The Tech Edvocate

Top Menu

  • Advertisement
  • Apps
  • Home Page
  • Home Page Five (No Sidebar)
  • Home Page Four
  • Home Page Three
  • Home Page Two
  • Home Tech2
  • Icons [No Sidebar]
  • Left Sidbear Page
  • My Account
  • My Speaking Page
  • Newsletter Sign Up Confirmation
  • Newsletter Unsubscription
  • Our Brands
  • Page Example
  • Protected Content
  • Register
  • Request a Product Review
  • Shop
  • Shortcodes Examples
  • Signup
  • Start Here
    • Governance
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • The Edvocate
  • Topics
  • Write For Us
  • Advertise

Main Menu

  • Start Here
    • Our Brands
    • Governance
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • Contact Us
    • Books
    • Edupedia
    • The Edvocate Podcast
  • Topics
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development Tech
    • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech
    • EdTech Futures
    • EdTech News
    • EdTech Policy & Reform
    • EdTech Startups & Businesses
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • Online Learning & eLearning
    • Parent & Family Tech
    • Personalized Learning
    • Product Reviews
  • Advertise
    • Request a Product Review
  • Apps
  • Tech Edvocate Awards
  • The Edvocate
  • Pedagogue

logo

The Tech Edvocate

  • Start Here
    • Our Brands
    • Governance
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
        • My Speaking Page
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • Contact Us
    • Books
    • Edupedia
    • The Edvocate Podcast
  • Topics
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development Tech
    • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech
    • EdTech Futures
    • EdTech News
    • EdTech Policy & Reform
    • EdTech Startups & Businesses
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • Online Learning & eLearning
    • Parent & Family Tech
    • Personalized Learning
    • Product Reviews
  • Advertise
    • Request a Product Review
  • Apps
  • Tech Edvocate Awards
  • The Edvocate
  • Pedagogue
  • Top 7 Education Apps for the Classroom

  • Should Parents Also Know How to Use E-Learning Platforms?

  • Advances In Text-To-Speech Technologies Help Computers Find Their Voice

  • Campuses Have Used IoT Projects to Promote Convenience, Security, and Comfort for Students

  • Home-based Learning Tips For Parents: 6 Tips For Effective Learning

  • K–12 Leaders Get Creative to Make the Case for Network Upgrades

  • Network Segmentation Boosts Wi-Fi Performance And Security For K-12 Schools

  • The IoT In Higher Education Has Big Potential If Devices Are Kept Secure

  • How Schools Are Recruiting New Teachers Virtually

  • How K–12 Schools Are Doing Summer School Virtually

Online Learning & eLearning
Home›Online Learning & eLearning›Revisiting Accountability in Online Learning

Revisiting Accountability in Online Learning

By Matthew Lynch
June 3, 2020
Spread the love

While the ease of access for online learning courses makes them indispensable for many students, they’re also an easy place for some students to hide and do the bare minimum just to get by.

Without face-to-face instruction and reinforcement to snap them into focus, students can unwittingly lose accountability for their role in the learning process. While it’s hard to spot this and act accordingly in an online learning environment, it’s essential that teachers and professors work hard to cultivate a culture of learner accountability in these courses.

Unless learners are held responsible for putting the time and effort to get the most out of the online learning environment, these courses won’t live up to their potential. In fact, they’ll just be time-wasters for both the teachers and students involved.

Set Expectations And Hold Your Students Accountable For Meeting Them

For an online learning course to succeed, students must be held accountable for engaging in all essential and required course requirements. Whether that participation is time-stamped by the eLearning application itself or the honor system is employed, students must be held to a standard of complete engagement and nothing less.

In addition, a set of ground rules must be laid out for how students conduct themselves in an online learning environment. These rules should run the gamut from engagement to the quality of discourse. These rules should be laid out in plain language and posted on the site for easy access at any time.

In order to enforce these expectations, instructors must be diligent in giving feedback to students both meeting expectations and those lacking in certain areas. Constant feedback and reinforcement are huge when it comes to translating expectations into truthful accountability.

Empower Your Online Students As People, Not Just Avatars

One crucial aspect of facilitating accountability in an online learning environment is finding a way to appeal to your students’ humanity. This can be achieved in many ways, but it almost always requires an extraordinary effort on the instructor’s part to outstrip the constraints of the online learning environmental dynamic.

Instructors can do anything from developing an incentive plan for meeting and exceeding expectations, to assigning real-world breakout activities that send students out into the world to apply the things they’ve learned in the greater sphere of things.

In addition, instructors can add activities to the course workload that allows students to customize their own learning paths based on their own particular learning efficacy areas and weaknesses. Anything that gets a student out of read and react mode and into a true measure of engagement will empower them as people.

Empowering your students to look past the limitations of the online classroom and view it with a more human bent will force them to hold themselves accountable for their own learning. The more they are required to engage outside of normalized online learning activities, the more the experience becomes humanized and worth being held accountable for.

