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 Aspects to Consider for Online Instruction When instructional designers prepare and collaborate with instructors and sometimes System Matter Experts (SME), they must consider the technology available to the learners. When building a course for online learning, technology plays a vital role in how everyone will communicate their interests, learning, and understanding of the course material. Sticking to an intuitive layout that the facilitator and students can easily navigate to communicate is vital so that all involved do not feel frustrated and disconnected. Dr. Richard Mayer advocates that an efficient and effective instructional designer understands that technology should adapt to how people learn rather than people adapting to technology (Walden, n.d).  Creating a space to learn about your students and their abilities to access and navigate the technologies required for the course is an excellent first step in setting up an online learning environment (Walden, n.d).  ...

Online Learning Communities: Social Presence is Important T o be an effective instructor in an online learning environment, I have learned that when navigating the complex world of distance education, one must develop a sense of connection and community with all participants. As knowledge and information are shared, establishing a clear and prominent professional presence that offers security and belonging is essential.  How do online learning communities significantly impact both student learning and satisfaction within online courses? When one considers the benefits of having an online learning community, one inevitably thinks about how the learners will construct meaning from a course, not just from the required resources but also from one another. Learners get to engage with others from around the world of various demographics. This makes learning more exciting and takes some of the burden off the instructor to “know it all” per se’. Online learning communities create a dynamic...