Why Teach Online?
Teaching online benefits both students and faculty.
- Online teaching provides instructors with greater flexibility to address varying learning styles and use different technologies.
- Online classes may encourage participation from students who may not actively participate in traditional classroom settings; instructors who teach online also have a wealth of technology at their fingertips to make classes more interesting and engaging.
- Just like online students, online teachers also enjoy the flexibility and convenience of the medium. They can teach from the comfort of their own homes and do not need to be at a specific place at a specific time to teach or to interact with their students.
In order to make the best use of the advantages the online environment has to offer, however, online instructors need to keep in mind that active learning is one of the keys to success in the online classroom. Instructors need to employ new techniques and technologies to ensure that their courses make the best of the online medium. The learning management system used in all our online courses, Blackboard, provides a solid framework to do this; additionally, we have a team of instructional designers who work with each instructor to ensure that course content is effectively delivered online.
The following pdfs also provide some best practices and other tips to help make your online class more effective.
Dispelling the Myths of Teaching Online
Developing Your Course Syllabus
Establishing Rapport and Faculty Presence
Maintaining Assessment Integrity
In addition, there are a vast pool of new media tools and dynamic learning spaces that can enhance online teaching and the student learning experience.
