Best Practices forOnline Teaching

Lucia R. Nemeth, Ed.DMay 10, 2014

Seven best principles for good practice in the online classroom

1. Encourage contact between student and faculty

2. Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students

3. Encourage active learning

4. Give prompt feedback

5. Emphasize time on task

6. Communicate high expectations

7. Respect diverse learners

How can you implement these principles into your course template/online class?

1. Encourage Contact between Students and Faculty

This is perhaps one of the most fundamental principles to the success of an online course. Students need to know how and when to contact you. More important, they need encouragement to do so. • Virtual office hours• Cyber cafe in discussion board• Voice emails• Announcement• Email response expectations• Blackboard instant messenger

2. Develop Reciprocity and Cooperation among Students

Students learn best when they can relate the content to experience, either their own or that of peers. Creating collaborative student-to-student interactions encourages this type of learning.

• Discussion board • Journals• Group projects

3. Encourage Active Learning

Students expect to learn from more than just the textbook. Blackboard has an array of multimedia that you can utilize in order to encourage active learning.

• Mash-ups • Voice Authoring• Use of Wilmington University's Online Library

4. Give Prompt FeedbackYou as an instructor require your students to complete work within one week. A best practice technique is to grade within a week of receiving the work.

• Make known in the syllabus (or elsewhere) when students can expect their work graded. They will hold you accountable

• Respond to each introduction during week 1 of class• Create and utilize the Rubric tool• Provide feedback for every assignment• Use the "review" tool in WORD documents• Use Screencasts or Kaltura to record comments on a document and

share the link with students

5. Emphasize Time on TaskThough online learning is flexible, it is important to remember that your students are usually juggling a fully time job, caring for children, and often are taking more than one class. Manage your course load so as not to overwhelm your students. Emphasize time on task by using the following:

• Explain your syllabus in the START HERE activities by creating a video

• Use voice emails/announcements to create mid-week reminders about posting to discussion board

• Open weekly folders on Sunday

6. Communicate High ExpectationsMaintain high expectations for your classes but make sure to communicate them to your students. They won't know what to expect from you if you do not communicate them to your students.

• Netiquette for discussion boards• Voice email reminders mid-week• Announcements outlining participation guidelines• Snagit or Kaltura video introduction

7. Respect Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning

Students range in experience, age, and learning styles. It is important to incorporate a variety of assessments. Make learning engaging and fun for students by incorporating the following techniques:

• Voice discussion boards• Collaborate presentation rather than written report• Screencasting or Kaltura to deliver lesson

Lessons Learned from Online Teaching

1. High-touch is more important than high-tech

2. Establish social presence by using digital storytelling

3. Use technology intentionally4. The power of external resources

5. Make your expectations explicit 6. Fun playfulness and the unexpected

7. Log in regularly

8. Personal feedback

Questions?

Resources 1. Dreon, O. (2013). Applying the seven principles for good practice to the online classroom. Retrieved from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/applying-the-seven-principles-for-good-practice-to-the-online-classroom/

2. Educause. (2013). 8 lessons learned from teaching online. Retrieved from http://vimeo.com/65413138