This is the fourth in a series of blog posts examining online instructor teaching styles through the lens of Anthony Grasha’s (1994) typology. This post focuses on the personal model style and how both course developers and instructors can embody this style in online courses.
The Personal Model Teaching Style
The personal model style centers on instructors communicating their thought processes, behaviors, methods, and procedures to students. By modeling how a skilled practitioner approaches the subject matter, instructors provide valuable examples to help students understand what mastery in a subject entails. Documentation and presentation of instructor modeling is essential to the successful application of this style in online learning. In the following section, we explore strategies and considerations for the successful integration of personal modeling in online courses.
The Personal Model Teaching Style in Online Learning
Course Developers
- There are many ways to incorporate modeling in online courses. You might consider recording a series of tutorial videos to allow students to watch the step-by-step preparation for and completion of key tasks and procedures. You might also record yourself working through sample problems or consider creating written or graphical guides that students can use as references. In deciding how to model for students, it is important to consider longevity. For content that requires frequent updates, written page content is easier to modify than video recordings. For established processes or approaches, however, video recording can be highly valuable, allowing students to learn from your thinking and actions simultaneously.
- As you develop examples of modeling, you can also consider how to augment your content with activities for students to complete during or after review. For an Excel-based tutorial video, for example, you might consider providing a spreadsheet template for students to update as they follow along. Relatedly, when demonstrating approaches to sample problems, you might provide equivalent problems for students to solve on their own. For presentations focused on thought processes, you might prompt students to reflect on how their thinking aligns with or differs from yours.
- In developing assignments, consider how to infuse instructions with elements of modeling. For example, you might include a recommended sequence for approaching assignment subtasks or a list of resources for students to consult. Including the rationale for your recommendations can pinpoint their utility for students.
- Much of the modeling you prepare will be intended for future students; however, you may also want to consider documenting aspects of your approach for future instructors. You might provide guidance on how you would approach delivering assignment feedback, answering common questions, or managing live class sessions if those are incorporated into your online program, all of which can help future instructors confidently and consistently facilitate your course.
Online Instructors
- Announcements, virtual office hours, individual consultations, and synchronous class sessions all afford opportunities for instructor modeling. Announcements—whether in written, audio, or video format—can provide additional guidance to students and can be saved for reuse term to term. Virtual office hours and individual consultations allow you to provide individualized student support. Synchronous sessions—which may be a required component of your course or an optional addition—offer simultaneous opportunities for whole-class and individualized modeling and interaction. Incorporating each of these options over the term can facilitate strong student engagement and promote student success.
- Relatedly, you can survey your students on the content areas in which they would most like to receive support. Then, you can tailor the list of assignments, tasks, or procedures you model for students to their needs. Surveying students can also help you make more informed decisions about scheduling and planning for office hours, consultations, and synchronous sessions.
- In grading and preparing feedback for your students, consider how you might customize your responses to include your approach to the task at hand. Feedback that highlights how students can improve their performance on subsequent assignments can foster motivation and support continued academic improvement and success. Themes that emerge from the feedback you prepare can also guide decisions about future iterations of the course (e.g., topics for which students might benefit from additional support prior to assignment submission).
- Note that as an online instructor, you may teach courses created by other faculty. If you are in this situation, you will likely want to review the kinds of modeling built into the course by the course developer. You can then determine how you might augment that content with your own modeling.