responsibility to teach online courses
I think the responsibility to teach online corses is very critical one.
The instructor should possess the quality of authority, close relationship with the student and the presense of the teacher at all times.
Alas
In most cases I have found it takes a goal/task oriented self starter to teach online classes. Teaching an online class is not for everyone.
I think you are right on both counts Heather! Not all instructors can adapt to the online environment but it does help being task oriented. Thanks for your comments.
I have to admit, I'm terrified to begin online teaching. I control a classroom effectively and can seek out those who are in greater need of my time. Although this course has giving me a few hints as to what to look for, I can't help feeling that I might lose a couple in the shuffle.
Don't be terrified Kelly! You need to think back to the first time you taught in the traditional classroom. I am sure you were very nervous then as well but it turned out well in the long run, right? Teaching online is different, but the same things that made you a good residential instructor will transfer to the online environment. You just need to make sure your written communication is clear and that you communicate to your students regularly.
Good Luck!
You will quickly adjust to the online environment. Your comment indicates you care about the success of the students, which is an important quality of the online instructor. You will quickly become an expert, so gather up your confidence. I encourage you to "jump in" knowing you will do well.
I agree. Although I would like to teach an online course some time in the future, at this point in my career, I think losing that valuable interaction with the students would not be beneficial for me.
I would encourage you to try teaching online. I don't feel I have lost valuable interaction with students by teaching online, I have just had to learn to reach out to students using a different modality.
In reading the responses to this thread, I see some who feel the online environment would not be for them. I can understand that. I have actually only taught in the online classroom, not a traditional classroom. So it is all I know. I have been teaching online for 7 years and plan to teach online for many more :)
What I do find is that I must have strong time management skills to juggle my responsibilities as a business owner (in my non-teaching life) and the responsibilities I have as an online instructor teaching 2-3 classes a session. Each day of the week I know what needs to be accomplished to ensure the students get the attention they need, timely feedback and a strong presence from me. Because I need to effectively manage time, I maintain templates of all my announcements and label these by unit. So, for unit 1 I have a Word document labeled with what is to be posted each day of the week. That is one time-management tool I utilize. I ensure I am present on the discussion board each day, and maintain a template of responses I can post to prompt further discussion.
I also find that it is essential to connect with students in that first week. Email communication, lively announcements posted on the announcement board, and a strong presence on the discussion board are some ways to connect. I also try to show I am a “real person†and ensure they see my bio, picture and learn more about my background and interests.
I find that students often come into an online course assuming they will have little contact with the instructor. My goal is to change that mind-set and show them I am just as accessible as an instructor in a traditional setting. As I said, I have not taught in the traditional classroom, but my opinion is it does take more effort to make this connection online, but no doubt it can be done!
I encourage everyone to experience online teaching. I have learned so much in the past 7 years, and had a tremendous opportunity to meet students from all over the world. I stay in touch with many of them and that has been exciting. This has been a very interesting course for me, as I have heard about the experiences some of you have had with traditional classroom teaching. You have helped me to better understand that experience- thank you!
I really like your idea of templates for announcements by unit. There is certainly no reason to recreate something you did for an early class, so by saving the templates in an organize manner you are taking advantage of the work you have already done.
Time management is an important skill for an instructor, but I think you also have the benefit of experience since you have been teaching online for several years. Thank you for taking the time to share some of the things that you have learned through your years as an online teacher. I am sure it will be of great benefit to future readers of the blog!
One of the things I have struggled with the most is the organization of my online student work/responses. I found this aspect of the module to be the most helpful with suggestions as to how to carry this out more efficiently.
In the past, I have used folders for each section but I believe that in the end, keeping individual student files as well will serve to keep better track of student interactions.
In my face-to-face interactions I don't seem to have this difficulty because I can put a face to the issue and stay on track.
