What I Wish I Knew...and What YOU Ought to Know About Teaching Online

Audience Level: 
All
Session Time Slot(s): 
Institutional Level: 
Higher Ed
Streamed: 
Streamed
Abstract: 

Find out what experienced online faculty identify as the top online course design, facilitation, and teaching strategies to improve the student experience, manage your online teaching expectations, and also stay sane in the online teaching world.  

Extended Abstract: 

What kinds of advice for new online faculty would we get if we asked for it on Twitter and Google+?  We asked. They responded.  And the insights are pretty incredible!

Join us as we review the key tips, tricks, and words of advice that experienced online faculty wish they knew when they started online teaching and what they think YOU ought to know as a new online teacher or from a faculty support perspective.  Some things on the list might surprise you!  We found the frankness and directness of the survey responses refreshing, such as this one:  “I wish I had known that it isn't beneficial to try to replicate a classroom online. I wish I had known that it would be perceived by various colleagues--chronically--as an easier way to teach--and that those doing it were somehow getting out of work--when, in fact, it's far more labor-intensive than the face-to-face class. I wish I had known that some academic leaders speak about it, set policy on it, and manage it when they know little about it. I wish I could have predicted how much I love it and what a staunch advocate of it that I've become."

This session offers some beneficial tips and tricks that novice and seasoned faculty alike may take away and easily apply to their online courses, including suggestions for common online teaching questions, such as...

  • How do online instructors overcome the challenges that online teaching presents?

  • How do faculty move seamlessly from a face to face format to an online format?

  • How do they effectively manage their online course load while effectively engaging their learners?

  • What are the best ways to get off to a good start as an online teacher?

  • What are the “non-negotiables” in online teaching?

By attending the session, participants will have the opportunity to:

  • Identify course design, facilitation, and teaching strategies

  • Share their own tips, tricks, and words of advice

  • Consider solutions for common online teaching and learning issues identified in the survey

Participants will be actively engaged in this session by:

  • Contributing to a shared document of ideas, tips, and strategies

  • Participating in a “crowd-sourced” OLC-suggested online teaching “ought to know” list

  • Developing an action plan for effectively managing their online courses while effectively engaging their learners.

Conference Session: 
Concurrent Session 1
Session Type: 
Education Session - Individual or Dual Presentation