Online Teaching Tips

COVID-19 has caused a lot of classes to shift online. It is important to know the basics of online teaching to avoid confusion and mishaps for your students as well as yourself. Here are a couple of useful tips:

1. Plan ahead of time: Online classes tend to be shorter, so plan your lesson ahead of time to ensure that you do not linger on a certain topic for too long.

2. Be more tech-savvy: Master the required technology for online teaching so that you can avoid time-consuming mishaps. Technology could also help ease lectures with apps like Microsoft Teams where you can keep attendance records of who is online and communicate with your students individually or collectively by the click of a button. It is also important to know how to contact tech support if problems arise and be acquainted with common tech problems.

3. Create a workspace at home: Create a quiet workstation that it is spacious with a clear background where you can feel comfortable. Make sure you have a strong internet connection.

4. Interact with your class: Make sure that communication is not only a one-way stream as it will be harder to keep your students engaged through online lectures. Ask conversational questions frequently so that your students will feel connected.

5. Clear and regular communication: Communicating online can be difficult at times, so be clear on what they need to do and remind them regularly. If you see a student falling behind, message them and ask if something is wrong.

6. Motivate and evoke interest: Not everyone will be excited for learning online and it is easy to skip sessions. Find ways to evoke interest in your students by making the lessons fun or implementing a reward system.

7. Ask for feedback and keep developing yourself: See if you can get feedback from your students on the classes you present and focus on areas where you can improve. Asking other lecturers what they do can also give you some ideas.

Compiled by Daniel Schoonderwoerd (Foundation for Professional Development) and edited by Liz Wolvaardt (AHPEL).

For more information, take a look at the following resource: The Best Tips And Tricks For How To Teach Online (uopeople.edu)