Is Online Teaching for me?
I have just finished the EL102 course on Online Education (can't remember the exact title) and I found it very informative and refreshing. I loved the information that was presented but what really helped was reading all the responses to the discussion questions. I have been an instructor for 10 years and in that 10 years I have taught 1 online course. Why one? You may ask. Well, the answer is simple, I found it extremely overhelming! Between my full-time job that requires 8 hours of computer work and this class I was on the computer, it felt, like 20 hours a day! But as I read through some of the responses I found that I was not alone. I was given some helpful hints as to how to manage an online class that I will institute IF, and that is a big if, I decide to ever take on another online course. My heart is in the classroom and seeing the faces of my students is very hard to give up, but as I continue on this journey of my teaching career I just may try it again. This time I will be equpped to do so. Thanks for a great course.
Debbie
From time to time since revising the scale for paying part time faculty to teach courses, I have been qeustioned about why we actually pay more to teach an online course than in a traditional face-to-face setting (also pay a differential for large class size regardless of delivery mode). Your experience validates the feedback and assessment we did in creating our scale. There is nothing like teaching an online course yourself to appreciate the challenges faculty teaching online deal with.
RF
Hello Debbie
Teaching online requires expert time management in addition to the highly developed verbal and written communication skills required of all instructors; classroom and online.
In the on ground setting, communication is a bidirectional process. With online, however, the communication process is asynchronous.
To redirect a floundering student, the instructor must learn how to structure their verbiage so that when read, the student understands what is written in the way you intended it to be understood. This is both a skill and an art.
The online instructor must use voice inflections to assist effective communication. It is the voice that creates the learning atmosphere.
On grounds you have controls. You can walk around the classroom and evoke immediate responses. You can also observe your students’ responses. Online, there are no paths to walk and there are no traditional on ground methodologies that can apply.
Your voice and the written words are your tools. You must practice effective vocal delivery. Your words must be structured to speak to the student not at the student. Both techniques require repetition to perfect but that reiteration also leads to improvement.
Walter Clement
