In-person classes are now virtual..
You may not have ever imagined yourself as an online professor, and now are at a loss as to how you’ll create amazing learning experiences for your students now that campuses are closed as part of COVID-19 precautions.
As online learning experts, we’ve created our top ten recommendations for anyone out there struggling with the thought of teaching content online for the first time.
1. Prioritize what makes your course great (your secret sauce)
Is it the way you facilitate? Is it the riveting discussions that are brought up in class? Really take a look at what is your “x-factor” and think about how you’ll mimic that element online. We’ll be going through some ideas in the following points, so keep this in mind.
2. Let the students hear your voice live
If you haven’t already done so, pick a time (ideally this aligns with your regular course time) where you go live on Webex, Skype, Zoom, or a platform that your college or university supports. Get students in the habit of making that time for your lecture, but don’t just talk at them…
3. Encourage participation and discussion in live sessions
Hosting a live session? Field Q&A directly during the class. Most live meeting platforms have chat functionality to support this. Ask direct questions, poll your students, just get them interacting with you and the content. Even give students the opportunity to present ideas.
4. Encourage participation and discussion offline
If your online platform/Learning Management System has discussion boards, post prompts and assignments there and put some low-level requirements on interactions. If your platform does not have discussion boards, group or pair students in the class to break off into smaller discussion groups that can be conducted via email, phone, or messenger.
5. Don’t assign busy work for the sake of it
Be really deliberate with what you assign and make sure your students can see how each task you’re asking them to do is driving towards their increased understanding and engagement with the content. Some may have the instinct to simply keep adding tasks or assignments since the students aren’t engaging face to face, but this dilutes the importance of the information you’re conveying, and you’ll lose their attention and their buy-in.
6. Get creative with interaction
Show videos, create games, ask your students to record their responses in unique ways. This is your opportunity to think outside of the box. If you were in your students’ shoes, how would you like to interact with the information? Where can you add fun? Oh, and don’t forget to spell check. The internet never forgets.
7. Trust your students
Sometimes in situations with online learning, especially in higher education, it’s tempting to assume that students are simply googling answers and phoning it in. If you’re getting creative with your assignments and creating engaging material, they will want to interact with the content and won’t take the easy way out.
8. Connect with your students individually
It can be easy to feel like a number when you’re a student in a large online learning class. If you have the capacity, check in with your students individually if possible, especially prioritizing those that you notice are not completing assignments or engaging with the material. Remind them that you are human, and not a robot behind a computer screen.
9. Keep it light when you can
Tough semesters can already be extremely stressful to students, and now they’ve also had to change their environment and remove themselves from the place they’ve called home during their schooling. When possible, keep your tone light and reassure them. This is temporary, and we are all going to make it back into the classroom.
10. Stay organized
Make sure you know when you’re set to publish assignments, post videos, check discussion boards, and grade submissions. This is a totally different modality for you, and that can get overwhelming. Make sure you have a good system to help you stay on track for your own sanity.
If you need help or have questions reach out to us.
Have something to add? Drop your thoughts in the comments to keep the conversation going.
