Best Practices « SHSUOnline Blog
Welcome to the Best Practices for Teaching online or as we like to call it: Strategies for Success in your Online Course page. No matter what tool you use or technological journey you embark upon, is the method and not the medium that will help you ensure success in the online, face-to-face and hybrid courses you are teaching. These best practices/strategies will help you with organization, communication, time saving, assessment as well as many other areas. Just looking at this list of best practices, it is easy to understand how you might feel overwhelmed. In some cases, try adopting one or two of these strategies at a time and then include more the next time you teach this course (following semester). Record an Video Introduction for your Course Record an introduction video introducing yourself and the course organization. Use a “Virtual Office” Discussion Forum for Course Questions The name doesn’t matter, but a course Q&A forum services 3 purposes: Employ a Syllabus Quiz Like this:
Effective Online Teaching
As I venture through my online teaching and course development I have been drawn to the question, what does an effective online teacher look like? If I am to develop a good online course then I will need to know what aspect I need to include in the course that would facilitate good online teaching practices. 1. Provide helpful resources on the course site: their summary indicated that “guiding questions helped students focus and develop their projects” (pg. 21) 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 1. 2. 3. 4. Cole and Kritzer (2006) expressed the need to create each unit as a module where all of their objectives, readings, presentations, questions, and activity were presented in one complete block. As I reflect on these practices and suggestions I am encouraged that I do implement a lot of these strategies but I also struggle with the schools that just want the old correspondence courses where there is no interaction and community and the student learns in isolation.
7 Strategies to Make Your Online Teaching Better
This GradHacker post is by Andrea Zellner, PhD candidate in Ed Tech/Ed Pysch at Michigan State University, @andreazellner There is no doubt that online education has arrived in Higher Education. Each year, the numbers of colleges and universities offering online courses increases. There is certainly appeal for these types of courses: students can better fit them into busy schedules and traveling to campus is no longer required. While I dabbled in teaching hybrid and online courses for a while, I have been teaching online for most of the past two years. Additionally, I began my graduate career in a hybrid PhD program: two weeks of face-to-face instruction with the rest of the instruction and work provided entirely online, and mostly asynchronously. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.Provide support for self-regulation. 7. In the end, there is a lot to consider when teaching online. P.S. What are your tips for teaching online?
Ten Best Practices for Teaching Online
J. V. Boettcher, Ph.D. Minor revisions May 2011 Our knowledge about what works well in online teaching and learning is growing rapidly and that is very good news. Here are ten best practices for anyone just getting started in the online environment. Best Practice 1: Be Present at the Course Site Liberal use of a faculty's use of communication tools such as announcements, discussion board postings, and forums communicate to the students that the faculty member cares about who they are, cares about their questions and concerns, and is generally "present" to do the mentoring and challenging that teaching is all about. When faculty actively interact and engage students in a face-to-face classroom, the class develops as a learning community, developing intellectual and personal bonds. We have learned to quantify what it means to "be present." Note: Students who feel abandoned or who feel alone may even post questions, such as "Is anybody there?" This best practice cannot be overemphasized.
Five Expectations Students Should Have of an Online Instructor
In recent years, online degree programs have become a widely accepted modality for many learners who seek a college degree. Most often, students who choose the flexibility of online college courses have family or work obligations that inhibit their ability to be placed in a traditional classroom. Online learning is a great choice for a student who is a self-motivated, and who is an independent learner. As a higher education instructor, you should recognize the temperament of the learning environment in which you teach as well as what students expect from you. For instance, if you're preparing for a traditional setting, you will get to know your students and their goals for the semester through dialogue and face-to-face interaction. However, in a virtual setting, you may be unsure of what is expected, especially if you have never taught an online course before. It is important to take the time to set realistic expectations for your online learning environment. Availability Professionalism
