Primer for Teaching Online
10. Take a Workshop
Do you want to teach online or at least find out what all the commotion is about? You are certainly not alone. The number of workshops dealing with distance learning and the online environment has exploded as demand for such instruction continues to grow. Workshops can be divided into two types: online pedagogy and online course management systems (CMS).
CMS Workshops
If you are interested in learning about the online instructor tools that are used in the virtual classroom then you want CMS workshops dealing specifically with the various classroom elements such as interaction tools (discussion boards, email, white boards), assessment tools (testing, electronic portfolios, assignment drop boxes), administration tools (grade books, student tracking), and others.
You will typically find such offerings on campuses that use CMSs such as Blackboard, WebCT and Learning Space. Contact your campus distance learning department to see what workshops are offered dealing with course management tools. Also look into supplemental workshops dealing with other elements of course creation and teaching the proper applications of these tools.
Online Pedagogy
If you are instead looking to explore how teaching in the online classroom differs from teaching in the traditional classroom then you are looking for workshops that deal with online classroom pedagogy. These workshops deal with the teaching methodologies of the online environment rather than the specific tools unique to each CMS. Online pedagogy workshops may include sections on interaction, assessment, technology, and the overall effectiveness of web-based teaching.
Taking the Student Role
Regardless of the subject matter, you will want workshops that are presented in a way that most closely resembles the environment in which you will be teaching. Look for those that allow plenty of keyboard time and interaction with the instructor and other participants. Try to avoid computer-based tutorials that simply have you reading page upon page of text.
Experiencing firsthand the online environment from a student perspective allows faculty to see the tools and techniques that make up the online classroom. Online teaching workshops also demonstrate the various delivery tools available online, such as chat rooms, discussion boards, internal email systems, whiteboards, assignment drop boxes, digital calendars, and which of these tools may work and which tools to avoid.
Where Do I Start Looking?
The first place to look for faculty development resources is your own college campus. If your campus uses a CMS such as WebCT or Blackboard, then it probably has a support structure that includes some degree of faculty development. Contact them to determine what types of training is available and what workshops they would recommend based on your experience level.
If no such support exists at your campus then look for outside resources. Several outside workshops exist that deal with both the specific tools and the general pedagogy of the online classroom. Do your homework prior to selecting a workshop. once again, look for workshops that will most closely duplicate the type of delivery method you decide to use. Ensure that the workshop will demonstrate all of the common tools mentioned above including the interactive elements you hope to use such as discussion boards, quizzes, and grade books so that you can assess their applicability and usefulness in your own courses. Once again, try to stay away from workshops that are not facilitated and that don’t require regular and meaningful interaction. Simply reading material on a website will not prepare you for what lies ahead in your first online course.
How Much Does It Cost?
If budget money is tight and no on-campus support mechanism exists, then it’s time to do a web search to investigate sources of free training. Free training abounds for online course tools in the form of tutorials and web-based manuals. As an example, use the Google search engine (http://www.google.com/) and type in the words faculty online course training. This uncovers a multitude of sites dealing with faculty development.
Additional resources