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Qualities of Exceptional Online Teachers

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Qualities of Exceptional Online Teachers

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Interested in teaching online? Teaching online is an exciting and highly profitable venture nowadays. You get to share your knowledge with students across the world, earn a stable income in your extra time, and become an expert, learner, and teacher simultaneously. No wonder experienced professionals, subject matter experts, elearning professionals, teachers, trainers, etc. are turning towards the online teaching profession. But what makes a great online teacher? Just like any other job, online instruction requires specific qualities and skills to perform it in the best possible manner. In this blog, we have highlighted a few of the qualities that make an exceptional online teacher.

Passion to share the knowledge

The most important quality of "good teachers" is the passion to share their knowledge and dedication to guide the students towards the right path. The main aims of online teachers are no different. While developing your online courses, your main focus should not only be to earn a supplemental part-time income, but to provide your students the best learning experience and improve their existing knowledge to excel in their careers. Remember, your students are mostly working professionals seeking advancement in their skills. Help them advance their careers by sharing your experience. Be a mentor, a coach that they need to succeed.

Sound knowledge of the subject matter

In order to create a rewarding learning experience, an instructor's knowledge, expertise, and hands-on experience is mandatory. A teacher should possess an exceptional understanding of their discipline's content area, along with the ability to help learners engage and develop an understanding of the subject. Remember, strong, valid, and up-to-date knowledge is not only fruitful for the learner, but it will help you build your reputation as an authentic online training provider.

Lifelong learner

We live in an era of change. Technologies, processes, tools, software, practices, and standards are continuously evolving, and we need to continuously adapt to keep up with the emerging trends. An online teacher must be committed to lifelong learning. Good teachers are intellectually alive and responsive to any change that occurs in their areas of expertise. They are flexible and willing to wear the learner and teacher hat simultaneously.

Technical skills

One thing that differentiates online teachers from classroom teachers is their use of technology in the teaching process. An online teacher needs to have some technical know-how of the basic course creation tools i.e. LCMS (Learning Content Management System) and LMS (Learning Management System). If you are just starting off in elearning, it is best to start with basic and user-friendly software in order to keep things simple. Your entire focus should be on building an online course, rather than figuring out the authoring software that you purchased. Start off by creating a test course first, and taking it, in order to experience online learning and identify the possible issues that a student may encounter.

Expert in written communication

Whether you are conducting a live training session, teaching in a classroom, or developing an elearning course, the key to successful instruction lies in effective communication. As online teaching relies more on written communication coupled with graphics, multimedia, and interactivities, you need to have excellent writing skills to get your point across. Whether you are writing your course content, framing the course learning objectives, or providing feedback, your main aim should be to simplify learning, provide substantive information, and help the learner understand the subject matter.
If you are converting your training sessions into an online course, do not forget to flesh out the presentation. Your course slides should have enough content to help learners understand the concept. Use powerful descriptions, storytelling techniques, and real life examples to evoke learners' interest and help them relate and engage with the course.
Instructional skills

Good online teachers employ different instructional methods and learning styles to present the course content in the most captivating manner to the learners. Knowledge of the different learning theories and instructional methods is helpful. But the ability to guide your learners, provide useful information ( something they can relate to and apply in their work environment), add interactive components to engage and involve, design learning activities that allow students to explore and solve real-life problems in virtual environments and the intuitive use of the authoring tool results in better learning outcomes. Remember, your learners are working professionals struggling between deadlines and work-life balance while making time for their self-development. Design training that is flexible, applicable, and translates the learning goals (something that motivated them to take your course) of your training in the best possible manner.

Parting Thoughts

Teaching online is a highly rewarding experience that can help you take your knowledge and skills to the next level. What other skills and qualities should an online teacher possess? Share your thoughts in the comments section. Interested in becoming an online teacher? Check out the 360training Authoring Program!

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Qualities of Exceptional Online Teachers

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Interested in teaching online? Teaching online is an exciting and highly profitable venture nowadays. You get to share your knowledge with students across the world, earn a stable income in your extra time, and become an expert, learner, and teacher simultaneously. No wonder experienced professionals, subject matter experts, elearning professionals, teachers, trainers, etc.

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How to Identify an Effective Online Teaching Strategy

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How to Identify an Effective Online Teaching Strategy

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Like in all other things, if we fail to plan and prepare for our online lessons, they will most likely be a failure. If you are teaching online, failing to meet the needs of your students is definitely not something that you want to happen. And so, to keep your lessons engaging and effective, you have to prepare and follow certain teaching strategies that are best suited for the kind of online lessons that you give. But the question remains: How do we know that a teaching strategy is going to work? What are the characteristics of an effective strategy? Here are some ways:

Matches Student Level

This means that you have to determine how much they know and how much they don't know. The manner of teaching will largely depend upon the current knowledge and skill level of your students. Failure to identify this and weave this information into your teaching strategy will result in a mismatch between your teaching style and your student's capability to receive and learn.

In order to determine your student's level, you can at first give diagnostic exams, have a sample of works sent to you, or you can even simply have a chat, veering towards you finding out your student's experiences and knowledge.

Fine-Tuned to the Subject Matter

There are different ways to teach, like there are different ways to tell a story. Knowing your subject matter well will enable you to make sure that the techniques that you use are well suited to the subject matter you are teaching.

This means that the way you teach has to be relevant and significant to what you are going to teach. The techniques should be learning experiences as much as the lesson is.

Makes the Lesson Interesting and Fun

What many teachers often forget is that learning should not only be an educational experience but also a fun one. We should not neglect the enjoyment of students while gaining new knowledge, because actually, it if more often than not the fun factor that encourages students to keep at it, to stay motivated and interested in the lessons. As teachers, this is our goal: To make sure our students are more and more encouraged to keep learning.

Therefore, an effective teaching strategy is one that makes provision for a fun time. This is very important with online lessons, because there is very little that we can work with to make lessons interesting and fun. So the more we are able to achieve it in our lessons, the better our lessons are. Perhaps this entails a change in the way we start our lessons, the way we speak, the kind of materials that we give out.

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How to Identify an Effective Online Teaching Strategy

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Like in all other things, if we fail to plan and prepare for our online lessons, they will most likely be a failure. If you are teaching online, failing to meet the needs of your students is definitely not something that you want to happen.

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Eight Roles of an Effective Online Teacher

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Eight Roles of an Effective Online Teacher

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Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning

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Teaching face-to-face and teaching online are both teaching, but they are qualitatively different. In comparison, driving a car and riding a motorcycle are both forms of transportation, but they have enough differences to warrant additional training and preparation when switching from one to the other. The same is true when faculty move from the traditional classroom to the online classroom. There are some things that the two have in common, but there are also plenty of differences. With this in mind, consider the following eight roles of an effective online teacher.

1. Tour Guide - A tour guide leads one or more people through a place or a series of places, usually revolving around some sort of common theme or subject. Similarly, the online teacher plays the role of guiding students through one or more online learning experiences. These experiences are most often designed and planned long before the course starts so that the teacher can devote more time to guiding the students and less time preparing lessons. Within this role, the teacher directs and redirects the attention of learners toward key concepts and ideas. A good tour guide doesn't want anyone to miss out on the highlights of the tour.

2. Cheerleader - As with all learning environments, learners often need some encouragement. Learning is hard work and studying online can sometimes feel isolating, confusing, or discouraging without this important role. As a result, the effective online teacher makes intentional efforts to communicate specific encouraging messages to individual learners and the group as a whole. Even when providing constructive feedback, the teacher as cheerleader finds a way to promote positive messages alongside the critiques, doing his or her best to maintain an overall positive morale in the class. At times, learners may fall into negative comments about themselves, the class, or their classmates (even the instructor, on occasion). The cheerleader strives to find ways to listen, respect the learner's frustrations, but to also help them reframe the situation in ways that are more positive and productive.

3. Learning Coach - Many people focus on the role of teacher as role model and that is valuable. However, the role of coach is just as important, even more important if we want learners to develop high levels of competence and confidence. A role model throws a perfect spiral with a football while the learners watch. A coach gets the learners on the field, puts the ball in their hands, and then coaches them on how to throw a spiral for themselves. This is a powerful and essential role of the online teacher. Such a teacher must move beyond simply modeling a love for the subject and personal skill with the content. Instead, find ways to hand the subject over to the students to do something with it. Applied projects and papers work well for this, and it gives the teacher an opportunity to be a coach and mentor.

4. Individual and Group Mirror - Imagine waking up in the morning, getting ready for work, and heading out the door without ever looking into a mirror to see that your hair is sticking straight up in the air. That is good information to know before you walk into the office. Learners need this same sort of feedback about their work. How are they doing? Are they getting closer to meeting the learning objectives or not? The effective online teacher finds ways to give this sort of feedback to individual learners and, when appropriate, groups of learners.

5. Social Butterfly - Without intentional efforts to build a positive social environment, online learning can feel lonely and impersonal. As a result, the online teacher must serve like a great party host, facilitating introductions, using discussion starters to facilitate conversations among students, and taking the time to get to know students and referencing that knowledge in interactions with them.

6. Big Brother - Everything is documented in an online course. The teacher can tell when and how many times a student logs into the course, what pages were viewed or not, how many discussions posts the student contributed, and much more. This data can be abused, but it can also be used to make adjustments and informed decisions as an online teacher. If a student is not logging in, then contact the student. If students are failing to visit pages in the course with key instructions, point that out to the students or reorganize the content so that it's easier to find.

7. Valve Control - Online courses are rich with content and sometimes students can get lost in all that content. The teacher as valve control intentionally releases content in chunks that are appropriate for students. Sometimes this comes in the form of only releasing content one week at a time. Other times, the teacher releases it all at once, but directs students to only focus on certain parts at a time. Another key is to break content into smaller segments. Rather than a twenty-page document of instructions, consider breaking it into ten two-page documents.

8. Co-learner - Great teachers are lifelong learners, and they can model that learning for their students in a variety of ways in the online classroom. The teacher can be an active (but not too active or it will silence students) participant in online discussions, sharing what they are learning about the subject, and even complete all or parts of some assignments, sharing their work with the students. This goes a long way in building a vibrant and dynamic online learning community where every person in the community commits to embodying the traits of a lifelong learner.

