful of regulars contribute to discussions, but the majority of students prefer or feel forced to remain silent and less involved in the learning process. Meanwhile, the professor feels the need to continue presenting more information or responding to other questions or comments. One of my students, Zach P., once commented, I am a person who might have input on a topic, but in a classroom setting, by the time I have gathered my thoughts, the conversation has moved on to the next topic.

      The kind of well-organized and carefully designed online class described and promoted in the following pages uses a variety of visual, audio, and written media. Assignments are designed to foster interaction with fellow students and the professor. The depth of students’ interaction is developed as they process thoughts, ideas, perspectives, and even feelings. The online format, an education without borders, provides a plethora of opportunities to engage with students in their learning and character formation.

      Technology now allows the professor to take advantage of a number of features where students are able to see the personality behind the course — the Oz behind the curtain — as they are learning and become known and impacted by the professor. A part of the professor’s life makes an imprint on students’ lives. Online education, if it is going to effect character formation, deserves pedagogy that inspires.

      Character formation is more than an outward, behavioral, or moral change. It deals with who one is now and who one is becoming over the long haul in his or her life. Whether in ordinary, everyday life or in the challenges and trials that force the true self to emerge, whether in the presence of eyewitnesses or in the solitude of seeming obscurity, character formation is an ongoing work. Godly character formation is aligned with spiritual formation, as its goal is growth in an honest relationship with self as a whole person, with others, and with God. It deals with the default self, the real self. It is developed by what one allows to enter most deeply into one’s heart and soul and is the lifelong response to the grace of God by the power of his Spirit in growing likeness of the Son. God’s Word informs this process, as evidence of this lifestyle of godliness has both inward and outward consequences: inward, a growing dependence and trust in God, who proves himself worthy of that trust; and outward, reconciled relationships with others, who matter a great deal to God. Our world needs more pervasively influential, Christ-centered, others-focused people.

      There is skepticism among educators about character formation in online education. Many cannot imagine that real transformation can be achieved in any format other than in the traditional model of residential education with in-class face time. Profound spiritual formation, however, can and has happened through quality and effective learning in online education.

      If you have settled for the easy, uninvolved approach to online education, be warned. The following content will only serve to stir a discontent with that status quo. If, however, a desire is stirred in you to know more about the kind of professor, the kind of course, and the kind of character formation possible in your online classes, read on.

      PART 1

      RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

      Chapter 1

      LOG ON TO LEARN

      Inspiring Students through an Online Course

      The mediocre teacher tells.

      The good teacher explains.

      The superior teacher demonstrates.

      The great teacher inspires.

      William Arthur Ward (1921 – 1994)

      I doubt William Ward ever imagined his words would apply to professors teaching online classes. Could he have envisioned that great teachers would seek to inspire through the effective use of learning management systems, email exchanges, embedded lecture videos, discussion boards, collaborative documents, and video conferences? Imagine his initial surprise and uneasiness. It might have foreshadowed our own. This book, however, is designed to help professors move beyond the anxiety of using technology to connect with students and to help professors experience the deep satisfaction of seeing the formative impact that online instruction can have on students’ lives. Is telling part of online learning? Yes. Is explaining part of online learning? Clearly. Is demonstrating part of online learning? Definitely. Is inspiring part of online learning? It can and should be.

      At the heart of a great teacher is the desire to invest in students, to make an impact toward observable differences in their lives. Time spent with a great teacher instills in the souls of students a deep, inborn fascination with learning and the satisfaction of having learned, which fosters growth and maturity. Times such as these cannot help but transform. Ralph Lynn reminds us, Everything you learn influences who you are and what you can do.¹ Even when a new or different learning delivery system is introduced, the heart of a great teacher remains resolute, convinced that what is taught and learned transforms our students.

      Here are three questions that demand the attention of a professor preparing to teach any course:

      • What are the students to learn?

      • How will they learn it?

      • How will that learning and its impact on students’ lives be assessed?

      These questions are not foreign to teachers, even those who teach online classes. A different learning delivery system has no effect on the need for these questions to be fully addressed. You may think that, so far, there appears to be little difference between teaching an on-campus class and an online class, and you would basically be correct. In fact, starting with the elements common

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