Things to consider when teaching online

Things to consider when teaching online

1. Both students and the lecturer should have access to electronic devices and internet.
2. Ensuring high-quality participation: It is important for the facilitator to adopt some measures to improve the degree and depth of students' class participation. To encourage participation and learning, students need to be comfortable with the course material, be actively involved and be able to analyse the material (Chen, Lambert & Guidry, 2010).
3. Due to students' characteristics of low concentration in online learning, it is essential for the facilitator to adjust the teaching speed in order to ensure the effective delivery of teaching information.
4. Provide timely feedback: Facilitators of online teaching must respond students promptly in the process of teaching online as students feel more engaged with the course when they receive timely feedback (Lear, Ansorge & Steckelberg, 2010; Britt, Goon & Timmerman, 2015; Martin, Wang & Sadaf, 2018).
5. Accessibility of Course Materials: Student engagement in online courses is very much dependent on students’ ability to access the material (Khan et al., 2017). Students can have access to the course materials through their mobile devices and this can enhance the chances of online teaching and learning success.
6. Create a Community of Learning: One of the most important components of online learning is to provide a forum for the development of a community (McInnerney & Roberts, 2004). It is very important to have a statement of clear expectations of the students at the beginning of the course. One way to provide expectations is through the use of a recorded welcome video to the course. This allows students the opportunity to virtually meet you as you set the tone for the course as well as set the stage for student participation and engagement in the course.
7. Communication is critical in an online course. Interaction and communication between the students and between students and lecturer are one of the most important elements of online learning (Boling et al., 2014).
8. Engaging students through Discussion: In an online course, discussion is an important component that can determine the success of the course. The success of online discussion largely influences the effectiveness of online courses (Maddix, 2012). Discussions are beneficial for promoting student engagement and developing critical thinking skills. It is critical to provide an environment in online classes that allows a high level of discussion, which at the very least is similar in quality to discussions that take place in a face-to-face classroom. Online discussion allows instructors more time to interact with students without the time restriction imposed by face-to-face-classes.
9. The quantity, difficulty, and length of teaching content should match with the academic readiness and online learning behaviour characteristics of students.
10. Data privacy and security is also essential in online teaching and learning.

Sources / References

Boling, E. C., Holan, E., Horbatt, B., Hough, M., Jean-Louis, J., Khurana, C., ... & Spiezio, C. (2014). Using online tools for communication and collaboration: Understanding educators' experiences in an online course. The Internet and Higher Education, 23, 48-55.

Britt, M., Goon, D., & Timmerman, M. (2015). How to better engage online students with online strategies. College Student Journal, 49(3), 399-404.

Chen, P. S. D., Lambert, A. D., & Guidry, K. R. (2010). Engaging online learners: The impact of Web-based learning technology on college student engagement. Computers & Education, 54(4), 1222-1232.

Khan, A., Egbue, O., Palkie, B., & Madden, J. (2017). Active learning: Engaging students to maximize learning in an online course. Electronic Journal of E-Learning, 15(2), pp107-115.

Lear, J. L., Ansorge, C., & Steckelberg, A. (2010). Interactivity/community process model for the online education environment. Journal of online learning and teaching, 6(1), 71-77.

Maddix, M. A. (2012). Generating and facilitating effective online learning through discussion. Christian Education Journal, 9(2), 372-385.

Martin, F., Wang, C., & Sadaf, A. (2018). Student perception of helpfulness of facilitation strategies that enhance instructor presence, connectedness, engagement and learning in online courses. The Internet and Higher Education, 37, 52-65.

McInnerney, J. M., & Roberts, T. S. (2004). Online learning: Social interaction and the creation of a sense of community. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 7(3), 73-81.