Dr. Bernard Bull is the Assistant Vice President of Academics, Associate Professor of Education, and Director of the M.S. in Educational Design & Technology at Concordia University Wisconsin.

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Eight Roles of an Effective Online Teacher

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Teaching face-to-face and teaching online are both teaching, but they are qualitatively different. In comparison, driving a car and riding a motorcycle are both forms of transportation, but they have enough differences to warrant additional training and preparation when switching from one to the other.

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10 Principles of Effective Online Teaching:Best Practices in Distance Education

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10 Principles of Effective Online Teaching:Best Practices in Distance Education

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The best online instructors take advantage of streaming audio or video tools - not converted print resources, one expert says.

About 5.4 million students, or 1 in 4, took at least one distance education course during the fall of 2012, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

That said, even the best online programs - like their traditional campus counterparts - have some poor professors. And it can be trickier to identify those instructors in an online course until it's too late to switch.

The many students beginning a new online course should be aware of these six signs their professor won't make the grade.

1. An unclear syllabus: Plenty of great face-to-face professors put a low priority on creating clear syllabuses, in part because every class meeting represents a chance to communicate their expectations to students. In an online setting, those documents take considerably more importance as a course road map.

The syllabus is what really sets the terms and the conditions for that relationship between professor and student, says Julie Uranis, the director of distance learning and continuing and professional development at Western Kentucky University.

When a syllabus fails to spell out class learning objectives, set expectations for online communication with the professor and between students, or even lists outdated deadlines for assignments, it suggests a professor doesn't comprehend effective online course management.

2. No set timetable for emails: While many students say they would love responses to email to come as soon as possible, experts say it's more important to clearly spell out when students can expect a response, whether it's in a matter of hours or days, or at a certain time each day or week. A good syllabus will cover this.

Failing to do this can create a sense of disconnect or uncertainty with students.

"What drives a student crazy is when they feel like a faculty member is missing in action," says Lisa Templeton, the executive director of Oregon State University Extended Campus.​ Not knowing when professors will respond to student emails or online postings can cause students to feel unsure about how to interact with professors, other students and course materials, she adds. ​

3. Converted print resources: What online courses lose in face-to-face class discussions, they make up for with the ability to use streaming audio or video tools, ​as well as​ online forums, to give students 24-7 access to their course.

A professor who abstains from using these kinds of resources - and perhaps instead teaches off transcripts of lectures and PDF files of textbooks - will create a class environment that is less compelling and more disjointed, Stysley says.

"If they try to wedge face-to-face and textbook learning into an online format, you should probably work your way out," Stysley says.

4. Hiding lack of experience: Given the continuous growth of the online education industry, it's unrealistic to think you could avoid going through an online program without taking at least one course from a rookie online professor.

As a student, it should worry you more if that professor seems like he or she is trying to hide a lack of experience from students, says Jason Baker, the associate vice president for teaching and learning at Regent University.

"Rather than working yourself into a lather to cover that up or conceal it, I think being transparent, being honest about what is new about this experience is actually really beneficial to students," Baker says. "I think most students respond positively to that. They tend to want the experience to be good for everybody and so they will often provide constructive feedback."

5. The professor has never been an online student: Even professors who are exceptional communicators, technologically literate and experts in their field may not firmly grasp what a quality online course looks like until they find themselves on the other side of one, Baker says.

"Even the younger faculty, the bulk of their experience has been face-to-face instruction," he says. "I think it has a profound effect on the way you think about teaching, because then you see what they see, you experience what they experience."

Of course, the only way for students to know this about their professor is to ask, which might be difficult if students don't know when to expect an email reply.

6. The teacher is a bad face-to-face instructor: Despite the differences between teaching digitally and in the classroom, the two pursuits share far more in common -​ which means if students have had a good or bad experience with a teacher in an on-site course, they will most likely find the same with him or her online, Uranis says.

"The traits that exist as far as having a great experience with an online faculty member are the same ones that really exist for face-to-face teaching," she says. "They're engaging. They are experts in their field. They create content or experiences that are meaningful. It's not necessarily the modality there that is the difference, it's the individual."

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The best online instructors take advantage of streaming audio or video tools - not converted print resources, one expert says. About 5.4 million students, or 1 in 4, took at least one distance education course during the fall of 2012, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

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7 Characteristics of Effective Online Teachers

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7 Characteristics of Effective Online Teachers

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Adjunct instructors who have excellent teaching skills and engaging personalities in the traditional classroom environment already have many of the characteristics necessary to be effective online instructors. They know their subject area, love teaching, and are invested in their students.

However, the two delivery modalities are different and there are some additional qualities that make for better online instructors above and beyond what is required for face-to-face instructors. If you are wondering if you have what it takes to be an effective online educator consider the following list of 7 Characteristics of Effective Online Teachers:

1) Passion about the Subject

Why does this belong in a list specific to online instructors? Shouldn't all college teachers be passionate about their discipline? Yes! But, this needs saying for the following reason: Most online students are adult learners. They are often burned out from their current profession and looking for something new. They have been inspired to go back to school (and make all of the requisite financial, work, and family sacrifices needed to do so) and are excited to learn. They have a fire in them and they want to see that same fire in their instructor. They need help keeping it burning while they are balancing everything in their lives.

Put another way, a 19 year-old in one of my undergrad psychology classes is interested in psychology but still figuring out what she wants to do and has interest but no fire. A 35-year old student has her sights on being a psychologist. There is a difference there.

2) Passionate about Teaching

This makes the list for the same reason as number one. Adult learners are looking for mentors, really. Not just teachers. Every teacher they come across online is a sort of mentor for them and they can quickly sniff out someone who isn't engaged in the teacher-student relationship.

3) Sees Value in Online Education

I teach traditional college instructors how to teach online. Vulnerability about teaching online is common. Many wonder if they can translate what they do face-to-face to the online environment. For some, vulnerability takes the form of questioning whether their class going online is a good idea at all. They have opinions regarding the quality of education that online students receive versus on ground students. Some simply question it, other are strongly opposed and are very upset that they are being forced to teach online. All of those feelings are fair, but with any job if you believe in the purpose, if you see value in what it is you do, you will naturally be better at it. That's why I suggest teachers who are uncertain about the value of online education take an online class for themselves. Not necessarily to "get on board" but to at least develop a clearer understanding of what the thing they fear or dislike actually is.

4) Is a Good Time Manager

Most online courses are asynchronous, meaning there is not set time to be in class and that discussions are going on in the classroom at all hours of the day all week long. No, online instructors don't need to be online and teaching 24/7, but they are required to have a frequent presence in class, in contrast to having a set day/days during the week when they are standing in front of the class. Thus, the effective online instructor develops his/her own system for being present throughout the week.

There is also a bit more writing involved when teaching online-facilitating discussion board assignments representing the bulk of that additional writing. This competes, to some extent, with the grading of and providing detailed feedback for other class assignments. Another nod to the need for online instructors to be effective time managers.

5) Is Flexible and Open to Feedback

Adult learners and millennials want to feel a part of their learning experience. Adults because they have an array of personal and professional experiences to bring to the table. Millennials because they have had access to the world wide web of information since they were children and think they know a thing or two about what you are saying/doing (and, they may actually really know a thing or two!). The effective online teacher is aware of this and is empathetic to their students' need to have some control or input and will allow for that in the classroom. This is exemplified in the statement, "Be a guide on the side, not a sage on the stage." Take their enthusiasm, experience, and knowledge and use it and adapt to it, whether they are sharing a video or experience with the rest of the class in the discussion board or asking for an assignment to change from an essay to a Prezi presentation.

6) Facilitates Classroom Community with Engaging Tone and Creativity

Without a solid online classroom community, online classes can feel like self-studies. The effective online teacher is aware of the importance of the community feel and will use a professional, yet warm and informal tone in their posts, use collaborative learning assignments, and utilize other creative approaches to engage the community. School is not Facebook, but in a way we are trying to capture the same idea that social media is-to help the individual sitting there at their computer feel tied into the class and tied into the material.

7) Trained in Online Teaching

I strongly suggest that adjuncts seeking to teach online take a training course or at least take several online courses themselves (as a student). This not only looks great on a CV, but also helps you become more comfortable with common Learning Management Systems (like Blackboard or Moodle). You learn how to use them effectively and with all the bells and whistles that could bring your learning objectives to life. Good training programs will familiarize teachers with the unique needs of the adult online learner, offer guidance when it comes to facilitating effective and engaging discussion boards, share ideas about bringing material to life through interactivity, video/voiceover, etc., and go over the benefits and problems associated with using outside Web 2.0/3.0 technologies in the classroom. One of the most important things to familiarize yourself with is FERPA rules as they pertain to internet security.

Have any questions about the characteristics of an effective online educator? Have something to add to this list (its certainly not exhaustive!)? Comment below!

Related Articles:
4 Interpersonal Skills for Effective Online Teaching 5 Things Effective Online Instructors Know

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7 Characteristics of Effective Online Teachers

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Adjunct instructors who have excellent teaching skills and engaging personalities in the traditional classroom environment already have many of the characteristics necessary to be effective online instructors. They know their subject area, love teaching, and are invested in their students.

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5 Strategies To Improve Your Online Teaching

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5 Strategies To Improve Your Online Teaching

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Online courses have become an incredibly popular way for students and employees to advance their education or professional development. Teaching an online course requires different methods from the traditional classroom, so it's important that teachers adapt or develop their skills to the online learning environment, to make their materials effective and engaging for learners. Let's look at 5 strategies you can implement to improve your online teaching and make your eLearning course a successful experience for both you and your learners.

1. Engage With Your Learners Online

Without your physical presence in the classroom, it's vital that you establish a virtual presence at the very beginning of the eLearning course. Online teachers need to be engaging and supporting students right from the start and for the duration of the course, to maintain an effective learning community.

By establishing your teacher presence, you'll show students that you're both visible and available. You'll also be welcoming them to their new learning community - just as you would in any traditional classroom.

Let your students know what days or timeframes you will be online and how they can contact you outside of those hours.

Engage with your learning community through online posts, forums or social media - when people see teachers putting time into discussions and engagement, they'll be more encouraged to participate themselves. Through this engagement, you'll also develop professional relationships with your students and make their experience far more personal and memorable.

2. Create A Supportive Learning Environment

As an online teacher, you have an opportunity to create a supportive online community for your learners.