Concluding Thoughts

For an online learning environment to be worth its weight, students must be engaged with the same level of vigor as they would in a brick-and-mortar classroom. This is only achieved by setting expectations and holding students accountable for them, along with giving students a reason to be motivated into true accountability for their learning experiences.


Spread the love
Previous Article

Creating a Low-Cost, High-Impact Online Learning Program ...

Next Article

Small Tech Can Make a Big Difference ...

Matthew Lynch

Related articles More from author

  • Online Learning & eLearning

    Making Blended Learning Work in Your Classroom

    June 21, 2019
    By Matthew Lynch
  • EdTech Startups & BusinessesOnline Learning & eLearning

    Is Microlearning the Future of Corporate Training?

    April 23, 2018
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Online Learning & eLearning

    E-learning and the Challenge of the Senses

    November 30, 2020
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Higher Education EdTechOnline Learning & eLearning

    Confessions of a MOOC professor: three things I learned and two things I worry about

    April 6, 2017
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Online Learning & eLearning

    What Will the LMS of the Future Look Like?

    February 14, 2018
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Online Learning & eLearning

    3 Tips To Easily Create Interactive eLearning

    January 10, 2020
    By Matthew Lynch

2 comments

  1. Kids Need Remote Learning to Be Culturally Relevant, Too – Occupy Maine 29 September, 2020 at 19:09 Reply

    […] learning simply wasn’t successful. There were low levels of engagement, ineffective measures of accountability, inequities of access and inadequate considerations of students’ social and emotional […]

  2. "Remote" Is No Excuse to Drop Culturally Relevant Learning 2 October, 2020 at 13:57 Reply

    […] successful. There were low levels of engagement, ineffective measures of accountability, inequities of access and inadequate considerations of students’ social and […]

Leave a reply Cancel reply

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Cognitive Computing will Revolutionize K-12 and Higher Education

  • Google ClassroomGoogle Classroom Tips

    How Do I Invite Co-teachers to Google Classroom?

  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechHigher Education EdTech

    5 Things You Should Know About Adaptive Learning

Search

Login & Registration

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Newsletter

Signup for The Tech Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in EdTech news and opinion delivered to your email address!

  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • Top 7 Education Apps for the Classroom

    By Matthew Lynch
    January 21, 2021
  • Should Parents Also Know How to Use E-Learning Platforms?

    By Matthew Lynch
    January 20, 2021
  • Advances In Text-To-Speech Technologies Help Computers Find Their Voice

    By Matthew Lynch
    January 19, 2021
  • Campuses Have Used IoT Projects to Promote Convenience, Security, and Comfort for Students

    By Matthew Lynch
    January 15, 2021
  • Home-based Learning Tips For Parents: 6 Tips For Effective Learning

    By Matthew Lynch
    January 14, 2021
  • 20 Top Virtual Reality Apps that are Changing Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 11, 2017
  • 7 Ways Technology Is Impacting Modern Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 4, 2017
  • Why Mobile Technology Enhances Instruction

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 14, 2016
  • What is the Future of Online Learning in Higher Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    April 2, 2018
  • 7 Roles for Artificial Intelligence in Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    May 5, 2018
  • Campuses Have Used IoT Projects to Promote Convenience, Security, and Comfort for Students - The Tech ...
    on
    January 15, 2021

    9 Examples of the Internet of Things in Education

    […] Institutions with campus-wide ...
  • Home-based Learning Tips For Parents: 6 Tips For Effective Learning - The Tech Edvocate
    on
    January 14, 2021

    The 3 Types of Interaction During Online Learning

    […] providing students with ...
  • A Bad RAP – SAM P LENOX
    on
    January 13, 2021

    Cyberlearning vs. Elearning – Is there a difference?

    […] in learning more about ...
  • Network Segmentation Boosts Wi-Fi Performance And Security For K-12 Schools - The Tech Edvocate
    on
    January 12, 2021

    5G Networks Promise to Make Instructional Technology Better

    […] already mentioned, there ...
  • Creating Powerful Learning Experiences in Google Classroom – MarkerSpace America
    on
    January 12, 2021

    Creating Powerful Learning Experiences in Google Classroom

    […] Read full Story ...

EdTech Policy & Reform

  • EdTech Policy & Reform

    How Much Bias Is Okay in Your School?

