It is important to be highly organized as an online instructor. WLMS helps the instructor to become better organized for the class. It is important for the instructor to have good time management and organization skills but to also help students develop good organizational and time management skills so the student will be successful in the course.
Workload management skills help with making sure that tasks are done in an effective manner. It's best to not get distracted with too many things going on at the same time.
Managing workload is key to student success. It's essential to prepare and talk with other online teachers. Time management involves multiple factors but key to all these is keeping the focus on a student=centered approach to the course with the end result being student success.
Individuals who have not had experience in the online learning environment may not understand the importance of organization and time management within the online learning platform. As an instructor the way the class is organized and the way expectations are initially set up can cause ineffeciency in communication which can waste time. I especially appreciate the idea of only checking e-mail at specific times in the day to aviod getting distracted and completing other tasks in a more efficient manner.
Student engagement and active learning should be a key element of a student-centered learning environment.
Over abundance of emails, Google Classroom messages and other ways I keep in touch with my students does require a bit from me. However, it is important to post in several places to allow students to be informed.
This is definitely an area that I feel confident in: workload management. This module described the importance of time management (scheduling) and work load management. It is helpful to think as the instructor as a point person- someone who can deleted information, respond to information, or forward information.
The online instructor must be organized or will be overwhelmed. Just as students in a course need to know how to get help/resolve techinial issues, so must the instructor, employing a variety of WLMS stratgies. I work with teachers that are new to our building, district, and profession, My thoughts during this module drifted to how to best support them, particularly the brand new educators, and the possibility of creating an onlibe class or module specifically for them to address this and avoid burnout.
Utilizing your time can help with your workload.
Time management is essential for the online environment. I hope to utilize effective time management a bit more efficientyly when online teaching is implemented within our department.
In the Workload Management Strategies (WLMS) to Develop the Learning Environment course, module one titled, Principles for Good Practice, I learned the various workload management strategies that could assist an online instructor. Also, I learned that student engagement and interactive learning is as important in an online course as it is in a face-to-face course. Time management is a critical component when working in an online environment as well as information overload. The instructor has to have procedures in place to ensure that time management and information overload issues do not arise when teaching an online course. Using peers who have been online instructors in the past for assistance may help minimize issues related to being an online instructor. Lastly, creating a Frequently Asked Technology Question document for students to refer to before asking a question to the instructor would assist the instructor with time management as this document could be a live document that the instructor adds to during the class thereby helping current and future students.
That organization is the key. If you are not organized your students will not have confidence in your teaching.
Many factors and strategies will make all the difference in workload management. When teachers have planned their courses effectively and taken the time to familiarize themselves with all support systems available for themselves and their students this can help in getting off to an informed and more comfortable start. A well organized and strong course structure with well presented course introduction and course syllabus should guide students to communicate with staff and fellow students using the best communication tools to assist in workload management by assuring students can access the information they need while taking responsibility upon themselves and working together to solve problems as often as possible while avoiding the unnecessary or lengthy discussions with staff that may disrupt other important responsibilities that teachers must manage for a successful class. Including a Frequently Asked Technology Questions (FATQ) Section that both students and staff can add to as new technology questions and problems arise can help participants solve problems without unnecessarily disrupting the teachers existing workload management schedule.
The importance of organization and discipline from the students and the instructor
I have learned that there is much more to online classes than just teaching. Organizing the time and managing the workload are skills that teachers must develop. I especially appreciated the information about technology support for teachers. Teachers need support too for technical questions. I like the idea of the FATQ system for students.
Online courses may be completed in 8, 10, or 15 weeks, so there are also inconsistencies in the length of the course. Also, the content of an online course impacts the workload.
I will set-up a FATQ section. Sometimes we assume that students are more computer savvy than they really are. The use of smart phones and tablets does not make you proficient on the computer.
SETH SORONNADI
Learned that "This mentoring system is developed through institutions to supplement support structures that already exist, in a more interactive way which provides human contact"
As an online instructor I need to be able to manage time, information. Be aware that students will contact me for tech support. I will need tech support as well. Developing a FATQ (Frequently Asked Technology Questions link is most helpful. Hopefully the students will use that first and be able to find what they need to do prior to seeking tech support from me.
I learned that it is important to have a team to help manage information while teaching online. I would like to look for ways to get support with technology issues that may arise. I hope to create a plan to help me with starting my online class.
