6 Critical Best Practices for Online Teaching: Be Prepared
Higher education is currently undergoing unprecedented disruptions as traditional classes are temporarily relocated online. We will have to wait and see if this will last for a very long. This happened at an interesting time for the field of remote learning because many for-profit institutions have shut down and the expansion of new online institutions has halted. Due to competition from traditional colleges that also offer online courses, the number of online schools is still relatively small.
There are vital best practices you can put into place to make sure you are successfully and substantively involved in your class as you get ready for the demands of online teaching. These are the results of my work as an online educator and my work in faculty development, and they have been rigorously scrutinized following the standards I have used for the faculty I have assessed. Regardless of how long you have been teaching online courses, you can use this list of recommended practices as a checklist as you establish your unique online teaching style.
Be Prepared for these 6 Critical Best Practices for Online Teaching
No matter how long you’ve been teaching online, the recommended practices listed here can be used right now. You can use it as a checklist to remind yourself of the essentials for your work as an educator if you have already adopted some or all of them.
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Become the support system your learners need
You wouldn’t be enthusiastic about doing something that seems pointless and dull, and neither would anyone else (eazyresearchwp, 2020). Learners are often already aware of their deficiencies when they enroll in a class. When you start the feedback process and point out these shortcomings, it could just serve to reinforce their lack of academic success.
As you interact with your students, you must adopt a supportive attitude toward both your comments and the instructional strategy you use. Think about the distance factor—the reality that you and your students are separated by distance. Everything you write needs to have a supportive tone since your students will read what you publish and share before you even have the chance to explain it.
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Create a mindset that promotes optimism
You’ve probably read about encouraging learners to adopt a growth mindset, and if the circumstances in an online course are right, this can happen even with your adult learners. This happens when an instructor has a disposition and perspective that promote happiness, not merely because of a gorgeous LMS or technology tools. This indicates that you have turned your attention to your students and are using tactics to motivate and inspire them.
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Be an Academic Writing Leader
Because they are skilled writers, many educators are turned down for employment. Whatever level of proficiency you now have in academic writing, keep in mind that there is always room for improvement. To make sure I’ve managed the mechanics, I write my discussion entries in a Word document. You should keep in mind that your students are reading the comments you make in forums and the feedback you write. If your feedback highlights academic writing flaws the learner has made, it could send a confusing message if there are many of them.
You and any student who requires more development may benefit if your school provides tools through an online writing center. There are other web Coursework Help resources you can uncover if these are not right away accessible to you. When giving your students criticism on their academic writing, you want to set an example and demonstrate to them how seriously you take it.
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Learn Your Course Materials Inside and Out
I’ve come to realize that learning the course topic is essential for course preparation when I Need Help With My Assignment. When a course is already designed for you, all you have to do might be engage in the conversations and offer feedback based on the written rubric. But this is by no means what is necessary for course preparation. Just as a starting point, every instructor must properly and completely evaluate the course materials to take part in class discussions and give useful comments.
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Decide to Take Up Lifelong Learning
You are inspiring them to develop a passion for learning as you interact with your students and keep in mind why you love to teach. You may strengthen your resolve to become a lifelong learner if you want to make this strategy even more effective. Even though you might not be a learner right now, you might still find possibilities for professional growth. Many academic institutions encourage or demand that educators write, and this offers a great chance to do research on subjects that interest you. You can join a lot of affiliations and probably find webinars to attend through them.
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Set high standards for yourself
You will continuously assess and improve your methods for online training. It will be the outcome of your past successes, unsuccessful efforts, lessons learned (some correctly and some incorrectly), and, most importantly, the feedback you have gotten from students in a variety of ways. Usually, it’s in the classroom where I attempt new things and get responses to them that I learn the most. I have a high bar that I have set for myself.
I was quite severe on myself when I made mistakes at the beginning of my career as an educator. But now that I’ve had some time and experience, I realize that both my achievements and my failures have been beneficial to me. Without having taught for some time, it is impossible to become a flawless online educator; even after that, you must remain open to learning and improvement as the demands of learners change.
I’m confident in saying that today’s learners have different demands than they did when I started my career 15 years ago. However, expecting perfection helps me feel accountable to myself and guarantees that I am working to the best of my capacity (Sam Akbari, 2020).