Activity 1.
1 What’s Needed for Students to Be
Name: Luis A. Gracia-Alvarez
1. Type your name in the box above
2. Type the name of the program you will be teaching in the box below.
3. Type your answers to the question in each column; replace TypeYourAnswerHere with
the words you want to use. The table will expand downward as you continue to type.
What’s Needed for Students to Be Successful?
Course Title/Program: AAMA ADELANTE
Column A
Course-Specific Requirements
General Online course specific
requirements:
Equipment Requirements for On-
Campus assessment
-On site computer lab with MS.
Office 2007, Windows media
player, proper video and sound card,
Internet Access, printer, speakers,
and head sets, microphones, LCD
Projector.
Equipment Requirement for In
house practice:
-Desktop or laptop computer, MS
Office or Open Office, Windows
media player, proper video and
sound card, Internet Access, printer,
speakers, microphone.
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Successful?
Column B
Materials & Tech Access
1. Instructor enthusiasm. This
requires animation and comfort in
front of the camera, or with the
technology utilized. Faculty support
and interest are critical to the
success of distance learning
endeavors.
2. Organization. Teaching materials
must be prepared in advance;
timing, variation, and smooth
transitions must be planned.
Instructors should allocate from 3 to
5 hours of preparation for each hour
of distance instruction. Great
attention to detail is required long
before the actual classroom activity
occurs (Summers, 1997).
3. Strong commitment to student
interaction. Whatever the modality
used to teach at a distance, the
instructor must encourage and
facilitate ongoing communication
between the students and the
instructor.
4. Familiarity with the technology
used in the class format. Faculty
development is important before
beginning any distance activities,
and instructors should be trained in
video use, computer use, or other
1
Column C
Learner Characteristics
Every individual is different, and
their learning characteristics may
vary from one student to other, But
we can resume those profiles in the
following:
1. Successful distance learners do
just as well, if not better, without
people looking over their
shoulders. While some people need
teachers to keep them motivated and
on-task, distance learners are able to
motivate themselves. They realize
that they will never be face-to-face
with the people who give them
assignments and grade their work,
but they don’t need others to
encourage them. The most
successful students are self-
motivated and set their own goals.
2. Successful distance learners
never (or at least rarely)
procrastinate. You’ll rarely find
them putting off assignments or
waiting until the last moment to
write their papers. These students
enjoy the freedom of working at
their own pace and appreciate the
ability to complete their work in as
much time as it takes them, instead
of waiting for an entire class.
However, they understand that
putting off their work too often can

forms of instructional technology
used.
5. Critical support personnel.
Production staff, graphic designers,
and technical staff members will
help the instructional setting
produce successful teaching at a
distance.
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end up adding months, if not years,
to their studies.
3. Successful distance learners
have good reading comprehension
skills. While most people learn by
listening to lectures and taking
notes, the majority of distance
learners are expected to master
material through reading alone.
Although some distance learning
courses offer video recordings and
audio clips, most programs require
that students understand a large
amount of information that is only
available through written text. These
students are able to comprehend
texts at the college level without the
direct guidance of a teacher.
4. Successful distance learners can
resist constant distractions.
Whether it’s the phone ringing off
the hook, the kids screaming in the
kitchen, or the allure of the tv,
everyone faces distractions.
Successful students know how to
filter out the constant disturbances
that threaten their progress. They
feel comfortable turning down an
invitation or letting the machine pick
up the phone when they know there
is work to be done.
5. Successful distance learners feel
alright about missing the social
elements of traditional schools.
Sure, they realize that they’ll miss
out on the homecoming game, the
dances, and the student elections,
but they’re convinced that the
independence is absolutely worth it.
Whether they’re mature adult
learners who aren’t interested in the
fraternity hype, or younger students
who get their socialization from
extracurricular activities elsewhere,
they are comfortable with their
current social situation. In place of
classroom discussion, they explore
the issues with their peers through
email and message boards or discuss
what they’re learning with spouses
or coworkers.
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