Traditional instructor-led videos, such as introductory videos and module overviews with assignment details, can offer students valuable guidance. But these are often prerecorded for repurposing and may not align with the students’ immediate needs or any portion of the course when they need the most
Online teaching inherently involves technology. It is part of the deal. But all too often, technology can make us feel more distant from our students. It can be a barrier preventing connection instead of a tool to facilitate connection. If you have ever faced a
The asynchronous nature of online learning makes it hard for students to develop a structured schedule since they lack the built-in class times of traditional courses. Additionally, online education attracts many nontraditional adult learners who juggle numerous responsibilities, further straining their schedules.
I am a political science professor. And we are in the middle of a hotly contested presidential election campaign. My classes are going about how you’d imagine: students are excited, sometimes talking over one another, and occasionally throwing out wild hypotheticals.
Many research studies have underscored the importance of teaching presence in asynchronous online courses, with the benefits including higher student satisfaction, reduced isolation, and enhanced emotional engagement (Oyarzun et al., 2018).
There can be a certain inertia to teaching online, especially asynchronously. You and your students never see each other, don’t feel very connected, and by the middle of the semester may have unintentionally begun a slow slide toward phoning it in.
Decades of research show the value of instructor presence and student engagement for online learners. Yet many instructors wonder how well their efforts to foster engagement really work, leading some to question the value of discussion and other types of interactions.
It is best practice to open online courses with a welcome to students. The online format will be new for many students—in particular, adult students who are returning to school after a long absence—and they may be uncertain of their ability to perform in the
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, relatively few instructors had used web-based conferencing for teaching and learning. With the shift in the spring of 2020, many instructors suddenly found themselves teaching online courses, and many others found themselves teaching onsite with some students using videoconferencing to
All communication begins with grabbing your listener’s attention, something that everyone instinctively understands. A marriage proposal does not begin with the speaker opening a PowerPoint presentation, providing an outline of topics to be covered, and a schedule with time for each topic—including time at the