    Spread the loveThe algorithm has proven itself to be a handy tool when it comes to solving education problems. It’s also not without bias.  You may be wondering how some ...
  • EdTech Policy & ReformFeaturedFresh

    Edtech Should Complement Good Pedagogy, Not Attempt to Replace It

    Spread the loveThe newest generation of edtech is downright amazing; it’s no wonder that various education stakeholders might be a little excited about its potential to transform education. However, edtech ...
  • EdTech Policy & ReformFeaturedFresh

    How to Teach Kids to Communicate in This Digital Age

    Spread the loveWhen even the youngest children are spending the equivalent of a full work day looking at screens, it is perhaps no surprise that parents are wondering how to ...
  • EdTech FuturesEdTech Policy & Reform

    3 Reasons Why India Will Be A Leader in the EdTech Industry in the 21st ...

    Spread the loveAccording to a joint report by KPMG and Google, the online education industry is expected to grow at a healthy rate of 8 times to become a $1.96B ...
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech Policy & ReformFeaturedFresh

    How Does Technology Immersion Shape the Brain?

    Spread the loveDo you wonder what all of the screen time we have is really doing to our brains? As edtech continues to rise in prominence throughout the world, this ...

EdTech Startups & Businesses

  • EdTech Startups & BusinessesOnline Learning & eLearning

    Using Nudge Theory in Your Corporate Online Learning Classes

    Spread the loveAfter reading this headline, you may be asking yourself, what is nudge theory? Nudge theory centers on positive reinforcement and inferred suggestions to motivate a person to complete ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    Bringing Education into the Business World

    Spread the loveU.S. businesses spent nearly $20 billion on training in 2019. That number decreased by roughly half from the year before. Companies aren’t providing fewer professional development opportunities for ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    You Must Include These 3 Things in Your Edtech Business Plan

    Spread the loveDo you have a business plan? It’s the one question you’re going to be asked a lot as you begin your edtech business. The reasons to write a ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    Edtech Marketing Ideas to Implement Right Now

    Spread the loveEven if you do have the most exceptional edtech product or service in the world, you’ve still got to market it. Your sales and your success depend on ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    How Your Edtech Startup Can Make the Leap from Failure to Funded

    Spread the loveThe best ideas in edtech are often only ideas. They never become a reality because they lack the funding they need to get off the ground. Taking an ...

Digital Equity

  • Digital EquityDigital Leadership

    How Can You Assess the Tech Needs of Your Students Outside of School?

    Spread the loveToday, I received an email from the middle school principal in Los Angeles. She explained to me that the school that she ran was in one of the ...
  • Digital Equity

    It Is Time for the Edtech Industry to Stop Denying Its Equity and Race Problem

    Spread the loveThe EdTech industry is dominated by white employees, white leaders, and white entrepreneurs. If you doubt this statement, just attend an Edtech conference. Admittedly, educators and others don’t ...
  • Digital Equity

    How OER Can Help Overcome the Higher Education Equity Barrier

    Spread the loveThe cornerstone of the American dream is the ability to succeed in life regardless of one’s family of origin. And, for most people, that requires a college education. ...

EdTech Futures

  • EdTech FuturesOnline Learning & eLearning

    IT Trends To Watch As Higher Education Moves Into a New Decade

    Spread the loveEdtech couldn’t have hoped for a better launch into the new decade than the push the industry received from COVID-19. Even the most tech-resistant institutions and individuals have ...
  • EdTech Futures

    4 Emerging EdTech Trends in 2021

    Spread the loveCovid-19 has not only changed education as we know it, but it has forced education technology (EdTech) to up its game. EdTech has been crucial since the start of this ...
  • Adult EducationEdTech & InnovationEdTech FuturesEducation LeadershipEducational LeadershipHigher EducationHigher Education EdTechThe Future of Education

    Education Technology and the Future of Higher Ed Leadership

    Spread the loveEducation Technology (EdTech) has had a more significant impact on education than anyone expected. Now its effects are reaching into the field of higher education. In this article, ...
  • EdTech Futures

    Top Edtech Trends for 2021

    Spread the loveAre you ready to look ahead? Schools will soon be reflecting on what’s been working this year and what’s not. They’ll also begin thinking about their budgets for ...
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech Futures

    In the Wake of Teacher Shortages, Schools are Turning to Virtual Teachers

    Spread the loveTeaching was once a greatly respected position, and today, morally it still seems to be of high value to many Americans. Institutionally, however, teaching no longer seems to ...

About Us

Since technology is not going anywhere and does more good than harm, adapting is the best course of action. That is where The Tech Edvocate comes in. We plan to cover the PreK-12 and Higher Education EdTech sectors and provide our readers with the latest news and opinion on the subject. From time to time, I will invite other voices to weigh in on important issues in EdTech. We hope to provide a well-rounded, multi-faceted look at the past, present, the future of EdTech in the US and internationally.

We started this journey back in June 2016, and we plan to continue it for many more years to come. I hope that you will join us in this discussion of the past, present and future of EdTech and lend your own insight to the issues that are discussed.

Newsletter

Signup for The Tech Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in EdTech news and opinion delivered to your email address!

Contact Us

The Tech Edvocate
5322 Markel Road, Suite 104
Richmond, VA 23230
(601) 630-5238
advocatefored@gmail.com

Follow us

Copyright © 2021 Matthew Lynch. All rights reserved.