Recommendations for Online Teaching


As the instructor, you will have several options to continue instruction in the event of a campus closure. These can include synchronous class sessions, where you hold class in real time remotely through web conferencing options. You could also provide self-directed study options through asynchronous activities like readings, recorded lectures, forum discussions, or other possibilities.
As the subject matter expert, you will review your learning objectives and specific teaching goals and align these with appropriate activities for academic continuity. Below, you’ll find general tips that can help you meet your teaching goals

Learn how to Manage Online Student Success from  Magna Publications

At the start of the semester, share course expectations in multiple ways like using our Learning Management System (LMS), eLearning or another online platform you are using (i.e. Google Docs). These online platforms allow you to post your course expectations and student support services. Additionally, you should also implement early check-ups through online lectures if you are teaching live. With these multiple check-ups, you can identify students who may be struggling with the coursework and provide the necessary intervention.

Rationale: About 20% of unsuccessful students claim they fell behind with the coursework and could not catch up, so monitoring your students early in the semester can have a positive impact on their success. However, many online courses require proficiency and resources regarding the technology and programs. Also, many students initially underestimate the technological and organizational skills and the time commitment required to successfully complete a college course online. Many students also experience a sense of information overload when beginning an online course.

Teaching tip: Add assignments that ask students to navigate eLearning and access important information about the course early in the semester. These assignments may include students posting screenshots of the important information or you can assign a short multiple-choice quiz on the course procedures and policies.

Clear communication from the start about course expectations, requirements, and due dates is important to your students’ success. While online courses provide little to no face-to-face interaction, online teaching provides opportunities to make frequent announcements and class discussions (i.e. forums).

Rationale: Studies have shown that students are more satisfied with college courses when instructors encourage frequent communication. This positions the instructor to identify struggling students before they fall behind.

Teaching tip: Because students identify redundant information as an obstacle to learning, direct students to original postings rather than repeating information. Also, consider posting a master schedule that consolidates all due dates in one place.

To build community and encourage participation, acknowledge and respond to something specific about a student’s post, provide an example from research or content related to students’ lived experiences, and ask for responses to follow-up questions. This helps students engage in learning, share diverse opinions, and form personal perspectives.

Rationale: Research shows that students enjoy thought-provoking questions posed by the instructor, and discussions this type of question leads to. Students who procrastinate with discussions tend to engage less and are often less successful academically.

Teaching tip: When a student posts generic, trivial, or redundant information in a discussion, gently remind them that peer responses are expected to move the conversation forward. Also, post optional discussion items that appeal to a variety of learners.

An important role of instructors is to determine the right balance of scaffolding. Types of scaffolding include indexes, glossaries, formula sheets, templates, scoring rubrics, samples for projects and papers, and short videos to supplement background knowledge.

Rationale: If students are motivated, possess strong cognitive strategies, and have prior knowledge of the content, a low level of scaffolding is recommended. Higher levels of scaffolding are recommended for students with lower levels of motivation and prior knowledge or have high anxiety. Too little scaffolding can lead to lower motivation, frustration, and anxiety.

Teaching tip: Instructors can also scaffold individual assignments by requiring outlines or rough drafts. Because finding the right balance for scaffolding is a shared responsibility and requires input from students, ask students to identify the level and type of scaffolding they need.

Consider putting a grace period for late assignments and/or allowing students to redo their work. It is going to take some time for students to enhance the time management skills necessary to be successful virtual students. In the meantime, you can establish a grace period in which students can submit their work after the due date, but with penalties (e.g., 5 points off for every extra day). These penalties will help ensure students do not exploit the grace period.

You can also allow students to redo low-graded assignments and/or assessments as it extends the learning window and allows students to use corrective feedback to improve their work.

Rationale: Severe penalties for late work such as a grade of zero on an important assignment may discourage students from completing future assignments and result in lower quality work. Student work is often higher-quality and completed more often when the pressure of a due date is alleviated.

Teaching tip: Instructors can average the original and the improved grade to encourage responsibility and discourage overuse of the re-do policy.