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Online College Teaching Jobs – The do’s & don’ts


Christine S. Baker
July 26th, 2010

If you are an instructor teaching online classes, your success lies with the success of your students. Teaching students in an online setting can be very challenging. However, with much advancement in technology and with your knowledge, you can make online learning a wonderful experience. To achieve success however, there are some dos and don’ts you will need to take into consideration and they are listed below.

Do’s:

1. Provide a course syllabus at the first class meeting

Students need to know what to expect from their online classes right from day one. Starting off a class without giving students a course syllabus is not the best way to begin a new class. The syllabus for online students should include some of the following:

  • Instructor’s name, e-mail address and other contact information
  • Instructor’s working hours
  • Title and number of course
  • Start date and length of course
  • Materials needed for the course, including text books
  • An evaluation plan
  • Schedule of, projects, quizzes and exam
  • Student participation and instructor expectations regarding participation

2. Treat each student with individualized care and attention

Because this is an online format, instructor should pay special attention to each and every student and make sure that all their online classroom needs are being met.

3. Make sure students know what is expected of them

Just as any classroom, whether online or on-campus, there has to be rules and discipline in the classroom. Without adequate discipline in the online course, students will procrastinate; others will just lose interest and drop the course all together.

4. Make sure everyone is on the same ‘page’ before moving on

Students who are more disciplined and can go at a quicker pace may start discussions with the class material that most of the students may have not yet gotten too or they may get bored. The best online classroom is when the class as a whole is roughly together in the course.

5. Keep the classroom fun and interesting

Avoid too much text without a break, vary activities up a bit; include video clips, animations and interesting anecdotes.

Don’ts:

1. Forget to present an introduction to the course on the first day of class

All students should be able to access an overview of the introduction to the online course on the first day of class or even before enrolling; this way students can communicate with you if something is unclear such as, course content, computer skills requirements, prerequisites and so on.

2. Neglect the classroom

Because this is an online degree, you will need to make sure all students have his or her contact information, including; email address or other form of emergency contact information, should student need assistance. Not being available when in need is not the best way to teach an online class and can be very frustrating for students.

3. Incorporate different teaching techniques

Course materials are not easy to understand and may not be compatible with a number of learning styles of each student. In a classroom there can be a variety of learning styles such as visual learners, auditory learners and tactile learners. When designing a course material for online students all three learning styles need to be taken into consideration.

It is easy to see that online education can be just as rewarding as offline learning. With just a little bit of adjustments and a few minor don’ts will make all the difference in the world.

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