Topic A2: Your Student Audience

Introduction
How important is it to know your student audience as you prepare your course? You already know how important it is in a traditional course.

Knowing your audience is even more important as you prepare to teach online, because students in your online class may differ from those in your regular classroom in the following ways:

• Demographics
• Prior knowledge of the subject to be taught
• Characteristics as learners
• Schedules and lifestyles
• Familiarity with the technology that will support the class
• Educational goals

You will now learn about the online student, a population that may be quite different from the one you’re used to. You will also explore how to assess what they need so you can create the best learning experience for them.

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of Station A2, you will:

• Be familiar with general characteristics of the online learner
• Know the five components used in an analysis of learner characteristics
• Review samples of survey instruments used to collect student information
• Complete and submit a technology survey
• Identify three main learning styles.

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