Online Instructor Competencies
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To Teach or Not To Teach |
It is necessary for you to demonstrate specific competencies when teaching online. You will have to overcome potential barriers caused by technology, time, and place and create an optimal environment for achieving educational goals.
You should have competencies in four areas: administrative, facilitation, technical, and evaluation.
- The primary goal of administrative competencies is to assure smooth online course operations, improve adherence to policies and procedures, and enhance student comfort level and retention. The instructor's actions provide the framework for learning and reduce student apprehensions related to online content and procedures. Faculty members must be able to:
- set course agendas, objectives, rules, and decision-making norms
- post course materials (syllabus, assignments, discussion topics, etc.) at the beginning of the course
- post timely bulletins about changes and updates to course
- assure that all students are 'on board' and responding during the first week of class and contacting the students privately by phone or email if not
- return student calls/emails within 24 hours
- refer students to advisors and follow-up to assure resolution
- The primary goal of facilitation competencies is to enhance cognitive outcomes related to online course objectives and foster community and collaboration among course participants. The instructor's actions improve student satisfaction with the online course. Faculty members must be able to:
- manage discussions and student interactions with leadership and direction
- post thoughtful discussion questions related to the topic and appropriate to the desired cognitive outcomes (Bloom's Taxonomy)
- moderate discussions
- model desired methods of communication
- engage students, foster the sharing of participants' knowledge, questions, and expertise
- contribute outside resources (online, print-based, others)
- contribute advanced content knowledge and insights, weaving together discussion threads
- help students apply, analyze, and synthesize content
- foster group learning
- provide public and private acknowledgment to students who contribute to discussion
- ask non-contributing students to participate in discussion
- The primary goal of technical competencies is to assure that technical aspects of the online course are running smoothly and student barriers due to technical components are quickly overcome. The instructor's actions help make the technology relatively transparent to the student. Faculty members must be able to:
- contact individuals responsible for all technical systems used in the online course which will help students troubleshoot technical systems used in the course as well as various software required for participation and make students quickly feel comfortable with the system and the software
- The primary goal of evaluation competencies is to establish high standards, assure that students understand how they will be evaluated, and provide assistance in meeting online course objectives. Faculty members must be able to:
- provide students with clear grading criteria
- remind students about upcoming assignments
- demonstrate to students that college level writing is required and that spelling, grammar, and syntactical errors as well as typographical errors will be graded
- provide examples of desired writing/assignments
- provide resource ideas for completing assignments
- assist students who are having problems (by email or phone) completing the assignments
- acknowledge receipt of assignments within 24 hours
- return students' assignments, with detailed notes and grade, within 96 hours
- contact (by email or phone) students who have not completed assignments within 24 hours after assignment due date and helping students work out plan to complete assignments
