Online teaching has unique challenges. Most of the time, we’re teaching learners we can’t see. It’s a new medium and we “beta test” lessons continually. Creating media and visual learning items is time consuming and requires a constantly expanding skill set. The classes often have exaggerated teacher / student ratios, and can have endless technical problems just getting students started. So why do we do it?

‘Cause it’s awesome.

When you create an amazingly well constructed lesson … complete with assessments that are rich and diverse … in a way that engages learners and makes them excited to be in your class? It’s like you just found a vaccine for Polio. All the hours and problem-solving created a unique learning opportunity that can’t be replicated offline.

So what does it take to make it as an “online teacher” in this new frontier of elearning? Three words:

innovation, investment and integrity.

I’ll take these on one at time. See if you agree.

1. Innovation

I remember the scene in Apollo 13 where mission control had to rescue the lunar module by dumping every single possible solution on a table (socks, tubes, wires …) and figuring out how to make it into an air filter for the astronauts to reassemble in space. In 20 minutes. Before they suffocated. THIS is sort of what it’s like each week when you are developing an online course.

It takes incredible innovation to turn a lecture or group work or a fun offline activity into something that can be just as engaging and effective when delivered asynchronously. If you’re like most of us, you don’t have the luxury of a “design team” to take care of it. We are all pioneers at course creation and curriculum delivery. Taking risks, problem solving and “thinking outside the box” are critical to online teaching success.

2. Investment

The biggest hurdle in online learning is creating courses with heart. Throwing up a bunch of pdf article’s will accomplish “content delivery” but it misses the engagement and interaction that learners crave. The research tells us that the more automated and “institutional” a course is … the more remote the teacher appears … the less “invested” the teacher is in building creative, visually appealing courses … the lower the completion rates in courses. Learners want to take courses on a computer …. not FROM a computer.

The strongest teaching is always based on relationships. Great online teachers are masters at connecting with learners.

3. Integrity

All teachers work hard at what they do, and all of us spend countless hours supporting students in a myriad of ways. Online learning has an added barrier of “distance” that can make non-engagement and student difficulty more challenging to see. It takes an added layer of digging to:

  • Study the data on course completion
  • look at engagement numbers with lessons
  • adjust poor performing learning objects
  • keep an eye on student pace in the course
  • re-connecting with learners when they disappear

All of these are about integrity in online teaching, and along with investment and innovation form the perfect trio of great online teachers. I feel very fortunately to work along side so many educators with these three “i’s”.

Have I missed anything? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below or on my Facebook page!