Recently, it was reported that some schools' open (read: free) online courses would give credits to students who took them—and in some cases these courses have no instructors. There are also online courses in which the participants merely follow the syllabus, take a few tests, and receive credit—but, again, with no live instructors involved. While this trend of the absent online instructor will not wane, there will remain a huge need for online instructors in most courses offered by colleges, universities, high schools, and corporations. Yet how does one who teaches online elevate him- or herself to a plateau where the individual can be considered essential to a school?
