Instructors may use a variety of teaching styles.  It is important for instructors to think about how they teach, identify if it is connected to how they learn, and recognize that not all students may learn through the same way.  When investigating or developing teaching styles, authoritative instructors tend to be more teacher-centered and believe they are responsible for providing content.  This provides for less student engagement.  If this is the instructor’s preferred teaching style, they should realize students need interaction and provide such interaction. As an online instructor, you should be more of a facilitator of knowledge with student-centered activities.

Demonstrators typically are more teacher-centered yet, they model “how to.”  They demonstrate how to work through a problem or analyze a case problem.  Teaching by example is a great method to learning, but cannot be the only method to learning.  Therefore, if an instructor does provide demonstration, the students must also have the opportunity to do whatever was demonstrated on their own to enhance learning. Students will then be engaged in the learning.

If an instructor has developed a delegator type of teaching style, assignments/projects are delegated to students.  The students may work individually or in groups to complete tasks and the instructor should be available as a resource.  To reduce the anxiety level of students, however, the instructor must make sure the learning outcomes are clear and the students understand the tasks assigned.

The key is that instructors should develop their own personal teaching style that works for them and their students.  However, every personal teaching style should include facilitation of the teaching process and facilitation of the learning process. Online instructors should find technology tools that function in a way to support their teaching style and the learning process.