Thoughts on online teaching

This section contains ideas and tips from those that have already been there.

Online "listening" is often a skill that needs to be developed by both instructors and students. Students will often get caught up in the excitement of being online and not carefully follow the instructions for the course.

The online medium tends to exaggerate both positive and negative messages. If an instructor says "good job" to a student, the effect can often be dramatically positive. If an instructor says "Let's keep on track, now is not the time for that topic," a student might feel completely demoralized and quit interacting or even drop the course. It's a fact that the online medium tends to often be emotionally charged. Perhaps the nature of written communication has fundamental differences from verbal communication.

An online instructor must develop techniques for maintaining a mental picture of each individual student, particularly with larger classes. It is very easy to get the wrong idea about students without voice chats or face-to-face encounters.

Remembering and visualizing each student can be a challenge. It can take real work on the part of the instructor to maintain ongoing awareness of the differences and progress of all students. There is always the risk of backing off from the individualized interaction as time constraints pressure the instructor. Photographs or even hand drawings of students, with notes attached, can be posted near the instructor's computer as an effective memory aid method.

Online motivation of students is important. Students must share in the learning goals of the class, feel a sense of control over their learning, and ideally share a sense of "fun" throughout the online learning experience. It is important to "model" how to have fun learning with others online! Social informality is important to demonstrate and encourage. The instructor must maintain a sense of "being on stage" when facilitating an online class. The instructor "models" the style of interaction expected from the students.