One challenge to teaching online is that there is no face-to-face interaction with students. I recently wrote a post about motivating students online. In it I compared techniques that I used online to simulate the face-to-face interactions I had with my students in the past.
In this post, I wanted to list the ways that I use to "teach" my online students during the course. I consider these opportunities to be "teaching moments". While these teaching moments are often just assumed when teaching in a classroom; in an online class, teachers really have to value these moments and go for them as much as possible.
In this post, I wanted to list the ways that I use to "teach" my online students during the course. I consider these opportunities to be "teaching moments". While these teaching moments are often just assumed when teaching in a classroom; in an online class, teachers really have to value these moments and go for them as much as possible.
1) introduce topics in a class newsletter
You can teach or "sell" new topics at the beginning of each week in a weekly class newsletter. Each week in my class newsletter, I present the topic, its relevance and how it fits in to the overall knowledge base for the course.
2) offer your own material on the subject matter
I oftentimes offer my own workshops and professional lectures as "additional resources" to my students. Being exposed to course-related material in a real-world context outside of the course motivates students to learn more about the topics.
3) use storytelling forums
Storytelling is a powerful way to present material along with real experiences. For instance, when I teach students about Internet fraud and identity theft in my computer class, I share my own experiences with attempted identity theft and how I handled it the situation. When I post these stories in the discussion forums, students usually reply with their own stories and advice for other students to prevent the experiences.
4) use quick screencasts to explain a concept
Online students oftentimes need to learn concepts quickly. Small "nuggets" of information can be easily explained in a screencast. I use this to explain a solution to a problem or step students through a technique they need to learn.
5) create "guided practices" by using annotations
When presenting resources such as PowerPoint slideshows or even Word documents, think about including annotations. You can use something as simple as text callouts to get your explanation in.
6) create "highlights" in lectures
6) create "highlights" in lectures
Highlights or major takeaways are best done after students have gone through the weekly course materials. You can highlight your lectures AFTER the week is done in a general class forum that students can use to study for assessments. Be sure not to give away too much in the highlights and also make a point to refer back to the textbook or weekly course materials. That way, students are encouraged to investigate reference materials on their own.
7) give detailed feedback on student assignments
You can offer corrections and teach students through your feedback on assignments and discussion forum entries. While many teachers will just enter a grade in their LMS gradebook. Keep in mind, that this a teaching moment. The student is motivated and will want to improve their performance for the next assignment.
