The Virtual Student

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.

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