Section Headings Are Your Friend

In an online course, your students don’t have the guidance that your presence (or sometimes, more importantly, the other students’ presence) provides in a face-to-face classroom. When students walk into a classroom they take cues from the placement of the chairs, where others are sitting, the direction the instructor is facing, and many other things. When students enter an online environment, those cues need to be replaced in some way to make the student feel secure that they are proceeding in the correct way.

In ANGEL, a very useful tool to help facilitate students is the Section Heading. A section heading is a block of text that can be inserted in between Lesson items to help give the students direction.

For example, in the lessons tab, the first thing you create can be a section heading that welcomes your students to the course and tells them where they should start and what to expect. Like this:

To create a section heading do the following:

1. Go to the part of the Lessons area where you want your message
2. Click the Add Content link
3. Select Section Heading
4. Give the heading a Title (this is something only you will see)
5. Type your message in the Page Text box
6. Click the Save button

Like any other content item in ANGEL, you can make section headings only appear during a specified time frame. So you could create an introductory message for the first week of class and have it automatically disappear when the students are more used to the environment.

To set up when the message will be visible do the following:

1. Click the Settings link on the section heading
2. Click the Access tab
3. Click the Advanced radio button
4. Check the box after the words Start Date
5. Select the date and time you want the message to appear
6. Check the box after the words End Date
7. Select the date and time you want the message to disappear
8. Click the Save button

In an online environment, it is very important to remind the students there is a person on the other side of the screen. Section headings are not only a great way to direct the students where they need to be going; they are also a great way to inject the course with your personality. Type to the students in the same way you would talk to them in person. Use the section heading just as you would give instructions if they were right in front of you while keeping in mind, you don’t want to write so much they won’t read it.

Hopefully, I’ve given you a few ideas of how section headings can really help your students thrive. If you have any questions about how to use any of the tips I’ve provided, feel free to contact me.