Trust between a student and an instructor is important for a traditional learning setting; for an online course, that trust is paramount. While e-learning courses continue to mushroom in popularity and become renowned for their efficacy as a means of instruction, failure to establish a sense of confidence and security between a school and a student can lead to unnecessary consequences.

          Earning trust requires more actions than words. Even the most sincere expressions of good intentions to students on the part of an instructor are worthless if the student finds that the course is poorly designed to meet his or her needs. The basic pedagogical goals for teaching an online class are identical to those used in traditional settings, but adaptations to online learning need to be implemented to the setting and circumstances. To engender that trust so crucial between you and your students, put some real thought into how you can modify the online aspects of your course to address the needs of your class.

Readiness

          Before you toss your pupil into the pool, find out which end is most appropriate. As you do with every unit of instruction, test for readiness. In the case of online coursework, evaluate not only the knowledge level of the subject, but of the student’s skills at navigating online software, following directions and reliability with self-directed tasks. If after you discover that a student may not have certain essential skills for the online component, rely on your own knowledge of how to differentiate instruction for any student who needs help.

Scaffolding

          Scaffolding, the differentiation technique that provides temporary support for someone who may need assistance in some areas necessary for learning material or concepts, can be applied to online learning. If the student has difficulty negotiating certain parts of your platform but is perfectly competent in others, modify an assignment to allow for two outcomes: meet the task objectives using another means, and provide resources necessary to have the student learn the deficit skill. Pair the student with another student whose role is to help the struggling student learn the necessary skill or provide specific direction to any school resource, preferably an online tutorial. Gradually remove the scaffolding as the student demonstrates basic proficiency in the target skill.

Communication

         Ultimately, it is the student who is responsible for choosing to what degree they meet their obligations to exchange information with the instructor. Your role as instructor is to employ as many means as is necessary for the student to access the information they need to make informed choices about their own learning. To accomplish this, there are some basic online rules for using communication effectively to meet your obligations, which include the establishment of a trusting environment.

    Be present at the beginning of every course

    Establish a well-known schedule for responding to e-mails

    Establish an online set of office hours and always be available during those times

    When possible, use audio visual chats to conference with your students

    If practical, speak with your students using a phone, Skype or other such program

Earn your trust daily

Once again, you can’t be responsible for a student’s maturity or skill level developed before entering your class. What you are responsible for is knowing your student’s readiness to be successful in your course, what options are available for those students who can be successful if supported and how best to provide every appropriate, reasonable opportunity for your student to share concerns, questions or suggestions with you. Using sound pedagogy for any teaching experience and adapting it to your e-learning course will earn the trust of any student willing to acknowledge their own role in a professional learning relationship.

About the Author: Lindsey Paho is a professional writer who covers education technology. She lives in the Indianapolis area. Lindsey is also an advocate for Colorado Technical University.