Distance learning educators who have taught for some time no doubt are good at what they do or they would not still be teaching. Too often, however, veteran online teachers can fall into the “same old-same syndrome,” that is, it has been working course after course so there is no need to change the teaching strategies, responses, etcetera. While the students and supervisors are satisfied with the constant positive end results it is crucial to always “up the game.” Freshness in courses can result in even better evaluations, improved student learning, and a higher level of selfsatisfaction. There is also a somewhat selfish side to continually bettering one’s self: if the “itch” to teach somewhere else comes along or the desire to write an essay or book, or to give a keynote or present a webinar/seminar—the top-of-the-line qualifications will be available.
Look over the following tips: each one will improve a distance learning’s educator’s teaching skills:
Take Courses in Your Field and for Teaching— At School and Elsewhere
Information is not stagnant; it changes. There are new discoveries, new approaches, new strategies, new guidelines. Courses to present this information to online educators abound; sometimes schools make them mandatory, sometimes not. And various organizations also offer courses and seminars on a wide variety of subjects. Beyond the ones required by a school look around for a course here-and-there that speaks to the subject being taught and how the subject is taught. Taking these will prove refreshing and motivating.
Attend Conferences, Be a presenter
There are a gazillion conferences around in a wide variety of subjects, ranging from the specific, such as English, chemistry, math, etcetera, to broader areas, such as teaching strategies and new approaches. Attending the conferences offers two huge plusses: improving one’s teaching from the various workshops, as well as “talking shop”—and thus learning—with other online educators. Too, if the opportunity arises to present at a conference go for it; the research for the presentation may lead to new knowledge, there will be interaction with other online educators, and contacts will abound as a result of the presentation.
Go Over Past Evaluations From Supervisors
It is important to keep all supervisors’ evaluations of teaching each session; often, the evaluations will point out weaknesses one did not know existed. Additionally, the positives of teaching are often highlighted; these allow one to build on these, making them stronger for the next time around. There might be comments in the evaluations of which one needs clarification— always ask so there will be no misunderstanding or wrong turn the next time a class is taught. Finally, the evaluations are stagnant, but the supervisor is not: don’t hesitate to reach out during a course if unsure of an approach, a teaching strategy, etcetera.
Go over past evaluations From Students
Student evaluations may often pick up on small things not apparent in a more global evaluation from a supervisor. One student, as an example, might mention that it took too long for a response to an email; another student might comment how helpful it was addressing the student by name; or a student might question a grade based on the student’s interpretation of an assignment response. These and other possibilities are important, for they offer the nitty-gritty from those directly impacted by teaching. Certainly, all may not be correct, yet each comment is important for how it may help in future courses.
Reach Out to Students for Improvement Suggestions
Student-centered teaching has much emphasis on the students’ needs and learning, and this can also include the students’ views on the course structure, how it is taught, and the instructor’s efforts. Students can pick up on small items that supervisors might not notice in a more global look at the course: an off-color poster behind an instructor during a seminar, a typo in an instructor email, or more than one instructor error in grading. It is important to keep a list of these to be sure they don’t reoccur.
Pay Attention to Student Comments in Discussions, Seminars, Etcetera
This goes beyond student evaluations and student suggestions. Off-the-cuff remarks whenever there are several students, such as discussions, live chats, or seminars; or individual students, in phone calls, emails, etc. --comments can be made that faculty might consider “golden” in terms of their use for course or instructor improvement. It could be as simple as a student congratulating another student on a good discussion post (this can be used for a future course as an example of good discussion replies) or a reaction to an instructor icebreaker that either really worked or was a dud. Paying attention to what students say and write can offer those needed items that sand out the instructor’s teaching abilities/the course effectiveness.
Read, Listen, and View
There is so much more professional reading relating to teaching, teaching online, and one’s subject specialty thanks to the internet. Add to this subscriptions to peer-reviewed journals, professional organization newsletters and email updates, print books found in stores, and other forms of black-and-white info: the result is a neverending supply of resources from which to read and learn. Coupled with this are podcasts, videos, and TV shows to bring additional content. It’s crucial to stay on top of the latest online teaching strategies and subject changes.
Search Out Like Courses at Other Schools for Additional Insights
If one teaches, for example, an English 101 course, all one has to do is type this into the subject line and voilá: a gaggle of info from other schools will appear. This can include sample syllabi, essays or general information from instructors teaching the course, other schools’ guidelines or descriptions of the course, student comments about instructors that taught the course, and a listing of various course assignments. Ideas and information that might assist in overall teaching might be gleaned from any of these.
Take notes on Course Successes and Errors
Go over notes from past courses where thises and thats of every aspect of teaching is included. Doing this only from memory won’t help much, as what may seem like “I certainly won’t forget this!” will so often result in “Um, what did I want to remember?” Whether it be on a blank computer screen or a dedicated pad keeping notes on what worked and what did not, student kudos or complaints, suggestions or info offered in all-instructor webinars, sudden “just-popped-into-my-mind” ideas, and other items can prove to make future teaching more comprehensive and easier, with more student engagement.
Do an Internal Evaluation of Teaching Prowess
Everything this far listed has been external, that is, each item is to be read, to be viewed, to be heard. Yet coupled with this must be self-evaluation, that is, how one feels overall about teaching effectiveness, the course and learning management system set-up, and all other nooks and crannies that go into one’s goal in teaching: success at the end of the course measured in student accomplishments and engagement, student awareness of course connection to the professional world, the ethical use of artificial intelligence, and an overall feeling of “I’m sure glad I took that course!”
Remember: The world of information exists around us, inside us; having it sit unexplored causes strengths to wither, yet when embraced strengths grow and bloom.Ask Errol!
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