The best way to achieve this is through encouraging both teacher-to-student engagement and student-to-student interaction. Dr Judith V. Boettcher, PhD and author of A Faculty Guide for Moving Teaching and Learning to the Web, suggests the following strategies:

At the start of your online course, get the ball rolling with a personal introduction post, and encourage participants to contribute their own short bio or introduction to the group.

Create an open forum or discussion board where learners can post to request help and assistance from each other, developing peer-to-peer support.

Set up small groups, similar to traditional study groups, for supportive mentoring of fellow learners.

These strategies will encourage learners to work together as an active learning community, which brings benefits to all individuals involved.

3. Use A Mix Of Learning Tools For Better Engagement

These days, we're fortunate to have the technology to create virtual learning environments that allow us to collaborate and engage just as well as if we were in the classroom.

As Dr Boettche says, "the variety of activities that are now possible online makes it possible to create many types of effective learning environments."

The best online teachers use a combination of both synchronous and asynchronous activities, creating a blend of traditional online learning styles with newer, more collaborative audio and visual tools. Working with a mix of activities makes the content more interesting and exciting, increasing student engagement with both the teacher and other learners.

You can learn more about blended learning models in Teaching Online, a short 2-hour course that looks at the differences between online and face-to-face classroom teaching, as well as ways to introduce collaborative learning into your online program.

4. Provide Ongoing Feedback

Feedback is an essential component of all effective learning environments - including online.

As an online teacher, your feedback will help to create an eLearning experience that is informative, engaging, and motivational for the learner. Your feedback should be continuous during the eLearning process, with constructive feedback offered as soon as possible so that students can clearly identify which behaviors or skills need to be improved.

You can encourage group feedback through collaborative exercises, which also helps to promote peer engagement.

5. Make eLearning Content Mobile

It's wise to acknowledge the importance of mobile learning for online teachers, with students and employees now accustomed to using their mobile devices for learning.

Mobile learning holds key advantages for learners, allowing them to access up-to-date course materials and relevant content anywhere, anytime. With bite-sized pieces of information available to be digested quickly and easily, learners can work through course materials at their own pace, assisting both performance and productivity.

Make sure your eLearning content can be easily accessed via smartphones, laptops, and iPads to maximize your teaching methods. You'll also be demonstrating to your learners that you're in touch with the needs of today's modern workforce and its relevant technology.

With these strategies in place you can feel more confident about your online teaching skills and eLearning materials. You'll also know that you're working to create a more positive and collaborative learning environment for your students.

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5 Strategies To Improve Your Online Teaching

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Online courses have become an incredibly popular way for students and employees to advance their education or professional development. Teaching an online course requires different methods from the traditional classroom, so it's important that teachers adapt or develop their skills to the online learning environment, to make their materials effective and engaging for learners.

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Inside Digital Learning asked four authors of books about online education for their expert advice on how instructors and their institutions can excel in virtual course instruction. The authors agreed that the online classroom is different enough from the traditional one that faculty members and adjuncts need to create courses for digital delivery that are substantially different from those they teach on campus. And they said teaching online requires an even keener focus on student engagement than the face-to-face model does.

"Years ago, we used to say the danger of online courses was they were just going to become electronic correspondence courses," said Rita-Marie Conrad, who along with Judith V. Boettcher, wrote The Online Teaching Survival Guide. "That's still a danger. As each new wave of instructors comes into this environment, there's still that misunderstanding that this is a new environment."

However, institutions and professors should be encouraging residential students to take classes online. "[Colleges] don't provide an online experience to every undergraduate student, but we're doing them a disservice," said Elliot King, co-author of Best Practices in Online Program Development and the upcoming Best Practices in Planning Strategically for Online Education.

More and more, employers are offering professional development courses online, he noted. "Learning online is different from face-to-face, and [graduates] won't have any experience. If the college wants students to be lifelong learners, give them the opportunity to" take virtual courses."

In addition to Conrad, Boettcher and Elliott, Inside Digital Learning spoke with Marjorie Vai, author of Essentials of Online Course Design and editor of Routledge's Essentials of Online Learning series.

Here are the authors' top tips for creating engaging and successful online education:
Make It a Group Effort
Even an instructor who has taught the same course dozens of times in an on-campus classroom will spend many extra hours figuring out how to teach it online, said Conrad, a lecturer at University of California, Berkeley. So colleges and universities should offer them some sort of compensation, like a lighter teaching load the first semester or extra pay.

In addition, Conrad added, faculty members need training in how to design and teach an online course. "Too often, faculty try to lay the technology on top of the face-to-face course, and that does not work well," she said. "It doesn't work for the students, and it doesn't work for the faculty."
Focus on 'Active' Learning
Instructors often rely on long lectures to fill the time in a traditional class meeting. But even the most dynamic lecturers cannot get away with that online, Conrad said.

To engage students who are not in the room during a lesson, the course should mix spurts of discussions, collaboration, video and audio clips, and hands-on exercises with text and possibly brief video lectures, Conrad suggested.

"It's not a lecture classroom online," she said. "It's an active learning classroom online." And she said this blend of teaching and learning tools is new to many professors who have not created active learning environments in their face-to-face classrooms.
'Chunk' the Lessons
Long lectures probably aren't the best way to engage a face-to-face class - and are even more ineffective online, said Vai, an e-learning consultant and former chair of the English language studies department at the New School in New York.

"The student should be engaged," she said, "so no pages of text or an hour-long video." She recommended presenting information in 10-minute "chunks" and agreed with Conrad about the importance of varying the format.

Vai also suggested designing lessons with ample white space; breaking up text with photographs so students can see examples of what is in the text; and incorporating color into section titles.
Keep Group Sizes Small
In a traditional classroom or lecture hall, some students never participate in discussions or ask questions, usually because they are either shy or are not engaged. Online, said King, academic director of Loyola University Maryland's master's program in emerging media, that participation is required, but can be equally intimidating if students are expected to engage with dozens of classmates.

King recommended a cap of 20 to 30 students in online classes. And he has advised professors to break those students into groups of no more than 10 for purposes of discussions, collaboration, peer critiques and group activities.

"It's much easier for them to coordinate their time when there are fewer students," King said. "Everyone has to participate, but the barriers go down because they're only participating with 10 students."
Be Present
"No matter where teaching and learning take place, the importance of the faculty member being there and being mentally present with the students is the most important thing they can do," said Boettcher, of Designing for Learning, her Tallahassee, Fla.-based elearning consulting firm.

That doesn't mean simply responding to questions that students post online. Boettcher said instructors should have a "social presence" in their online classrooms, and encourage students to do the same. She suggested faculty members post their bios in the classroom and also do "some cocktail-party sharing" by telling students which books they are reading and the topic of their research. They also can post photos of themselves working on their laptop at a coffee shop or mention something interesting that happened over the weekend.

"Students should have a well-rounded idea of who [their professors are] as people," Boettcher said.
Parse Your Time
All of the authors agreed that instructor presence is critical to student success in a virtual class. Still, noted Conrad: "Online courses can really consume you; I know this from experience."

Responding to every discussion board post by every student in an online class "will crush you," King agreed. "Manage your time in a reasonable way. Don't be available 24/7. Don't turn your class into a one-on-one interaction with 30 students."

Conrad agreed. "Institutions think a faculty member needs to respond to everything" each student posts online. "That's not the way it is."

Conrad, who said she "picks and chooses" what she responds to, noted that if the instructor comments on every post, students tend to write their posts for the instructor, and not for other students. Online discussions, she said, should be between students.

Still, she said, the instructor "cannot simply let a course run itself. You're there as much as you are in a regular classroom. But that doesn't mean you're in the course 24/7. Pick and choose where you insert your voice."
Embrace Multi-media Assignments
Students who enroll in virtual courses usually are at least somewhat facile with technology, King noted, saying professors should leverage that by allowing them to use digital tools for their assignments.

While it's quicker to grade papers than to review student-produced PowerPoint presentations or videos, King said, "a lot of students express themselves better that way."

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7 guidelines for effective teaching online

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Inside Digital Learning asked four authors of books about online education for their expert advice on how instructors and their institutions can excel in virtual course instruction. The authors agreed that the online classroom is different enough from the traditional one that faculty members and adjuncts need to create courses for digital delivery that are substantially different from those they teach on campus.

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From Instructor To Effective Online Facilitator

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From Instructor To Effective Online Facilitator

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One of the most significant advantages of eLearning is that it gives learners the opportunity to become active participants within the eLearning process. While online instructors may hold the knowledge and experience that will greatly benefit the learners, it's also essential that online instructors encourage their learners to become more involved through discussion and collaboration.

10 Top Tips to Transform You Into an Effective Online Facilitator

To accomplish this, online instructors must transform themselves into effective online facilitators, who can engage their learners and enhance the eLearning experience, as a whole. In this post, I will share with you the top 10 tips that can help you adapt a new approach to eLearning... that of effective online facilitator...

1. Create an eLearning environment that is conducive to active participation.
In order to provide the best possible eLearning experience for everyone involved, an online facilitator's primary goal should be to make the eLearning environment comfortable and conducive to active participation. The tone of the discussion should be relaxed, engaging, and informative. In addition, the setting itself should be one in which all learners feel free to ask questions, share experiences, and collaborate to get the most out of the eLearning course. Don't hesitate to use humor, when appropriate, or convey your own personal experiences. The bottom line is that learners need to feel as though they are not going to be judged or ridiculed by others in order to truly benefit.

2. Rather than lecturing, ask questions to engage the learner.
It may be tempting to create an eLearning course that only involves lectures and/or activities that learners must complete on their own. However, a primary aspect of becoming an online facilitator is to turn lectures into interactive discussions. You must engage the learners by asking them questions that pertain to the subject, so that they are prompted to delve into the topic in their own way and really explore the subject matter that is being discussed. Asking questions will also allow you find out more about your learners, how they learn, and what motivates them. This not only helps to build a connection between you and your learners, but also enables you to customize eLearning materials and strategies to get the best results.

3. Encourage group collaboration.
To facilitate the eLearning process, it's often ideal to encourage your learners to become facilitators' themselves. Ask them to share experiences and to allow others to benefit from their own skills and knowledge base. Divide them up into smaller groups and have them actively communicate in order to solve problems or come to their own conclusions when presented with real world scenarios. This will not only benefit every member of the group, but also empower each individual within it.

