2008 PROCEEDINGS - Public Relations Society of America

assignments, online discussions and group exercises, the more likely the learning
objectives are to be obtained.
For example, assigning tasks that require students to apply theories to real-life situations
rather than recalling facts or concepts is essential. (Simone C.O. Conceicao, Understanding the
Environment of Online Teaching. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2007, pg.
10).
The E.N.G.A.G.E acronym, can be used as a guide to motivating online students
(Dereshiwsky, 2002). This model involves the use of e-mail, newsletters, group interaction,
applause or recognition, cumulative learning and extra credit assignments to effectively engage
online learners.
Another way to engage students is to make the course material attractive. According to
Madden (1999), researchers at the University of British Columbia “found that how a course
looks can be just as important as the lessons themselves.” This comes into play during the
construction of a course site. As O’Malley (2000) wrote, “To be effective, a website has to be
designed as a whole.” That means there must be consistency to the site. Instructors make things
much easier on students when each page of the site has a similar “look and feel.” It can be wise
to “use the same font, the same colors, and the same margins on every page.” There should be an
“ideological and visual coherence” to the site (O’Malley, 2000).
In the design and maintenance of a course site, the use of multimedia can go a long way
towards adding an attractive edge to course content. “Research shows that students’ learning
outcomes are increased when they are engaged through dynamic multimedia components” (Fink,
You, and Mold, 2003).
For example, instead of simply posting lecture notes on the course site for students to
read, the use of multimedia allows instructors to convey that information while at the same time
forcing students to interact with the course material (Fink, You, and Mold, 2003).
Nonetheless, this does not mean that course sites should use such advanced technology
that the average Web user becomes lost in the maze of technology. Also, using too many
graphics or multimedia can make a site run slow. As O’Malley noted, “Simple is nearly always
better.” (O’Malley, 2000).
As in the traditional instruction setting, it is important to clearly convey expectations for
the course. Students should recognize that online learning offers flexibility, but it actually may
take more time than a traditional course. Rossett recommended using a Web-based syllabus,
routine e-mail reminders, discussion forums and other tools to create a guidance system will help
online learners to manage time and deadlines (Rossett 2005).
Evaluating Students in Online Class
Because online course work is inherently different than traditional class work, how to
effectively evaluate the progress of students enrolled in an online course is another important
aspect of Web-based courses. Wright presented guidelines for evaluating the quality of online
courses based on the national and international experiences of staff in the Instructional Media
and Design department at Grant MacEwan College. In terms of what professors do in evaluating
student performance, some of the guidelines don’t differ much from the evaluation criteria of
traditional courses (i.e. “The number of assignments and their due dates are reasonable.”).
Others, while not entirely different from evaluation criteria of traditional courses, seem to hold
more relevance in the realm of online learning. Such criteria of what professors should do
includes ensuring that “Learners are told when they can receive feedback from their instructors”
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