How to Create an Online Coaching Course

Online coaching courses can be used by students and teachers.

An online coaching course can be used by students, teachers or anyone looking give or receive feedback on projects, writing drafts or anything else in the creation stages. Using audio, video and proven coaching protocols, an outline for an effective coaching process can be easily plugged into any learning management system for an awesome online coaching course.

Things You'll Need

• Internet access
• Composition paper or notebook
• Digital camera with video and audio

Instructions

1. Write a template, or "course shell" to plug an outline into. Follow a typical online course format using forums, discussion, and announcement threads. Each forum will be named with a step, each discussion thread will discuss the step, and announcements will provide additional instructions to students. Give each day or week its own template with a forum, discussion threads and an announcement. The details inside of them can be added in later.

2. Divide the template into weeks or days, depending on how many days the course should take. For example, a week of coaching would be seven days with a new forum each day. A weekly coaching course would be seven weeks, with a new forum each week.

3. Title each forum with one of the steps in the three-step peer coaching process, for a total of six steps -- three for the writer and three for the responder for a total of six forums. For example: Writer role, Forum 1 would be "Set a Goal and Make a Feedback Choice," Forum 2 would be "Read Aloud" and Forum 3 would read "Use the Feedback." Responder role, Forum 1 would be "Listen for the Goals," Forum 2 would be "Listen to the Writer" and Forum 3 would be "Give feedback."

4. Title discussion threads under each Forum to correspond with the step and the expectations within their use of the step. For example, Step 1 for the Writer is: Set a goal and make a feedback choice. Discussion headings might be: "Share Your Goals," with students instructed to share their goals with each other, and discuss them. Another discussion thread might be "Feedback Choices," with students sharing feedback choices or sharing ideas about the kinds of feedback they should seek from their partner in the coaching process.

5. Register for a free learning management system, such as Moodle (Moodle.com). Link it to a web hosting site, or through your own Web hosting site.

6. Set the course up by plugging in the forum titles, discussion threads and announcements to students. Remember that each forum gets one day, or one week. Include specific instructions to students about how to navigate the course, access materials and in what order to proceed.

7. Create a Materials Forum to upload coaching materials into -- rubrics for self and peer evaluation, checklists for setting goals, deciding on feedback and editing checklists. Add anything else that will be helpful in executing the steps, roles and using a peer coaching process.

8. Upload audio and video samples of other students or teachers coaching each other at each step. Upload each into their relevant step forum for students to access as they enter each forum. If video or audio isn't available, hold some live coaching sessions and record them to upload later.

9. Write an announcement to students with instructions on how to proceed, and where to go first. Be sure that each forum also has instructions inside of it as to how to navigate and proceed inside that forum.

Tips & Warnings

• The remaining forum, Forum 7, can be used as a general forum for questions. It might be titled "Questions for Instructor."

• Be sure to turn the chat feature on. This will allow students to chat live with each other while coaching. Include instructions for using this inside of each forum.

References

• Teacher Resources: Peer Coaching Mentoring Observations
• Florida Gulf Coast University: Peer Coaching