How to Teach Courses Online
As technology continues to grow, distance learning has become more commonplace. People have the opportunity to teach and learn across the world from the comfort of their home using the Internet. With this shift toward combining technology and education, some want to learn how to become an online teacher while those are teachers want to know how to teach courses online. Both can be done with a few simple steps.
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Instructions
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How to Become an Online Teacher
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Decide what type of online teaching best fits you.There are many types of teaching online, including K-12, postsecondary, personal or professional development courses and tutoring. Look at your background, education, skills and experience to determine which would work best for you.
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Research and obtain the proper credentials, education and experience required for the job. The requirements vary greatly depending on what type of online course you will be teaching. To teach online at the college level, a minimum of a master's degree typically is required. However, to teach a personal development course, you simply just need experience or skill in the subject you wish to teach. No matter which type of online teaching you decide to pursue, you will need to ensure that you possess the stated requirements before applying.
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Search for online teaching jobs. These job postings can be found on traditional job search engines, but are more likely found on the specific school or company Web site. Doing a Google search may result in some leads, but finding message boards or forums that discuss online teaching and networking with other individuals in the online teaching profession may be more effective in finding postings and job leads.
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Apply for jobs. Include your resume, cover letter, and any additional information requested in the job posting. Be sure to make yourself stand out from the crowd. Competition for online teaching jobs can be tough.
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Ace the interview and land the job. Depending on the school, a telephone interview or face-to-face interview may be required. Make sure you research beforehand and brush up on what that school expects from its online teachers. Search the Internet for commonly asked online teaching interview questions. Being thoroughly prepared may help you land the online teaching job of your dreams.
How to Teach Online
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Create a course outline and syllabus. Depending on your situation, you may or may not have to create this information from scratch. However, you should spend a good deal of time going over the information you will be teaching and thinking of how it will be organized and presented.
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Familiarize yourself with the technology you will use. If you are unsure of how to use it, check for training sessions regarding the technology you will be using. If no formal training is available, make sure you are as familiar as possible with the technology before the course begins.
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Meet with your students. The first day of "class" will be very different from the first day of class in a traditional school setting. In addition to giving an overview of the syllabus and what the class will cover, you probably will need to go over any technical problems on the student end. It may be a good idea to have the students complete a simple assignment on the first day in order to rectify technology problems. This will help prevent a student from doing poorly on a major assignment because of a technology glitch or misunderstanding.
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Teach the course. Encouraging online discussion, both with yourself as the teacher and among the other students, is a great way to add to the course. Make sure you are available to help any student who may be struggling. Be sure to check your e-mail frequently.
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Ask for feedback. Hearing good and bad comments from students will give you an idea of the strengths of the course and a good idea of what needs to be tweaked for the next course.
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Tips & Warnings
Even if a school or company does not list online teaching openings, it doesn't hurt to send your resume and a cover letter along with a proposal of the type of online courses you are interested in teaching.
If you feel uncomfortable about using a certain type of technology, be honest about that up front. Do not pretend like you know how to do something if you really do not.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit http://www.sxc.hu/photo/987822 (jaylopez )