4. Make the information you're providing "bite-sized".
Structure your eLearning strategy in such a way that you gradually introduce information to learners, and make the eLearning courses smaller and more digestible (hence the term "bite sized"). By doing this, you can effectively discuss each topic in depth, and allow your learners to fully absorb the information before moving onto the next subject. You may want to read the 7 Micro-eLearning Techniques To Improve Your eLearning Course Design and/or Are You Already Microlecturing?

5. Tie the eLearning course into real life scenarios or situations.
If at all possible, you may want to tie your eLearning course or subject matter into real life examples or experiences. This helps the learners to relate more to what is being taught, so that they are able to directly see how it applies within their own life. This also gives them the opportunity to assess how the information they are learning can benefit them, which is an added incentive to become engaged in the eLearning process. I highly encourage you to read the Scenario-Based e-Learning to Improve Learners' Engagement.

6. Set clear goals, ground rules, and expectations.
One of the key prerequisites for becoming an online facilitator is setting rules and goals beforehand, so that you can structure the eLearning course to achieve the desired outcome. You should also set expectations, in order to provide the learners with a clear sense of what they will be receiving from the eLearning course. This will help everything and everyone to stay on track and will allow you to effectively facilitate your learners' eLearning experience.

7. Keep the conversation on the subject at hand.
As is the case with any group discussion or collaborative setting, there may be instances wherein the learners lose sight of the topic. As an online facilitator, it is your job to bring the discussion, questions, and answers back to the subject at hand, so that the eLearning course can retain its intended eLearning value. You should not force the discussion into a certain direction by becoming too actively engaged yourself, but also you should not let it veer away from its structured path.

8. Talk less and listen more.
To transform yourself into an effective online facilitator, it's important that you understand the need to talk less and listen more during eLearning instruction. Keep in mind that you are there to not only offering your wisdom and experience, but also to help learners become fully engaged in their own learning. Ask questions, and then let the discussion that the learners' create unfold in order to foster lively debates; as long as they stick to the subject matter, of course.

9. Act as a guide, rather than as an instructor.
Instead of being an instructor, you should think of yourself as a guide throughout the eLearning process. You are there, first and foremost, to ensure that your learners are actively learning the subject matter and figuring out how to apply it within their own lives.

10. Ask for feedback and make changes accordingly.
My last online facilitator tip is, undoubtedly, one of the most essential! You should be willing and able to get constructive feedback from your learners, and then utilize this feedback to improve your eLearning approach and course. Ask them what they think of the eLearning experience, and if they feel as though they benefited from the eLearning course. Then, after you've examined your facilitation strengths and weaknesses, make the necessary changes. This will enable you to offer an eLearning environment and eLearning approach that is beneficial for everyone involved.

Manage your ILT with the best LMS

Find, choose and compare the top Asynchronous Instructor Led Learning Management Systems!

Last but not least, you are more than welcome to read the 25 Tips For Successful Online Course Facilitation.

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From Instructor To Effective Online Facilitator

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Instructors must transform themselves into Effective Online Facilitators, who can engage their learners and enhance the eLearning experience, as a whole.

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Johns Hopkins Engineering for Professionals

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Establishing a positive online presence in your course can result in your students' having:

1. a poor learning experience

2. a somewhat valuable experience

3. a meaningful and rich learning experience

4. all of the above

Answer: 3. a meaningful and rich learning experience
Why?
Many students are enrolled in the courses at EP because of the expertise and experiences they can gain from the subject and the subject matter expert: you!

This invaluable combination of theoretical foundations and practical real world experience covers all areas of student satisfaction: why, what, and how.

Please view the following recording on effective strategies for establishing an online presence.

The slides for this presentation can be downloaded in PDF format.

To download please click the following link: Establish an Online Presence

As you can see the strategies explained in the video above are easy to create and easy to implement and your instructional designer is always there to provide assistance.

Five Effective Strategies

So lets look at the five effective strategies demonstrated in the previous recording and view examples from live online course at EP.

1. Introduction Email

As discussed in the video recording Establish an Online Presence, this is your first hello to your students and lets them know you are ready and excited to teach the course. It also provides helpful information about the course. This, in a sense, breaks the ice between you and your students and is the first step in getting to know each of your students throughout the course.

Below is an example introduction email that you can download and modify to meet your needs.

To download please click the following link: Online Student Welcome Email.doc

Another example of how you can break the ice with your students and provide an opportunity for them to get to know more about you and the course is by creating a short recording introducing the course to the students. This simple recording can be done using a webcam or screen recorder.

2. Instructor Biography

Humanizing the online learning environment increases the student's comfort level, and reduces the psychological distance between the instructors and students. (DuCharme-Hansen, Dupin-Bryant, 2005).

A very simple way to do this is to provide a personalized biography that can textually and graphically represent who you are and what you enjoy doing. This encourages the same behavior from the students, ultimately creating a more open and collaborative course.

Here is an example used by Dr. Michael Robert.

To download, please click the following link: Instructor Bio sample

3. Introduction to the Module

Just as we introduced the course to the students, it is also an effective strategy to introduce each module. Please find below an example by Dr. Justin Williams, an associate research professor at Johns Hopkins University, Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering.

4. Scheduling Regular Synchronous Office Hours

Office Hours should be considered students time. This may be the only opportunity they have to synchronously meet and discuss with peers and the instructor.

The number of students attending regular synchronous office hours is not the important part, providing the opportunity to your students is.

Office Hours are held in Adobe Connect. Below is a help sheet on how to create Adobe Connect meetings.

To download, click the following link: Adobe Connect Help Sheet.pdf

5. Personalized language

Regardless of whether the course is face-to-face or online each student wants to be recognized as an individual rather than just another number in a group. Below are two examples of how language can be written in an online course:
Dr. Smith would like students to call his office number if a matter is urgent and he will return the call when available. If a matter is urgent please call my office number and I will return your call when available.
The second example is more personal and lets the students know you are talking directly to them.

References:

DuCharme-Hanson, R. and Dupin-Bryant, P. (2005). Course planning for online adult learners. Tech Trends

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Establishing a positive online presence in your course can result in your students' having: a poor learning experience a somewhat valuable experience a meaningful and rich learning experience all of the above Answer: 3. a meaningful and rich learning experience Why?

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Creating an Effective Online Instructor Presence

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Creating an Effective Online Instructor Presence

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10 Best Practices To Be An Effective Online Teacher

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10 Best Practices To Be An Effective Online Teacher

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The digital classroom brings with it a range of unknown and unexplored territory, mostly in part to its relative newness when compared to traditional teaching methods. To be an effective online teacher, there are 10 simple but effective practices you can follow. When coupled with a comprehensive course load and the right resources, there's no reason why online learning can't be even more effective than a traditional classroom setting.

1. Be Present

Sure, you might not be physically present in a classroom, but there are many ways to make yourself known in the digital realm. Achieving this online means utilizing a range of different communication methods and ensuring that you check in on them daily or hourly if needed. Discussion boards, emails, announcements, and forums, are just some of the ways you can be present each day in your online classroom. When the course begins, set clear guidelines for your students about when you'll be present.

2. Set The Expectations

As the online classroom can often feel a little free-form, you'll need to provide students with a very clear set of expectations before they commence their studies. These expectations should include everything from what they can expect from you as their teacher, as well as what will be required of them. The expectations can outline due dates for assessments, your communication frequency, how much online participation you require of them, and the conduct they will be expected to display throughout the course.

3. Let The Students Do The Work

The aim of learning is to have students engaged in the content for as long as possible, so you need to create the opportunity for this to happen. Professor of Psychology Bill Pelz discussed in his "Principles of Effective Online Pedagogy" report that the more time the students spend engaged in the content, the more they'll learn.

To give your students plenty of opportunity to engage with the content and each other you can ask them to find and discuss resources, grade their own assignments, and hold student-led discussions in the online forums.

4. Nurture A Supportive Online Community

Since this online space is their classroom, you want students to feel as supported as possible when they're here. By using a variety of dialogue formats, you'll ensure your coursework caters to all learning types and allows students to flourish.

Encourage students to use the general forum for discussion, but also set up small groups within the class so that students can engage in feedback and support with their fellow classmates. Some students may sit back and learn from the sidelines, whereas others will benefit greatly from actively engaging in this type of communication.

5. Think Before You Write

Not only is this an important principle for teaching staff to follow, but one that should be communicated from the very beginning to all students. As it's well known that written text can be left open to interpretation or misinterpretation at any time, it's crucial to craft well thought out responses and posts to others.

When crafting responses to assignments and other evaluations, the best tone to use is a simple, clear, and polite one. As these responses are all your students have to go off in regards to feedback, you need to leave nothing open for interpretation.

6. Ask For Feedback

Sometime around the 2nd or 3rd week, you should ask your students for direct and honest feedback on how things are going. This feedback should cover everything from content to teaching methods, and request any areas requiring improvement. The best way to achieve this is in a somewhat formal tone, so post something on the discussion board and see what pops up.

7. Foster Personal Relationships With Each Student

Getting some one on one time with each student is just as important as effective group communication. Students studying online can sometimes feel deserted and alone in the digital classroom, so it's up to you to make an effort and reach out.

Use a blend of different communication methods, including personalized responses to their discussion boards posts and emails addressed to only one student. At the start of the course, you should set out in your expectations the best communication methods, but never give out your personal email address or contact details to a student.

8. Make Use Of Group And Individual Projects

A healthy mix of group and individual projects is the best way to ensure success with online learning. Giving students this variety of learning styles will enhance their learning capabilities, and teach them the importance of both group work and individual achievements.

9. Use Resources That Are Readily Available

Since your students will already be engaged on their computers and use the internet to log onto the learning portal, the best resources for them are going to be online. By using an assortment of relevant and easily accessible resources such as digital publications, news sites, and online videos, your students are going to be far more engaged than if they had to refer to an outdated textbook. Where possible, mobile content is ideal so don't forget to incorporate anything that can be accessed on their smartphone or mobile device.

10. Have A Closing Activity

Finally, you want to end the course with a bang. The best way to achieve this is with a final summary or assessment that helps students to reflect on everything they've learned. Allow students to reflect on the content and the experiences shared so that everyone is made aware of what they're taking away from the course.

