The first day of class should be exciting and engaging; it helps set the "mood" for the rest of the term. 

Posting a bio of yourself and having the students post theirs helps every one get to know a bit about each other right from the start. 

It is important for the instructor to be familiar with all the course content and where/ how to access all of it.

Course development is not a one time event. Getting feedback from a variety of audiences helps save time and frustration as the course revision process takes place. Keeping copies of the course content will help when updating course material and making revisions to the course. 

It is vital when teaching an online course to manage communication so it will not frustrate or alienate the students from you or vise versa. Developing clear standards of communication and holding students accountable for their communication under those standards is important. Having good teaching presence, social presence, and response time to students helps you be effective as an instructor.

Schedule time for checking email, grading papers, providing feedback- even though the course is available 24/7 you do not have to be. Make students aware of your schedule at the beginning of the course and stick to it to help prevent "work overload".

As an instructor it is important to promote active, collaborative, and problem-based learning. The instructor must be careful in designing activities, projects, and discussions that engage students. The instructor is the information manager, and should have control over the structure of information, the processing of information, and the delivery of information. Scheduling time for checking emails, grading papers, and providing feedback is a must; stick to the tasks as scheduled and make sure your students are aware of the schedule, and the components of the course. 

I took online courses during COVID; trying to learn Massage therapy applications from a computer added a whole new challenge to my learning. My instructors did an amazing job of using online tools such as Zoom meetings/ Google meet and videos of them preforming techniques to help with the application of techniques. I've learned that keeping students motivated and engaged can be challenging, but there are also many different ways to available to do so. It's important to make sure you find what works for you and your students and offer different ways for your students to engage within the… >>>

By setting realistic, clear and specific standards for students, and being fair, consistent, and dedicated to sharing your expertise and knowledge of the field you will gain respect from the students. By being prepared, organized and dedicated you can help prevent making mistakes.

Being calm and listening can be a big help in understanding a disruptive student. Having clear expectations of conduct and sticking to those expectations is important; being fair and consistent with all students is important. Evaluating students throughout the course for their grade instead of basing most of their grade on the final exam can help reduce the stress the students feel, allowing them to be more successful through the course.