Online Learning Basics – Is Online Teaching for you?

I had dinner with a friend last night and we got to talking about my work.  Having attended a traditional brick and mortar campus for both undergrad and graduate school, he was incredulous at the idea that students are now taking courses online.  "How can you teach a course online?" he exclaimed!  "How do you know what students are learning?"  "Are the courses as rigorous as on ground courses?" 

Amused by his line of questioning, I explained that online courses are just like onground courses and that teaching online brings with it some challenges that traditional classrooms don't.  This brings me to my topic for this week's posting - Online Learning Basics - Is Online Teaching for you?

Assuming you already have a computer and internet access, you'll need to think about following items:

1. Computer skills - What are your general feelings about the computer?  Do you think its a necessary evil, or do you relish in the though of the latest gadget?  Do you dread checking email, or are you excited at the thought of going online to purchase presents for the holiday season?  If you're in the former group, in either of the instances previously described, you might want to take a basic computer course before teaching online, but if you're in the latter, you're ready to jump in with both feet.  Either way, many of online programs require their instructors to attend some sort of training before teaching their first course, so you may be able to get the necessary training there.
2. Time Management Skills - How are you with scheduling your own time?  Are you able to stick to schedules and deadlines without physically being present on campus?  One of the biggest shifts in going from the traditional classroom to the online environment is that you can actually do all of your course work, at home, in your pajamas if you'd like!  While the upside is obvious, the downside is that you must be comfortable with creating your own schedule and sticking to it.  Many of my colleagues use their Outlook to schedule 2 hour blocks and they hold those times sacred.  They treat it like a traditional course - "I won't be available from 1-3PM, Monday, Wednesday, or Friday.  That's my course time."
3. Written Communication Skills/Styles - While there is written communication in a traditional class, the majority of communication in an online course is done through email, threads, and chats.  Are you comfortable with communication that may be less formal than that found in a traditional setting? 
4. Instructional Delivery Flexibility - Are you a teacher who routinely changes up your delivery method for the same topic?  Are you invigorated by trying new teaching methods?  Or, do you prefer teaching the same content with tried and true methods?  If you're part of the former group, online teaching would be a fun and challenging new tool for you.  Online education offers a wide world of delivery tools at your fingertips.  The web offers many exciting new tools for teaching traditional topics. 

Ultimately, if you do venture into the world of online teaching, you'll probably learn more about yourself as a teacher than you ever thought possible.  Online education has challenged me to present material differently, engage students thoroughly, and evaluate in a manner that effectively assesses their learning.  I'm a better teacher for it.  

Stephanie Pfeifer, MA

Academic Trainer and Consultant