Incorporating these principles into your online teaching methods will not only ensure a supportive community for your students, but will make your job ultimately easier too. As online learning is still in its building stages when compared to other methods of teaching, the most effective principles will continue to grow and adapt to the new world of digital classrooms.

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10 Best Practices To Be An Effective Online Teacher - eLearning Industry

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The digital classroom brings with it a range of unknown and unexplored territory, mostly in part to its relative newness when compared to traditional teaching methods. To be an effective online teacher, there are 10 simple but effective practices you can follow.

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6 Tips for the Successful Online Teacher

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6 Tips for the Successful Online Teacher

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Distance Learning | In Print

6 Tips for the Successful Online Teacher

In recent intake interviews with new students of education at West Texas A&M University, I found that teaching online is the new Holy Grail for many young K-12 educators. They dream about how wonderful it would be to spend part of their day working from home in their bunny slippers and to conduct meaningful interactions with students via Skype while preparing dinner. To this group, teaching online means never having to be anywhere at any particular time, never having to wear uncomfortable "professional clothes," and never being asked a question without having time to research the answer.

After two decades in online teaching in both the corporate world and higher education, I regret to report that the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of the network connection. While online teaching offers many rewards for instructors, it takes a special set of skills and attitudes to excel at it. And these are emphatically not the same skills and attitudes that make an exceptional classroom teacher. Here's the mindset it takes to be a successful online teacher:

1. Forget Constant Validation
While it may be heretical to say it, many teachers are attracted to the profession by all the ego-stroking they hope to receive. They remember the worshipful glances that they bestowed on their own favorite classroom teachers, and now they want their share. But there is a world of difference between a warm face-to-face encounter and an e-mail--no matter how appreciative it might be. While there has been much discussion about how e-mail or even video interaction might not meet students' emotional and security needs, the emotional vacuum on the teacher's side has gone largely unnoticed.

Online teaching actually requires a much higher level of emotional security and confidence in one's own professional competence. This is especially true at the middle-school and high-school levels. These students are socialized to think of computer technology as a reliable appliance, like a refrigerator. Online teachers must work hard to humanize their approach and not be turned into a robotic extension of such an appliance by their students.

2. Know Thy Students
It's hardly news that a great deal of human communication is nonverbal--anyone who's sat through a long phone conference can tell you that. Now remove the verbal component from the equation and the chances of misunderstanding increase exponentially. It takes a great deal of time and effort on the part of online teachers to make sure they are really clear in their own communications, as well as to understand who they are teaching, what students are trying to tell them, and how well their students are succeeding in each course.

In my online classes, I find myself constantly at risk of wildly misjudging both people and their situations. I have had students whom I have mentally pigeonholed as headed for the dustbin--lacking both ability and enthusiasm--only to discover that they are top-notch performers who simply took a while to get the hang of the online process.

Several semesters ago, I was strongly tempted to ease one particular student out of the program. Her native language was Chinese, and I had concluded from her written work that she did not understand English well enough to pass. She soon taught me that reading comprehension and writing skill grow at dramatically different rates. Today, she is a stay-at-home mother making a good living by remotely providing webmaster services to three small colleges.

3. Lose Complete Control
Many classroom teachers thrive in the emotional sphere I call "command mentality." Like an orchestra conductor, they love the sense of control that comes with being in charge. They take this responsibility very seriously, and work like demons to get it right. They make sure all students are crystal clear on what is expected of them and the consequences of failing to meet those expectations. These are the instructors who adore the grading rubrics that have become so much a part of classroom teaching in the age of accountability.

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6 Tips for the Successful Online Teacher -- THE Journal

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After two decades in online teaching in both the corporate world and higher education, I regret to report that the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of the network connection. While online teaching offers many rewards for instructors, it takes a special set of skills and attitudes to excel at it.

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How to be an Effective Online Instructor

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How to be an Effective Online Instructor

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Personally, I think the success of an online course is thanks to both the well-designed content and the instructors! Yes, there are lots of eLearning courses out there that include presentation slides without the presence of the lecturers. However, I could not bring myself to finish a course with just words. Reading a slide is fine, but studying a whole course for hours is not the case. In fact, I feel more connected in courses with talking head videos. Good video quality is a must, however, the connection to the lecturers is another crucial factor of the learning satisfaction.

As mentioned above, I believe 2 determining factors in a successful online course is the knowledge and how we deliver that knowledge to the students. Before we move on to how to be an effective communicator in the virtual environment, let's make sure that the instructional materials are in top quality.

The syllabus tells the course description, learning objectives, course schedule, and materials. It is a comprehensive guide to the eLearning program that set expectations as well as requirements for learners. Some instructional designers miss the syllabus in their instructional design. The traditional classrooms have less a need of documenting the syllabus. The lecturers have many chances to discuss face-to-face with the students about their expectations of the class. Otherwise, the eLearning environment limits the physical communication between instructors and students. Then the instructors would need a clear course syllabus as a roadmap to guide learners throughout the learning process.

The course structure does play a crucial role in the effectiveness of online learning. A well-designed course would help learners absorb the ideas quickly, retain the information better, and indeed enjoy their studying much better. The best suggestion would be to break down the learning content into digestible pieces and set them up intelligently. Group the subject matters into modules, then divide those modules into sections. These bite-sized content also allows you to focus on more in-depth topics. Then learners would understand the concepts fully before jumping off to the next subject.

Content formats that engage

I think the format is a crucial factor in your instructional design. It may have a great impact on the course's engagement and learning outcomes. Some instructional designers just focus on the texts and forget that we have a variety of content types. You can use the following learning material formats:

PowerPoint presentations to easily lay out the information

Talking head videos to represent lecturers and enhance their connection to learners

Animated learning videos to explain complicated concepts and improve the graphic experiences

Charts and graphs to visualize the data

Games to increase interaction of learners and attract learners' interest

Interview videos or case-studies to provide best practices and expert advice

I think it is best to combine all those formats so learners would have broader experiences. You could combine animations and live-action videos or include gamification in the presentation slides. It depends on your learning objectives and your audiences.

Be a better learning facilitator and communicator

Before, students relied much on the passive method of learning when they take note and listen to the lecturers. However, transiting to online learning, the instructors would become more a learning facilitator than a teacher. They must be a part of the learning community, and encourage students to be more involved in the learning process.

Think of yourself as learner

Online learning is much different from the traditional class education. You are granted with the massive availability of teaching time, place, and resources but you are restricted in physical interaction. You may know what works in the classroom, but it may not adapt well to the eLearning environment. Hence I think educators need the experience as online learners to excel in their career. Easy way: Just take an online course. There are various online courses out there for you to choose: credited or non-credited, free or paid. You have so many chances to experience the learning process as a learner. Then you would gain valuable insights on how to produce an effective course. If you find a good course, you can learn from its structure to apply in your pedagogy. You find a bad one, you also learn what may not work in online classes.

The lecturer presence without the physical interaction seems to be a tricky challenge. However, we could use various methods to communicate with learners online. An easy one is just revealing yourself. You could put up a quick profile on the learning system, or use a friendly introduction video. The intro gives online learners the expectation of what they could gain after finishing the course, or how they could apply the ideas in real life. More importantly, it presents you, the lecturers so that students know who they are learning from. You could do a whole video-based course instead of just one welcoming video. Talking head-video is a great format to present yourself and connect with online learners. This type of videos has proved its positive impact on education by the rocketing development of MOOCs. However, sometimes we forget that online learning is not just putting printed materials on the web with life-less lecture videos. A talking-head video is cost-effective and cost-efficient only if you put much effort in it. I think it is always best to put more of your personality in the videos. The lecturers could try connecting to the students by setting the tone of the course with humor or encouraging conversations with questions. We need to create a more humanized environment when students feel like they are a part of the community other than an outsider watching some videos.

Connected learning community

An active and positive community could dispel the isolation of self-paced learning. The instructor then should encourage learners to be active more in the conversation and interaction. Discussion boards and forums are great ways to generate the interaction from learners to lecturers and peers. Learners are then encouraged to be more involved in the courses by asking questions, sharing their ideas and exploring the subjects themselves. Timely feedback on these online communication tools is also important. It is not always easy to find time answering questions on forums and replying emails daily. You can announce students a fixed time that you are available to reply their concerns. This act would set an expectation of the time learners receive your answers. You can also choose to address the main matters only. It reduces your workload and helps learners identify the main points. After all, I think the best way is asking the questions yourself. As mentioned above, your questions would enhance your relationship with learners and guide them in the right direction. Besides, you would have great insights of their perception and materials to evaluate the learning outcomes.

Last but not least, feedbacks, whether from your students or colleagues, give you new perceptions of how to improve the quality of the course. There is an interesting idea that you should not start with a completed course. This is what we always do. Sometimes you do not know if students like the learning material format. Then if you only give them the first section of the class, they could give you valuable insights to go on producing the right content. One more thing is feedbacks are more effective if learners consider you as a member of the community. It would always be best to stay active in the community.

Online learning does not mean putting the traditional lessons on the Internet. The role of the instructor also changes massively from being a lecturer into a learning facilitator. I think it is essential to present yourself properly in the online environment so that students would know they are supported and encouraged in the learning process.
Read Further:

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How to be an Effective Online Instructor - F.learning Studio

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Personally, I think the success of an online course is thanks to both the well-designed content and the instructors! Yes, there are lots of eLearning courses out there that include presentation slides without the presence of the lecturers. However, I could not bring myself to finish a course with just words.

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Teaching online is the new Holy Grail for many young K-12 educators. They dream about how wonderful it would be to spend part of their day working from home and conduct meaningful interactions with students online while preparing dinner. To them,

teaching online means never having to be anywhere at any particular time, never having to wear uncomfortable and never being asked a question without having time to research the answer.

Nevertheless, the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of the network connection. While online teaching offers many rewards for instructors, it takes a special set of skills and attitudes to excel at it. Here are 10 tips you shall need to be a successful online teacher:

If you, as an online teacher are able to efficiently implement even 50% of these tips in your teaching, I assure you that success will come knocking at your door very soon. You are invited to share more tips, views or just comment upon the context. The Comment Box awaits you.

Educational technology blogger, loves to research and write about tools and tips for educators on how to integrate technology into everyday instruction creatively and effectively. Fond of reading and writing.

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Teaching online is the new Holy Grail for many young K-12 educators. They dream about how wonderful it would be to spend part of their day working from home and conduct meaningful interactions with students online while preparing dinner.

