Variety

As we reach out to students to engage them in discussions, there are a variety of tools we can use to achieve our goals. Keeping in mind students can communicate synchronously (at the same time) in webinar-styled video or chat rooms, or asynchronously in threaded discussions or shared blog posts, or collaboratively in Wiki or other shared document platforms, it is important to be able to match your learning activity goals with the technology you are using. It is also important to offer students a variety of options throughout a course for self-directed communication (eg., posting a video of their ideas) or multi-directional discussions.

Time

We've already noted that online courses are asynchronous--everyone may be working at different times of the day and week. Time is a funny thing in online classes--we almost forget that there is such a thing as time! But both you and your students do have time limitations. So, as we explore communication technologies, it's good to keep these tips about time in mind:

Don't over do it.

Learning activities engage students and promote interaction which is central to constructivist learning. However, be cognizant not to integrate so many learning activities and new technologies that students become overwhelmed. A 3-unit semester-long course should take about 8-10 hours a week.

Remember you!

When designing activities, consider how much time you will need to dedicated to the interaction portion to ensure the activity is effective. When considering "variety," be sure to design in activities that provide automatic feedback to students (like polls or quick formative quizzes) or encourage students to provide feedback to other students via discussion replies or blog comments. It's important for students to understand how they're doing but this doesn't mean that you need to be the single delivery of all the feedback in the class. Build community and your students will support each other too!

Don't break it.

Think about how long breaks (i.e. spring break) can affect the flow of learning activities and conversations.

Consider the power of spontaneity.

You may want to carve out some unscheduled time in your course, if possible, to integrate unanticipated learning opportunities (current events, for example) or extend portions of the course that took longer than expected.