The main focus for us was to create and continuously develop an e-learning platform that meets all pedagogical criteria in order to be considered a significant educational tool. This is the reason why we train our e-learning clients on how to make the most out of the platform. Pedagogical success is the result of a mix between the platform’s features and the teacher’s use.
ONLINE LEARNING IS VERY FLEXIBLE
A major reason for which students choose online learning is because they do not have the time for attending face to face learning. Face to face learning requires specific time and space commitments on behalf of the student while online learning may adjust to the time schedule of learners easier and space does not play any role since internet access is provided.
AUTONOMOUS LEARNING
Teachers have to inspire autonomous learning to their students and gradually guide them to learn this way. Teachers’ instructions and encouragement must be such so that the students completely understand what they have to do and feel trust towards the teacher and mainly themselves. The educational platform and its activities also has to be organized in a way so that it is easily understood and used by the students and especially the activities has to be carefully selected and designed so that they are appropriate for autonomous learning and practice.
ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS
Materials are all digital. Concrete materials, realia, objects are rare in online learning. Taking into consideration that some students are kinesthetic learners and they learn by acting, interacting, touching and using all their senses, the teacher has to think of alternatives to make up for it.
KNOWLEDGE OF THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS
The students might not be familiar with the technology used and the teacher has to know very well how to explain and guide the students in navigating into and using the technological means of the online course. On the other hand, whatever consist a good practice in face to face learning it still is a good practice for online learning. So, if a teacher knows well how to teach face to face and since he/she is aware of the main deferences between online and face to face learning, this teacher can easily become a good online teacher and adjust to online learning.
COMMUNICATION THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE COURSE
Since online learning is distant, without physical presence and contact, the organization of communication among the teacher and the students is a very important factor for keeping students’ interest, participation and enthusiasm vivid. The teacher has to be available for accepting students’ questions or requests more often than once a week. Moreover, the teacher has to monitor students’ participation into the platform and give them feedback on their exercises in time. Every teacher has the freedom to organize the communication with the students in his/her personal way which he/she finds more convenient and according to his/her availability. There is no fixed way. But there are the above described standards.