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Three Things You Need to Do to Become a Successful Online Teacher	

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Three Things You Need to Do to Become a Successful Online Teacher	

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Working closely with online teachers has given me a great insight into what ultimately makes someone a success online.

Having a plan in place is crucial and, recently, I discussed the importance of building trust with learners online.

But in this post, I want to highlight three things that you need to do to ensure that you reach your goals, allowing you to take control of your teaching and income over the long-term.

Let's get straight into it.

Commit to Your Goal

When I made the transition into online teaching, I was fully committed to making it work.

My goals were different back then; I was very content teaching around 25 one-to-one lessons per week. I had no set plans to teach group lessons, create courses or earn more of a passive income. But I was pretty single-minded about reaching this initial goal.

There were so many ups and downs in the early days: the high of my first student; the low of my second student going AWOL after a couple of weeks.

I also had problems with my website - I knew nothing about coding or WordPress in those days - and these early setbacks and challenges can make a big impact on your confidence. It's easy to give up when something goes wrong. It's easy to think that each setback is a sign that it won't work for you.
But the good news is this: if you are committed and consistently do the right things, then you will achieve your goal. It's just a matter of when.
If you have this mentality, your YouTube subscribers, email followers, and lesson requests will keep increasing. And if you manage to build some momentum, then there is the potential to see exponential growth.

On the other hand, if you take small setbacks to heart and don't have the mentality to keep improving and keep consistent, then things will most likely not work out for you.

I've seen some teachers achieve their goal of having a full schedule in a matter of weeks. Some take longer. Others never get there. Everyone is different and there are many factors at hand. But those who end up being successful are those who are committed to making it work.

When you have this mentality, it shows in the way you communicate, on your website, and in your videos. It's contagious and something that learners will pick up on.

Commit to your goals. Commit to overcoming obstacles along the way. And commit to your improvement as a teacher and and as a marketer.

Connect and Collaborate

As I mention in my webinars and interviews, I was a lone-wolf when I first started online.

Whenever I came across another site offering online English lessons, I would worry about my learners finding it. Competition made me anxious and I thought that there was limited room for online teachers.

But I have since learned that there is no competition if you set things up correctly.

I saw massive growth in my online business once I started reaching out and collaborating with other teachers. It was incredible to connect with others who were doing something similar; we learned from each other and also offered support and advice when it was needed.

I've been part of two wonderful mastermind groups over the past year. Sharing my goals, and being held accountable for them, has given me the motivation and the commitment to keep progressing. And I've gained so much from seeing how others are achieving their goals.

Since first putting myself out there and reaching out to others, I've seen an online community of independent teachers grow stronger and stronger. There is a definite sense of togetherness and collaboration. And this is only a good thing for us teachers and our learners.

So, get out there and make connections.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

When I made the decision to expand my business, I had to get out of my comfort zone.

At the time, I was comfortable with my income and daily routine. In fact, I'm very comfortable right now, too. But it's important to be always moving forward otherwise things can quickly go stale.

If you're new to online teaching, then you will most likely have to get out of your comfort zone too.

Because it involves doing things that are different. The majority of teachers won't know much about making videos, online marketing or creating a website that converts.

I knew very little about these areas back in 2010, but I invested in myself and made the commitment to make it work.

Along the way, there were many instances of when I had to get out of my comfort zone. But each time, I'm glad I did. Sometimes things worked out (great!), sometimes they didn't (I still learned something).

And today, as I look to grow a large audience and move into new areas of online teaching, I need to keep doing things that are a little bit scary. I need to keep experimenting.

Because as the popular meme states, this is where the magic happens.

Over to You

Moving online is a journey with so many future possibilities but, as I mentioned, there are certain things that you will need to do to make it work.

In the comment section below, please share your journey and let me know if this post resonated with you.

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Three Things You Need to Do to Become a Successful Online Teacher | Teaching ESL Online

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Working closely with online teachers has given me a great insight into what ultimately makes someone a success online. Having a plan in place is crucial and, recently, I discussed the importance of building trust with learners online. But in this post, I want to highlight three things that you need to do to ensure that ...

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As we kick off the New Year, I'd like to look back and recognize the achievements of two of my fellow Connections Academy instructors in 2012. Justin Siddall, a secondary language arts teacher, was named the 2012 Colorado Online Teacher of the Year, while fourth grade intervention specialist Emily Wallace was named the 2012 Teacher of the Year by the Ohio Council of Community Schools.

These awards are a testament to the degree of excellence our teachers strive for at Connections Academy. I'm proud to say that I was named the 2010 Online Elementary Teacher of the Year by the Colorado Department of Education, and I can attest to the fact that our teachers truly bring their "A" Game to offer our students the quality education they deserve.

Annual Teacher of the Year awards recognize the important role that online teachers play in today's virtual schools. Being able to successfully understand and guide each student's learning from a distance (over the phone, through a learning management system, and via web-conferencing sessions)-while keeping each student engaged-requires a high level of knowledge of the curriculum and state requirements, lots of preparation, proactive intervention, and plenty of creativity.
However, there are many other skills that make an online teacher effective. Some of the most important skills and qualities an online teacher should possess include:

State certification and expertise.
Almost a given is that a virtual school teacher needs to be state-certified. However, exceptional online schools look for teachers who are exceptionally knowledgeable about their discipline's content area. Not only do these teachers respond quickly and appropriately to students, but also their expertise enables them to engage students more thoroughly.

Technology skills.
While online teachers need to understand and feel comfortable with technology in general, they specifically need to be proficient in their school's learning management system (LMS) and with the tools to gather and organize data (i.e., spreadsheets and pivot tables). By pulling and organizing their students' data (i.e.,learning styles; placement; and formative and summative assessments), teachers know how to guide students in their personalized learning. It's also helpful if teachers have experience as online learners, so they more directly understand this learning environment and can anticipate questions and problems their students may have. Connections Academy provides a comprehensive training and professional development program for teachers.

Patience.
Because they aren't facilitating students' learning face-to-face, it's critical for online teachers to be able to explain tough concepts and answer questions over the phone, through online tools, or via a one-on-one web-conferencing session-and to know which approach will work best for which students. As a consequence, the best online teachers are often called upon by software developers to, for example, review proposed icons in learning management systems-because the teacher needs to be able to describe such visual images in words. Because learning takes place over the Internet, there's a possibility for technical issues to arise. Online teachers need patience and knowledge to know what to do for their students and themselves when those situations arise.

Encouraging attitude.
The best online teachers know how to encourage their students from a distance. How, when, and how often they provide feedback, ask and answer questions, and interact throughvirtual classrooms directly impacts each student's learning experience. The effective online teacher needs to be there for each of his or her students, encouraging them all to learn and succeed at the highest levels.

Accessibility.
Because students don't see their online teachers every day in person, they have to be able to get in contact with them when they need help. Online teachers have to know their discipline so well that they can respond quickly and appropriately to student requests, especially when working with students one-on-one. Answering email messages, taking questions over the phone, holding known and predictable open office hours, and providing feedback on assessments in a timely manner are all necessary-and incredibly important-parts of the job.

Adaptability.
In virtual schools, teachers have to be prepared to handle the unexpected. Presentations don't always load correctly, students don't always respond predictably, and the first attempt at explaining something doesn't always work. Online teachers have to be able to change their plans when the unexpected occurs, and they must demonstrate extra resourcefulness and competencies in adjusting instructional methods and content to personalize student learning.

As you can see, online teachers have their work cut out for them. However, the work we do is incredibly rewarding and greatly impacts today's online learners.

What have your child's online teachers done to make the virtual classroom an engaging, supportive, and exciting place to learn? Share your stories with us!

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What Makes a Great Online Teacher? | Connections Academy

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As we kick off the New Year, I'd like to look back and recognize the achievements of two of my fellow Connections Academy instructors in 2012. Justin Siddall, a secondary language arts teacher, was named the 2012 Colorado Online Teacher of the Year, while fourth grade intervention specialist Emily Wallace was named the 2012 Teacher of the Year by the Ohio Council of Community Schools.

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How to Be an Effective Online Instructor? 

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How to Be an Effective Online Instructor? 

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11 Principles Of eLearning: Demystified And Applied

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11 Principles Of eLearning: Demystified And Applied

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Demystifying And Applying The 11 Principles Of eLearning

The intrinsic value of eLearning-its limitless accessibility, applications, and advancements-can't be overstated. Learners from classrooms to corporations have access to self-paced, just-in-time education and training at their fingertips. And with technology, eLearning is ever-changing and evolving to meet lifelong learners exactly where they are and provide them with exactly what they need, exactly when they need it.

But eLearning courseware is more than words and audio on a screen. To create an effective and impactful course, learning materials must be strategically and thoughtfully designed with appropriate Instructional Design principles.

These principles guide each course and are adjusted and customized to create the most impactful learning experience. Simply put, Instructional Designers are like master chefs, who have to balance and blend all the principles necessary to capitalize on each opportunity to engage and educate a learner.

Principles Of eLearning

In his book, Multimedia Learning [1], Richard E. Mayer discusses 12 principles that shape the design and organization of multimedia presentations. Here, we break down and demystify 11 of these fundamental eLearning principles:

1. Multimedia Principle

This principle uses words and graphics concurrently, rather than words exclusively. This approach engages both visual and auditory elements as learners often prefer to learn from both words and pictures, rather than from words alone. With new innovations such as 3-D modeling and animation, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality courses are being brought to life like never before, creating maximum impact. This principle is economical, impactful and the combinations therein are virtually limitless, making it an easy choice.

2. Contiguity Principles

This principle leverages words and corresponding graphics, presenting both elements in close proximity to one another, and is broken into 2 subcategories: spatial and temporal contiguity.

Spatial Contiguity Principle
This principle relies on spatial relativity, keeping the words explaining a concept and their accompanying images together, and facilitates a learner's ability to fully understand and process the information.

Temporal Contiguity Principle
Conversely, this principle presents corresponding words and images simultaneously, rather than successively. Both visuals-words and images-can then be processed concurrently to facilitate retention and understanding.

Think of it like this: instead of revealing all page elements at once, learners can instead actively select certain features using a 'hover-and-reveal' or 'click-and-reveal' feature to avoid overloading the screen-and the audience.

