Adult online education lives or dies by the level of interaction achieved among the professor and students, as well as among the students themselves. Yet, there is a myth that if a professor posts comments at the beginning of each conference, and then occasionally passes on a few words of encouragement, the interaction in the course will arise on its own. That just isn't so. Like every other aspect of teaching, interaction requires the professor to play an active and leading role.

The role of engager and facilitator seems to be clear enough when it comes to structuring a course along interactive lines, and yet the monitoring of participation can be daunting when a professor moves to the virtual environment. The professor can no longer see student expressions nor read student body language. The question I am often asked is, "How do I make sure the conversations are productive and ongoing?"

The answer lies in monitoring the conversation. This is not to suggest that you need to be sitting on top of the computer waiting to respond to everything that is said in class. Do that, and you will be a burn out before you complete your first semester online. It is not a case of being ever-watchful, but of being effectively observant.

The first step in monitoring discussion is to watch for the crest of the wave. Human interaction, if recent studies done in Hong Kong, London, and Winnipeg are to be believed, flow in a natural wave pattern which rises to a crest and then falls to begin to rise anew. In normal everyday situations, such as the traditional classroom, we sense the rise and fall naturally, and as teachers, pretty quickly realize that the next crest depends on our asking the right questions in the trough. The same is true online. After a discussion begins, you will find that there is a normal pace of two days leading to the crest followed by a day of ebbing into the trough. It is a good idea to check in on conversations every one and half or two days, with the next item to be discussed in hand. If the crest has been reached and you can tell by the sudden lack of enthusiasm in student entries, simply move the conversation along with a brief summary and the new item you've brought along.

The second step is to look for effective communication happening within the discussions and study groups of your course. Obviously, there is room for a bit of good-natured nonsense here and there in any course. That is part of sharing a collegiate experience for your students. But you must watch to make sure that there is more effective communication going on than good-natured play. Are messages addressing specific issues or questions arising from the course? Are you and your students exchanging information, clarifying material, engaged in useful debate? Are students following your model and being encouraging and helpful to each other? If you cannot answer one of these questions in the affirmative for the majority of the participation in your class, then it may be necessary to take the time and explain your expectations for classroom participation more clearly. It is not enough to say that participation counts for 20 percent of a grade if you do not give your students some guidance on what does and does not constitute valuable participation.

Watch the nature of the questions you ask in opening conversations. Students expect you to play fair. You cannot ask them a no-win, damning question, such as "Are you still beating your dog?" and expect them to trust you, leading them further in discussions. Questions have to be answerable and open-ended if they are to encourage participation.

Be aware of the nature of the responses you get to open-ended questions. Not all answers are created equal. Responses which indicate that the students understand the tie-in of the question to the material should result in a few wonderful teaching moments for you. On the other hand, answers that eschew the course material tie-in for solely the personal perspectives will offer you the chance to clarify the nature of the tie to the course for the entire class. Don't be afraid to speak up on the matter and refocus the group to the issues at hand.

Watch out for the showboater or the bully in your classroom. Nothing will tear away at participation quicker than a showboater showing off erudition, or a bully belittling everyone else. If these types appear in your class, take them aside, electronically, and tell them to "cool their jets." Remind everyone that all of the members of the class are entitled to their say on the issues before the class or their study group. Of course, you must also be aware of the potential for you to dominate the conversation by speaking ex cathedra or in a belittling manner.

Tie your discussions to the material of the course in a way that is understandable to all of your students. If the initial responses to a topic indicate that students are not quickly coming to see the salient points, quickly drop in with some clarification.

A little watchfulness on your part will result very quickly in your developing into a first class online facilitator of conferences. And that, my friend, is half the battle to becoming an excellent online instructor.

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