Online Teaching Tips for
Instructional Designers

chillibreeze writer — Anwesha Mukherjee

Education today has a whole new dimension, a whole new vision.

Traditional classroom teaching has given way to e-learning. That is the need of the day. The concept of a teacher, delivering a lecture in an adult classroom has changed to a more learner centric education. What primarily began as an experiment has evolved as a concrete practice. E-learning is nascent in its status yet gaining grounds fast.

Before starting, one should note that online teaching didn’t begin with the purpose of making teaching easier, but with an aim to reach out to the maximum number of people. Its main purpose is to incorporate students who don’t really have the time to attend regular classes, yet are keen on pursuing further studies. Before we actually discuss the nuances and the tricks of the trade of instructional design, it should be taken into account that the whole procedure is not easy and calls for a lot of sincerity and dedication on the part of the teacher and student. Students might keep searching for more and sometimes in the end find themselves not up to the mark. For such a situation, a comprehensive database should be maintained. The teacher should be able contact the individual student, to instill confidence and the students too in their spare time should have the opportunity to contact the teacher for individual guidance and feedback. The sharing should be mutual and comprehensive.

The course needs to be structured. Before registering, the students should have a fair idea about what the course will offer. Some points should be laid down specifically by e-learning portals.

• The content of the course – it is necessary to inform the students before hand, what modules should be covered within the given time period. The teacher can also ask if any other module should be incorporated. It is important to maintain the right balance. Too many suggestions might even clutter the whole course content and lead to confusion.
• The students should also be notified as to when the class meets. It is an absolute necessity to provide the students with an accurate time frame, so that they can come back, well prepared and participate in the online classroom discussion and interactive sessions.
• The course should be broken in chunks and students necessarily given enough time to assimilate the materials delivered.
• An online classroom is after all a virtual classroom. Therefore, an innovative strategy in the form of activities rather than only theory should work better. The method of teaching in an online classroom is one of the most challenging and critical areas that the trainer must adapt to.

Most importantly the whole procedure of a successful online classroom is based on four steps that a trainer needs to deliver.

• It is absolutely necessary for the e-learning instructor to develop a comprehensive and effective course material and build the environment for a successful online interaction. Laying down the course objective is a must. The course should also be able to state how it’s going to cater to the students’ needs and expectations.
• Introducing the material is another tough area. Here again, the session objective is a must. One shouldn’t forget that often an online classroom is an adult classroom and time and again the objective must be mentioned. Each session should have icebreakers or energizers to grab the students’ attention. This can be done through various methods - puzzles, games, short quizzes etc. Even the more heavy study material should involve activities and methods to quickly check the students’ understanding of the lessons.
• Once the program is laid down, it’s the duty of the instructor to ensure that the class proceeds successfully. This is a very delicate phase. The instructor should bring in the emotional factor, should be able to quickly respond to student queries, answer to individual requirements, try to hold the interest of the students and build in enough communication.
• The final stage is to assess the students. The trainer needs to deliver the promises made in the beginning of the course. He or she also needs to take into account the course objectives and the students’ performances. In the end, students may be given a feedback form. A substantial feedback will definitely help the trainer to improve on the next course that he or she will offer.

Some important facts that an instructor needs to keep in mind:

• Course schedule and content should be clearly spelt out.
• Methods and tools used and the course expectation should be clear.
• Late submission policies, attendance issues, classroom schedule, evaluation parameters, size of the class should be specifically mentioned in the beginning.
• Ensure that the promises made in the beginning are met in the end.
• The trainer should be organized and necessarily maintain an organized student database.
• Do your research and have a prior speculation about the difficulties one might face in the process and be prepared prior hand.

Once everything is done and you think you are ready to begin an Elearning classroom, take a deep breath and start off with all your enthusiasm.

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article.

Out of 5 “chilies”, our editorial team gave this article...

---

—About our writer: Answesha says, "...A passionate amateur who has the dream to excel in the profession of creativity."

 

 

 

 

 

 

>> Read more articles written by Chillibreeze writers:

1. Articles related to Content and Outsourcing
2. NRI and Expat Articles
3. Potpourri
4. Travel Writing
5. Book Reviews and Interviews

More resources for Writers on Chillibreeze.com Chillibreeze offers Indian writers the opportunity to work on customer projects. We are also India’s biggest writer network and a one-stop shop for Indian writers and editors. The writers’ section on Chillibreeze offers freelance writers and editors a variety of tools to advance their careers. Resources for writers include: Assessment of your writing, editing and proofreading skills Writing courses Expert Feedback on your article An opportunity to promote yourself on our website Top websites for Indian writers Tips and resources for Indian freelancers Book Publishing services And more……………….. Explore our writers’ section using the links on our left-hand side menu.