3. Modality Principle

This principle presents words and information in the form of audio narration, rather than on-screen text. Images are described as well so learners don't risk experiencing cognitive overload, as they can instead focus on one element: the narration.

According to the Cognitive Load Theory, the amount of information that working memory can hold at one time is limited. As such, this principle caters to the theory that related sources of information can be understood with the integration-rather than the separation-of information through narration.

The narration is a powerful tool, especially when leveraged as a real-life testimonial that conveys the intensity or severity of topics. Through impactful student testimonials, for example, there are online learning modules which use the power of storytelling narration in their online learning designed to prevent sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, and stalking on college campuses.

4. Redundancy Principle

This principle explains visuals with words in audio or text, but not both. As such, both elements instead complement one another, rather than confound a learner with an overload of all available elements, using a less-is-more approach.

An example of this principle in action is when learners are empowered to choose whether they want to listen to audio or read the text. Captions can be turned on or off, and audio can be muted for times when learners are in a shared space.

5. Coherence Principle

Similar to the Redundancy Principle, this also adopts a less-is-more approach. Irrelevant, extraneous or inapplicable information is eliminated, including audio, visuals, and words, to avoid distraction and increase learning and retention, allowing the learner to concentrate on critical elements only.

Simply put: if words, audio, or images can be omitted without affecting the impact of the message or information, omit them.

6. Personalization Principle

This principle indicates the use of a conversational-style voice and tone-rather than a formal, authoritative tone-to put the learner at ease. It serves to give the content a more approachable, intimate feel so learners can process the content more easily with increased attention and engagement.

Consider these 2 tones for explaining compounding interest from eLearning and the Science of Instruction [2]:

Example 1
'Interest is compounded or added to the existing cash balance monthly. For disclosure on client statements, the annual percentage yield earned is calculated as follows ...'

Example 2
'Clients will often ask you to explain how the Annual Percentage Yield on their statement was calculated. This can be confusing, so let's run through an example ...'

The Personalization Principle would then suggest that the second, more informal example is more relatable and, therefore, more engaging to the learner.

7. Segmenting Principle

This principle serves to manage complexity by breaking a lesson into smaller, more palatable parts. Since eLearning is predominantly self-paced, this principle helps to reinforce that process, facilitating learning with user-paced segments, rather than as a continuous module. Further, this principle gives learners more control, allowing them to find what they need, see where they've been and know what to expect.

Accordingly, microlearning, a new technique being utilized in eLearning, breaks down course material into smaller, more digestible segments.

8. Signaling Principle

This principle suggests that people learn better when cues that highlight the organization of the essential material are added, encouraging organized learning content. Further, it suggests that content should get incrementally more complex, with simpler concepts being presented first.

The simplest way to contextualize the principle is to think back on meals as a child. Just as you would spread your lima beans all over your plate to give the illusion you've eaten more than you have, breaking up blocks of content into visually smaller chunks gives the illusion of more manageable, bite-sized content.

9. Voice Principle

This principle suggests that people learn better when the narration is spoken in an intimate, informal friendly human voice rather than a robotic voice. Often, machine voices are more cost-effective but in the long run, retention and engagement suffer.

In fact, SafeSchools, for example, won a storytelling award, highlighting how effectively courses can deliver information by creating relatable scenarios with which your learners will empathize, thus fostering an emotional connection with the content.

10. Pre-Training Principle

This principle capitalizes on what essentially amounts to learning calisthenics as learners benefit when they preemptively know the names and characteristics included in the content. If you think of learning as a cocktail party, the pre-training principle is a learner's first introduction to everyone at the party, upon which they build familiarity, comfort-and then continue building once connections are fostered.

Think of it like this: before a learner is to begin a course of complex, industry-jargoned content, a course can present a list of frequently used-but relatively uncommon-terms and phrases so the learner has a much greater chance of success-and retention.

In the 'recipe' of eLearning, Instructional Design can leverage any combination of these principle 'ingredients' in order to provide limitless opportunities for learning. These design principles provide eLearning courseware and content variety-the 'spice' of learning-to make it endlessly engaging, informative, and instructional for both corporate and classroom learners alike.
References:

1. Multimedia Learning

2. e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning, 4th Edition

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11 Principles Of eLearning: Demystified And Applied - eLearning Industry

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The intrinsic value of eLearning-its limitless accessibility, applications, and advancements-can't be overstated. Learners from classrooms to corporations have access to self-paced, just-in-time education and training at their fingertips. And with technology, eLearning is ever-changing and evolving to meet lifelong learners exactly where they are and provide them with exactly what they need, exactly when they need it.

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Are you thinking about enrolling in an online program or course? The content is really important. But so is the person who's teaching! Find out what makes a great online teacher. Will yours measure up?

Content Knowledge: Someone who is going to train you in your new career needs to know all the ins and outs of the profession. They need hands-on experience-the more the better. It's good if they can teach you principles and theories, but it's great when they can give real world examples from their own careers.

Technical Aptitude: Whether your online instructor is teaching Information Technology or Business, they need to be good with computers. More importantly, they need to know all about the online tools that your program requires. After all, if they haven't mastered the platforms and portals from which they teach, how can they possibly help you succeed in your program?

Enthusiasm: Have you ever met someone who really loves their job? Even if they're not teachers, they probably can't wait to share what they do with you. That kind of passion for the profession is a great trait for a great teacher. They don't just want to share what they know. They also want to find people who will be good candidates for a career they love. And they want to help those new professionals succeed!

Accessibility: Just because your program is online doesn't mean you only deal with computers. A good online instructor will make themselves available to answer your questions and offer guidance and assistance. Whether it's through your course portal or email, they're there to help. They'll also be a facilitator who brings together you and your coursemates through online discussions and group projects.

Patience: Your learning style will probably be different from other people in the course. It may even be different from your instructor. But no matter how you learn, a good teacher will find a way to patiently show you the way. Whether you're having trouble with course content, or just an issue with your technology, a great teacher will calmly help you overcome the obstacles in your way.

Compassion: Why do people forget that online courses are run and taken by actual people? A good online teacher will remember that your program is not the only thing happening in your life. They'll insist you meet your deadlines and get your work done, but they'll acknowledge if you stumble and help you get back on track. They're people who work with machines, not machines themselves!

If you want to meet some great online teachers, check out all the online programs at Charter College. We have programs in Business, Healthcare, Information Technology, and some Trades. Request info to find out more now.

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Are you thinking about enrolling in an online program or course? The content is really important. But so is the person who's teaching! Find out what makes a great online teacher. Will yours measure up? Content Knowledge: Someone who is going to train you in your new career needs to know all the ins and outs of the profession.

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Top 10 Rules for Developing Your First Online Course

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Top 10 Rules for Developing Your First Online Course

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Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning

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Years of helping faculty pass to the dark side of online education have taught me a few simple rules that I brow beat (in a collegial way) into all new online teachers.

Rule 1: Provide Extra Detail in Your Online Syllabus
Most of us spend much of the first day of class going through the syllabus, taking time to elaborate on different points, and answering questions as we go along. Online classrooms lack this time, and so the syllabus must be more detailed than it would be for a face-to-face class, especially when it comes to procedures. You can also preempt problems and save time answering questions by creating a discussion forum devoted to common questions about the class itself.

Rule 2: Begin with Community Building
Despite appearances, online education is (should be) a fundamentally communal endeavor, with discussion taking center stage. But discussion requires trust, which can be built through community-building exercises. Some educators even recommend spending the first two weeks on community building, asserting that it will pay for itself in better performance over the remainder of the course.

Rule 3: Design for the Web
I remember building my first online course by transcribing the lectures from my face-to-face course into text. Somehow the students managed to get through them, bless their hearts. But, of course, the online environment is fundamentally visual, built on videos, interaction, exploration, etc. All effective communication requires an understanding of the rules of that environment. Don't view the online environment through the paradigm of the face-to-face environment. Rather, design for the web.

Rule 4: Account for Different Systems
It's easy to forget that web pages operate differently on different browsers, and especially on different devices. Ask your instructional designers to go over your course to confirm that everything will work on different systems. It's a good idea to check in with them before designing content so that they can give you a template that will work.

Rule 5: If Someone Can Say it Better Than You, Then Let Them
The first time I taught medical ethics, I wrote a long description of the Human Genome Project for my students to read. It took me hours and was boring. Then I discovered that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had a beautiful website covering everything in my document and more. I could have saved myself a lot of time and provided better content by sending them to the NIH website.

Faculty often think they must develop every piece of content from scratch, but nearly all of the information in their head is available somewhere else. Use the web to your advantage by curating, rather than creating, content whenever possible.

Rule 6: Use a Consistent Format
Humans are fundamentally pattern-recognition animals, meaning that we will look for patterns to help guide our actions. Create a template of what you will want from students in each module and follow it. It might be that your modules start with a video overview of the material, links to various content, three discussion questions, etc. Changes in midstream invariably lead to students missing content or assignments.

Rule 7: Remember the Workload Parameters
Some faculty seem to think that they need to "make up" for the online format by assigning extra work, or maybe the cornucopia of material available on the web makes them want to assign all of it, less a student miss some detail that they may need 20 years down the line. Either way, faculty commonly assign too much content in an online class. If you assign too much, students will only view part of it, and the part they choose as more important may not be what you think is most important. Define a workload range and stay within it.

Rule 8: Provide Content in Different Formats Whenever Possible
While the premise that people have different learning styles is somewhat controversial, I've found that different people prefer different types of content. For this reason, as well as ADA purposes, it's a good idea to present content in different formats whenever possible. This could be as simple as providing a transcript to accompany a video.

Rule 9: Mix Content and Activities
One disadvantage of the traditional college lecture is that it separates content from engagement. The teacher talks for 50 minutes or longer, and the students engage with the material later as homework. But this is not how we learn. We need practice and reflection every 20 minutes or so to move knowledge from our short-term memory to our long-term memory. In the online classroom, systems like VoiceThread or Articulate Storyline are ideal for allowing teachers to intersperse activities with their content to enable immediate application and better retention.

Rule of Rules (10): It Takes Longer Than You Think
All faculty members, including me, underestimate how long it will take them to develop online content. I tell faculty to develop their content during the semester prior to the course going live, earlier if at all possible.
Dr. John Orlando writes, consults, and teaches faculty how to use technology to improve learning.

