E-Coaching Tip 17: "Getting into the Swing" of a Course -- Is there an Ideal Weekly Rhythm?

The weekly schedule for campus classes usually revolves around the scheduled classes. These classes serve well as "pacing events" and deadlines for students. When teaching an online course, it is useful to establish pacing events and regular weekly assignments and activities as well. Is there an "ideal weekly rhythm?" Not really, but structure guides the learning experience and communicates expectations for the online interactions for both faculty and students.

So, "running" your online course with a predictable weekly schedule is a tremendous aid for you and your students. Many faculty like to use the Class Discussion board activity as one of these learning drivers. For example, the discussion board might open with a problem, question, challenge on Monday, require an initial posting or response by Wednesday and comments on other students' posting by Friday. The readings and other content assignments can revolve around these class discussions.

Here is a sample weekly schedule for students in an online class based on a six-day schedule. This schedule anticipates that most online learners will be using one of the two weekend days for their learning. It also assumes about 5 to 7 hours a week for one online course. This about an average of about an hour a day. While it is not necessary for students to work on an online class every day, learners should plan on logging in to their online course at least two-three times a week. The sample schedule below makes this a requirement.

This schedule would change slightly in the second half of the course when more project and group work is common. When group work is required, learners should be encouraged to contact their team early in the week to organize their activity and then participate with the team at least two more times during the week.

The sample weekly schedule makes expectations clear and helps students plan their daily personal and work life. It helps to set those clear expectations that an online course requires regular commitments and interaction. Note the schedule categorizes activities into individual and group activities for the students that a faculty plans for and also suggests weekly interaction times for faculty. Of course you the faculty determine the days/times for your monitoring and scanning of students' work, responding to students' questions, and providing feedback to students.

Note the insertion on Tuesday of "special availability hours." This might be a time for you to schedule an audio or audio and video question and answer time. Remember that these can be recorded and archived for other students who are not able to participate in a synchronous event. Faculty using synchronous events will often schedule these events on different days alternating Tuesdays and Thursdays, for example, or even offering them twice a week, but always in consideration of their own schedule and the perhaps special considerations of students' working lives.

Sample Weekly Schedule for an Online Course

	MON	TUES	WED	THURS	FRI	SAT
Individual Activity I	Assignment: Listening, Reading, Doing (1.0 hours)		Assignment: Listening, Reading, Doing (1.0 hours)		Assignment: Listening, Reading, Doing (1.0 hours)
Individual Activity II	Discussion board "opens"	Discussion board readings and postings (1.5 hours)		Discussion board readings and postings (1.5 hours)
Individual Activity III			Self-Test Quiz Review (30 minutes)		Occasional survey/feedback
Individual Activity IV	Email (20 minutes)	Email (20 minutes)		Email (20 minutes)		Email (20 minutes)
Group Activity I		Possible group activity day		Possible group activity day		Possible group activity day
Faculty Activity	Feedback to students on previous week	Special "availability hours"	Monitoring and scanning student interactions = Possible audio question and answer		Monitoring and scanning student interactions = Possible audio question and answer

Note -- Two types of Student Activities

The tasks and activities for an online course are of two types. One type is the tasks and assignments that students do by themselves at any time. Examples of these include reading assignments, watching or listening to streaming lectures or presentations, analyzing and solving problems, reading and responding to online discussion forums, online quizzes, sending or receiving email and general research or thinking. Even though these activities can be done "at any time" a time to do them should be scheduled.

A second type of learning task is an activity that students do with other students or with the course faculty. Examples of these kinds of activities include participation in group project meetings, and online study or review sessions. These activities must be scheduled with other students or at a time when the faculty member is available. Thus it is important to set aside a specific time for these kinds of activities as well.

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