Training ~ How Online Teachers Should Teach and What Learning Skills Must They Have

Online teachers need training in several areas: 1) teaching strategies and methods suitable for the subject matter and delivery formats, 2) subject matter, 3) online resources, and 4) tools. Learning how to be an effective online teacher should be a top priority. Knowing where to point and click to achieve the desired result is necessary, but it has a lower priority than understanding the principles of effective online teaching. Effective teachers must be prepared for their role as educators. Crucial components of this preparation are knowledge of many teaching strategies, from which teachers select those best suited to their personal style, learners’ needs, and the subject matter. Teachers also need to learn skills in how to teach, such as organizing ideas and materials and clearly expressing themselves, often in many different ways, so that students understand the subject and the tasks they need to complete. Too often training focuses on button pushing and clicking, when it also should emphasize high-quality teaching methods first and tool use later. Training must be ongoing, and it must cover many areas of online education, theoretical and pragmatic.

One of the best investments an institution can make is to train faculty. Anyone who plans to teach an online course for the first time, is going to teach an updated course or a new course, or is working with new tools or technology needs to be trained. Training may take place at conferences, but other types of training should be ongoing for online faculty. The home institution should offer on-site and online versions of the same in-service activities and make them accessible at convenient times. These activities may include discussions of effective teaching methods and ways to implement new technologies in the classroom, wherever it is.

On-site training can be provided in a three-hour workshop or a series of mini-courses—whatever is appropriate to the amount of information that needs to be covered and the amount of time it typically takes to work with new equipment. Online teachers who live far from the physical campus may not be able to attend on-site workshops offered at convenient times and locations for on-site teachers. Therefore, online sessions, such as conference calls, videoconferences, or chats, may need to be offered in the evenings or on weekends to accommodate the needs of online educators.

Online tutorials should also be a part of the training materials, not only to supplement on-site activities, but also to provide guidance and practice for teachers working on the virtual campus. The important consideration is that all teachers be given professional development opportunities. Training activities need to be planned so that the quality of the materials is high, the trainers are qualified and have time to devote to faculty education, and time and space are reserved specifically for training sessions. These activities need to be offered regularly; for example, each online term a new training program can be offered for first-time online teachers. As well, additional sessions should be offered on an as-needed basis when new tools, hardware, software, or course designs are going to be introduced. Training needs to take place before, not at the same time as teachers begin a course using new elements.

Although most institutions offer some type of professional development through training activities, not all employers ensure that teachers have the time or support to take advantage of these events. Training activities should be scheduled at a variety of convenient times. Monetary incentives may be a part of the institution’s training strategy, to ensure that teachers are not only encouraged to attend, but also that their dedication and time are appreciated.

Simply tacking on another job to a teacher’s workload is not a good training incentive. Administrators provide appropriate incentives that ease the way for faculty members and IT specialists to move into online education. Providing well-planned, effective training sessions and giving teachers release time and other benefits to take advantage of training help create a better trained, contented faculty and help faculty members work more closely with IT experts.

That means, of course, that training activities need to be a budget item, not an afterthought. Investing in faculty competency and security is important, and it requires an institutional commitment. Administrators may have to document “before” and “after” statistics to measure the effectiveness of faculty training and students’ evaluations of courses. Showing that training is beneficial to the programs overall, as well as to teachers, is a selling point in favor of investing in training.

There are four approaches to faculty training: 1) training prior to the first online class, 2) support during the first online course, 3) ongoing workshops to cover practical topics (e.g., writing assignments, grading, evaluation, critical thinking, copyright information, Web pages, syllabus preparation), and 4) faculty evaluation and feedback mechanisms. These venues for training not only prepare new online faculty but also help experienced faculty keep up with new technologies and educational methods.

After all, confident, highly trained, and knowledgeable faculty members create a successful learning environment. They know how to interact with learners and encourage such interaction. They develop effective educational techniques that help learners achieve course objectives. Learners ultimately meet their objectives and are satisfied with their educational experience. Developing such a faculty requires administrators to be committed to the idea of ongoing training opportunities for all teachers.