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Top 10 Rules for Developing Your First Online Course

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Years of helping faculty pass to the dark side of online education have taught me a few simple rules that I brow beat (in a collegial way) into all new online teachers.

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5 Must-Have Elements for Every Online Class

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5 Must-Have Elements for Every Online Class

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Online Teacher of the Year Renee Citlau offers advice for taking K–12 learning virtual.

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Technology Solutions That Drive Education

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When 2013 Online Teacher of Year Renee Citlau moved to the classroom after previous careers in business and accounting, she was alarmed by what she encountered: Too many students were not engaged in their own educations; some struggled with even the most basic language skills. Surely the nation's schools and teachers could do better.

Citlau enrolled in an online master's program through Pepperdine University and began to consider the benefits of online education in K-12 classrooms. "I thought, this really has a lot of opportunities for our high school students," she says. Buoyed by her own experiences, and with support from administrators at Cyprus High School in the Anaheim Union High School District, Citlau launched one of the school system's first online courses.

Five years later, the district boasts a full slate of curriculum-approved, teacher-generated online courses, with 23 optional classes scheduled for the 2013-2014 school year.

That success is just one of the reasons why iNACOL, a national nonprofit that supports the use of technology in U.S. schools, and the Southern Regional Education Board chose Citlau as their National Online Teacher of the Year.

I was fortunate to catch up with Citlau while she was in Washington, D.C., last week to meet with education officials and representatives for learning management systems provider Blackboard, Inc.

Itching to launch an online course at your school? Here are five steps the nation's best online teacher says every program should take.

1. Get Organized. "You have to be very organized, and you need to have a good sense of course development and some training in that," Citlau says. Make sure every online course is rooted soundly in the same pedagogy that drives the creation of your traditional brick-and-mortar courses. Employ the same tested elements of educational design and instruction that you would for any other program. Be sure each online course is engaging and relevant and has defined learning objectives. Develop relevant assessments designed to test student progress toward those objectives.

2. Build Community. "Student-to-student communities and teacher-to-student communities are vital for the online class and for learning to occur," says Citlau. Online teachers need to develop strategies and tactics for connecting with students - many of whom they do not see face to face on a regular basis. Form online discussions and working groups that promote communication and address critical thinking skills. Citlau employs online discussion groups offered through the Haiku Learning Management System (LMS) and an educational content authoring program called SoftChalk to create custom content specifically for her students.

3. Integrate and Collaborate. "Don't have flat courses," says Citlau. Organize your online class so that students work together and get to know one another. In her classes, Citlau encourages students to break out into study teams. Each team develops its own "teamwork agreement" using a customizable Google document, which Citlau says establishes "the importance of teamwork upfront." Citalu also uses a public wiki that students can edit and add to collectively as the course progresses and private teacher-to-student learning journals that encourage students to reflect on their experiences and help her determine individual strengths and weaknesses. Just because you're learning online does not mean you need to feel isolated, says Citlau. "My students have said, 'The most important thing I've learned in the class is teamwork.'"

4. Encourage Self-Assessment. Every course, whether online or in-person, needs to include some form of assessment to gauge student progress toward learning objectives. Traditional multiple-choice-type questions are one way to do this. But Citlau says she prefers more open-ended questions combined with introspective self-assessments. Her LMS also features a real-time survey tool that allows educators to quickly gauge whether students comprehend specific subjects or lessons. These tools often provide "a better picture of what students really know than traditional tests," she says. The privacy of the online environment often encourages students to communicate more openly with instructors-something they might be less inclined to do in a classroom full of their peers.

5. Provide Professional Development. Online courses can be effective. But technology is a two-way street, says Citlau. Teachers need to understand and embrace all of the tools and resources available to help students use them for learning. That means working and evolving alongside the technology. "We're never complacent with where we are," says Citlau. "We're reflecting and we're modifying. It's one thing to do it by yourself; it's another to do it with people who are like-minded, who are reflective." This is the best and only way to ensure collaboration, creativity and innovation throughout your online courses.

Have other ideas for developing a strong online course? Tell us in the Comments.

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5 Must-Have Elements for Every Online Class

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When 2013 Online Teacher of Year Renee Citlau moved to the classroom after previous careers in business and accounting, she was alarmed by what she encountered: Too many students were not engaged in their own educations; some struggled with even the most basic language skills. Surely the nation's schools and teachers could do better.

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Let's face it: there are a lot of low-quality, low-learning, boring online classes out there. But, there are also some spectacular online courses that engage students and help them learn in ways that aren't always possible in a ​ traditional classroom. Most of these top-notch online classes tend to share some common traits:

Natural Learning Content

Reading a generic textbook and answering fill-in-the-blank questions isn't a natural way to learn, and good online classes stay away from such formulaic materials. Instead, they try to engage students with content that is a natural fit for learning about the topic. Here's a smart test for determining if the content is worthwhile: would a self-directed learner interested in finding out more about the topic want to use that book, website, or video if he or she knew about it? Would the content be something an expert in the subject would recommend to an interested stranger at a dinner party if asked? If so, it's probably the kind of content good online classes always include.

Self-Directed Assignments

As much as possible, good online classes provide the opportunity for students to make up their own minds and take responsibility for their own learning. Some of the best courses allow students to create their own projects or focus on an element of the topic that they particularly enjoy. These courses try to avoid being overly scripted and instead give adult learners to construct meaning on their own.

Appeals to All Learning Styles

Not everyone learns the same way. Good courses make sure to appeal to visual, kinesthetic, and other learning styles by providing a variety of multimedia content and carefully designed assignments that help students learn in the way that works best for them.

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Let's face it: there are a lot of low-quality, low-learning, boring online classes out there. But, there are also some spectacular online courses that engage students and help them learn in ways that aren't always possible in a ​ traditional classroom.

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4 Expert Strategies for Designing an Online Course

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4 Expert Strategies for Designing an Online Course

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Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

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Salena Rabidoux and Amy Rottmann, Amy Rottmann, Salena Rabidoux

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4 Expert Strategies for Designing an Online Course

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Steps for success include involving the learner, making collaboration work, devising a consistent structure and revising based on evaluation.

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Strategies for Creating a Successful Online Classroom

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Strategies for Creating a Successful Online Classroom

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Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning

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Online learning presents new challenges beyond those of a traditional classroom because students must become more responsible for their learning. Many learners are unfamiliar with the online learning environment, which may include unfamiliar technology, isolation from instructors and university staff, and a lack of face-to-face interaction other learners. As online instructors, we must give additional attention to strategies that will keep our learners engaged, create a successful learning environment, and provide a rewarding learning experience where learners feel supported, valued, and connected.

Ideas for best practices
Start early by reaching out to your learners. One way to do this is to send an email that provides a PowerPoint, Jing, or YouTube video that highlights some of your experiences and accomplishments. Do not forget to include personal interests. Students like to know their instructors are real people who have shared many of the same sorts of experiences that they have.

Provide your students with information on how to get started in the classroom (Briggs, 2015). Try creating a PowerPoint or other media presentation highlighting the class requirements (i.e. assignments and discussions). Keep the presentation short and succinct. Point out any nuances to the requirements, such as specifics in a discussion or assignment that many students neglect or the use of outside references in their writing. Then, schedule a telephone conference to discuss the major assignments or requirements of the course. This provides learners with the opportunity to ask questions on all aspects of the course. It also provides a more human element to the course. It is vital that students see you as a person and that they connect with you from the onset.

Create templates or outlines to help guide learners and clarify the expectations. Learners may have been out of the learning environment for a time or be unfamiliar with style guides or with how to write an effective paper. Many students struggle with APA or MLA. By providing templates that adhere to the requirements of the course you also provide learners with examples of the university required writing style (ie. APA) thus lowering the stress of learning both the writing style as well as the assignment requirements. Here's an example of a we provide to our students.

Give specific feedback to students on what they did well and offer suggestions on how to improve. It is important that you always begin with a positive comment, and then introduce 2-3 specific ways to improve, and then end with a positive comment. Do not overwhelm learners with too many corrections. Instead focus on 2-3 areas that are attainable by the next assignment. For example: APA in-text citations for direct quotes or help in including transition statements that improve the flow of the paper or assignment. If there are too many "errors" then the learners become overwhelmed and it is less likely that they will address the issues on subsequent assignments. In addition, offer to schedule one-on-one telephone or Skype sessions with your learners to discuss any concerns or questions they may have. Just 10 minutes can get the students back on track and have them feeling more confident about their ability to be successful in the course.

Post weekly announcements, reminders, and tips for assignments or discussion postings. It is a good practice in these announcements to introduce the new week, call attention to anything that is due during the current week, and then provide a section on what learners can expect in future weeks. This is also a good time to remind students of timelines for major assignments, exams/quizzes, or special projects that are due in the course.

You can also provide learners with additional resources and links to assist them with their work. Research has documented that students report a strong positive connectedness and improved academic success with instructors that provide external resources/links to help them in the classroom (Brown & Starrett, 2017).

Finally, design a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page that answers many of the common questions students have about a course. The FAQ page serves as a valuable tool that helps students quickly find the information they need, when they need it; resulting in more independent learners and fewer repetitive questions for you. It also reduces their stress levels because it outlines where to find key resources, such as writing tutors, technology support, and assistance with accommodations.

By being proactive as instructors we can take some of the stress out of the online learning environment while making the experience both rewarding and successful.

References
Briggs, A. "Ten Ways to Overcome Barriers to Student Engagement Online. " Academic Technology. February 11, 2015. https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/news_item/ten-ways-overcome-barriers-student-engagement-online/

McInnis Brown, M., & Starrett, T. "Fostering Student Connectedness: Building Relationships in the Classroom." Faculty Focus Higher Ed Teaching Strategies. April 7, 2017. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/fostering-student-connectedness-building-relationships-classroom/
Jill Alred's experience includes both teaching at the university level and in public education for more than 30 years.
Candace Adams has been a teacher for the past 22 years. She started her educational career as a high school English teacher and then after earning her doctorate moved to higher education.

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Strategies for Creating a Successful Online Classroom

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Online learning presents new challenges beyond those of a traditional classroom because students must become more responsible for their learning. Many learners are unfamiliar with the online learning environment, which may include unfamiliar technology, isolation from instructors and university staff, and a lack of face-to-face interaction other learners.