General Approaches to Teaching Online
In many ways, online teaching is not very different from classroom teaching: both aim at effective pedagogy. The purpose of this site is to introduce you to principles, practices, and resources focused on effective teaching and course design along with the specific tools and technologies that you can use to teach online.
When transitioning online, focus first on pedagogical approaches, then decide which tools best fit your needs; the technology is something you will learn with practice and time (and perhaps a bit of help), but it is more important to consider what makes a good learning environment, while keeping in mind synchronous and asynchronous approaches, and related equity issues.
One thing that is quite challenging in the online learning environment, is building connections with students. For some key advice from someone in the trenches: Connecting While Connected: Building Relationships With Students in Online Classes by Dave Andrews.
Consider the following tips and resources to help you get started implementing effective pedagogy online:
- University of Windsor Course Delivery Modes There are many different models for teaching online, ranging from completely online and asynchronous to different hybrid approaches combining online with face-to-face. A visual overview of course delivery modes is also available.
- 12 Key Ideas: An Introduction to Teaching Online
- Fundamentals of Effective Online Teaching Practice
- Have a third party check over your site for missed/unclear instructions or places where students will get lost; OSCQR (Open Suny Course Quality Review) offers a set of quality standards you can use to evaluate your online course
- Block out time in your calendar to run the course, i.e., answer emails, respond to discussion posts etc. as if you were running the course in person