How to Teach College Classes In Distance Learning
Most colleges and universities require the same amount of certification and accreditation to teach online courses as they do for their campus classes. Online instructors need additional training and information to gear their studies toward a very different type of audience, however. Publications such as "How People Learn," a study by the National Academies Press, can be a helpful adjunct to other formal online training courses.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
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Develop a curriculum that you would like to offer through a college distance-learning program. Writing-based learning requires instructors to be proficient in clean and precise writing styles on their chosen topics of expertise. Consider taking a course from the Center for Writing Based Learning at DePaul University to fine-tune your skills.
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Keep in mind the differences between classroom and Internet study when developing your curriculum, assignments and course requirements. Produce a syllabus that introduces students to the topics that will be covered and explains the skills and information they'll receive from the course. In its teaching directions, DePaul University tells online instructors that a syllabus is more than a table of contents, but should stand alone as a reference itself.
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Get your syllabus approved by the department if you are a current faculty member at the school at which you want to teach. Approach the department head or human resources if you would like to pitch a new idea to the college. Prepare to show your credentials and treat the approach as you would a job interview. Once approved, the school's technology department will download your program and set up the necessary user permissions for you to log in.
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Consider the time frames that must be adjusted when you teach a class online. Let students know when you will be available, how much time they have to complete assignments and take exams. The Virginia Tech distance-learning department recommends that online instructors send regular emails to students with reminders of updates and deadlines to accommodate the new styles of learning and communication online students present.
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Set up a forum or chat room through the school's tech department. Visit the forum regularly throughout the class to act as moderator, answer questions and provide more thoughts on the topic of discussion. The Michigan State Teach Online division encourages instructors to pose questions for debate, use pop-ups and other visuals to spark interest and include case studies with multiple links to liven the presentation and stir interaction among the students.
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Tips & Warnings
Include video and audio attachments in your class whenever possible to break up the monotony of reading for students.
Avoid dropouts by keeping in mind that students are receiving your information on a computer screen as you format the writing. Keep paragraphs short, use indents and bullets whenever possible and intersperse subtitles to make the copy easier to digest.
