Adding a Social Component to the Course Template for Teaching Asynchronous Online Courses

Abstract

In this paper we introduce the ongoing problem of how to best teach online courses in the computer information systems (CIS) field. Although it is generally thought that in most cases various methods should be used to extend traditional electronic communication tools such as email, discussion forums, and live chats, there is no universal agreement as to what those tools should be. The foci of this research are to 1) shed light on current teaching practices, 2) make suggestions for methods which augment traditional email, forums, and chats, 3) to provide some solid guidance to faculty as to what to use and how to use it, and 4) to increase stakeholder (student) satisfaction in part by increasing a sense of a virtual community in the online education being offered. Once the plan has been fully formalized, student feedback will be solicited to ascertain a measure of student satisfaction. Other outcomes, such as class participation levels, grades, and student interaction outside of “class” may also prove to be good metrics.