The Virtual Student: A Profile and Guide to Working with Online Learners

by Rena M. Palloff, Keith Pratt

Overview

The Virtual Student is an essential resource for online educators working with students in higher education and training settings. The authors offer an overview of the key issues of student online learning and provide a practical guide to working with online students. The book covers a broad range of topics including learning styles, multicultural issues, evaluation, retention, and the challenging problems of plagiarism and cheating.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780787964740
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	03/10/2003
Series:	Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education S
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Rena M. Palloff is a core faculty member at Capella University in the School of Education and adjunct faculty at the Fielding Graduate Institute. Keith Pratt is core faculty in the School of Education at Capella University and also teaches at the Fielding Graduate Institute. Palloff and Pratt have been appointed to the faculty of the Center for Excellence in Education and are managing partners of Crossroads Consulting Group. They are the authors of Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace and Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom, both from Jossey-Bass.

Table of Contents

List of Figures, Tables, and Exhibits xi

Preface xiii

About the Authors xxi

Part One: A Profile of the Virtual Student

1 Who is the Virtual Student? 3

2 The Student Side of Online Learning Communities 15

3 Learning Styles 29

4 Gender, Culture, Lifestyle, and Geography 39

5 What the Virtual Student Needs 51

Part Two: A Guide to Working With the Virtual Student: Issues, Concerns, and Strategies

6 Designing a Good Student Orientation 65

7 Time and Commitment 77

8 Assessment and Evaluation 89

9 Legal Issues and the Virtual Student 103

10 Attrition, Retention, and Group Size 112

11 Becoming Truly Learner-Focused: Best Practices in Online Teaching 124

Introduction to the Toolkit for a Successful Online Student 139

Resource A: Faculty Tools 143

Resource B: Student Tools 161

References 179

Index 185

Editorial Reviews

"…an especially useful resource…" (Teaching Theology and Religion)

"The Virtual Student deserves a spot on every university educator's bookshelf." (University Business, August 2003)

From the Publisher