Effective Online Teaching

Effective Online Teaching is an essential resource that offers a clear understanding of how cognition and learning theory applies to online learning. This much-needed resource provides specific strategies for incorporating this knowledge into effective learner-centered teaching that gets results. The book includes strategies on motivation, tailored instruction, interaction, collaboration, monitoring and communication, time and information management, student concerns, and legal and ethical issues. Designed as a text for online instructors, the chapters can be used for self-directed learning or in a formal training setting in concert with the companion Training Manual and CD. "Tina Stavredes has done something sorely needed in the online teaching world she has successfully combined solid theory and research with the practical application of instructor training. Both the book and the training manual are a 'must' for any online education organization. Bravo!" Dr. Darcy W. Hardy, assistant vice provost for Technology Education Initiatives, University of Texas at San Antonio, and chair emerita, United States Distance Learning Association "Drawing from years of experience and solidly grounded in an understanding of the adult learner and learning, Stavredes offers dozens of helpful instructor strategies, activities, and resources to support adult learners' success in an online environment. Effective Online Teaching and its accompanying training manual is a 'must-have' set for online instructors in higher education, corporate, and government settings." Sharan B. Merriam, professor emeritus of adult education, University of Georgia, and coauthor, Learning in Adulthood "An eminently practical book that provides clear and unpretentious explanations of the learning theories that are essential knowledge for every online teacher, together with equally uncluttered and easy-to-follow guidance about how to apply this knowledge to achieve excellent teaching." Michael Grahame Moore, Distinguished Professor of Education, The Pennsylvania State University, and editor, The American Journal of Distance Education

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has prompted educators to utilize online learning resources in order to comply with public health and social distancing mandates. The transition to virtual classrooms has created several opportunities and challenges for all stakeholders involved in the educational ecosystem. The ability of the classroom instructor to impart learning to students requires considerable adjustments from both students and teachers, which can be a new experience for educational professionals. Virtual and Classroom Learning in Higher Education serves as a handy guide for instructors to effective online teaching with a focus on higher education. The book presents reviews on different aspects of online teaching, distilling key findings in an easy to understand manner for the reader. It provides educators with knowledge which familiarizes them with online teaching models and concepts (such as micro-learning, synchronous and asynchronous learning, online pedagogy, dynamic learning experience and more). Chapters are contributed by experts in online learning and cover the topic from different angles, giving the reader a broad perspective on virtual classrooms. Virtual and Classroom Learning in Higher Education is an essential read for administrators and educators involved in higher education settings, and general readers who are interested in widening their view of the online teaching model.

For the Internet generation, educational technology designed with the brain in mind offers a natural pathway to the pleasures and rewards of deep learning. Drawing on neuroscience and cognitive psychology, Michelle Miller shows how attention, memory, critical thinking, and analytical reasoning can be enhanced through technology-aided approaches.

Online teaching and learning has surged in recent years, and faculty who normally teach in face-to-face settings are increasingly called upon to teach blended, hybrid, and fully online courses. Best Practices in Online Teaching and Learning across Academic Disciplines provides insights from experienced university teachers and scholars across multiple disciplines—including social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, mathematics, and professional programs such as nursing, education, and business administration—who share innovative practices, pedagogies, and instructional design techniques. This work highlights and features effective, practical, innovative, and engaging best-practices and approaches in online teaching and instructional design that can assist university faculty members and teachers, course designers and developers, and administrators invested and involved in online education. Using a common theme and structure, each chapter is co-authored by faculty members possessing a wealth of experience and credentialing in online teaching and instructional design in the relevant discipline or sub-discipline. Chapters include best-practices, approaches, and techniques within the discipline as well as relevant, innovative, and specific tools and strategies that improve student engagement and outcomes. The book will appeal to faculty members and administrators in higher education teaching or designing online courses or entire online curricula, as well as instructional design staff working with and training faculty. Readers will be especially interested to discover lessons about how contributors have successfully taught and designed courses in disciplines not typically associated with online learning, such as mathematics, composition/writing, drawing, "hard" sciences, and speech, among others. Distributed for George Mason University Press

The Online Teaching Survival Guide offers faculty a wide array of theory-based techniques designed for online teaching and technology-enhanced courses. Written by two pioneers in distance education, this guidebook presents practical instructional strategies spread out over a four-phase timeline that covers the lifespan of a course. The book includes information on a range of topics such as course management, social presence, community building, and assessment. Based on traditional pedagogical theory, The Online Teaching Survival Guide integrates the latest research in cognitive processing and learning outcomes. Faculty with little knowledge of educational theory and those well versed in pedagogy will find this resource essential for developing their online teaching skills. Praise for The Online Teaching Survival Guide "At a time when resources for training faculty to teach online are scarce, Judith Boettcher and Rita-Marie Conrad have presented a must-read for all instructors new to online teaching. By tying best practices to the natural rhythms of a course as it unfolds, instructors will know what to do when and what to expect. The book is a life raft in what can be perceived as turbulent and uncharted waters." —Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt, program directors and faculty, Teaching in the Virtual Classroom Program, Fielding Graduate University "Developed from years of experience supporting online faculty, Judith Boettcher and Rita-Marie Conrad's book provides practical tips and checklists that should especially help those new to online teaching hit the ground running." —Karen Swan, Stukel Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership, University of Illinois Springfield "This book blends a fine synthesis of research findings with plenty of practical advice. This book should be especially valuable for faculty teaching their first or second course online. But any instructor, no matter how experienced, is likely to find valuable insights and techniques." —Stephen C. Ehrmann, director, Flashlight Program for the Study and Improvement of Educational Uses of Technology; vice president, The Teaching, Learning, and Technology Group

Create a more effective system for evaluating online faculty Evaluating Online Teaching is the first comprehensivebook to outline strategies for effectively measuring the quality ofonline teaching, providing the tools and guidance that facultymembers and administrators need. The authors address challengesthat colleges and universities face in creating effective onlineteacher evaluations, including organizational structure,institutional governance, faculty and administrator attitudes, andpossible budget constraints. Through the integration of casestudies and theory, the text provides practical solutions geared toaddress challenges and foster effective, efficient evaluations ofonline teaching. Readers gain access to rubrics, forms, andworksheets that they can customize to fit the needs of their uniqueinstitutions. Evaluation methods designed for face-to-face classrooms, fromstudent surveys to administrative observations, are often appliedto the online teaching environment, leaving reviewers andinstructors with an ill-fitted and incomplete analysis.Evaluating Online Teaching shows how strategies forevaluating online teaching differ from those used in traditionalclassrooms and vary as a function of the nature, purpose, and focusof the evaluation. This book guides faculty members andadministrators in crafting an evaluation process specificallysuited to online teaching and learning, for more accurate feedbackand better results. Readers will: Learn how to evaluate online teaching performance Examine best practices for student ratings of onlineteaching Discover methods and tools for gathering informal feedback Understand the online teaching evaluation life cycle The book concludes with an examination of strategies forfostering change across campus, as well as structures for creatinga climate of assessment that includes online teaching as acomponent. Evaluating Online Teaching helps institutionsrethink the evaluation process for online teaching, with the endgoal of improving teaching and learning, student success, andinstitutional results.

Drawing on nearly a decade of teaching online, and many years working as a technical adviser and faculty developer in higher education, author Aaron Johnson will walk you through sixteen distinct characteristics of excellent online teaching. What you'll learn: - Strategies for connecting with your students - Effective ways to save time in grading - Ways to give your students meaningful feedback - How to communicate effectively in the online environment - How to begin and end your course with excellence - How to effectively facilitate online discussion Preview the table of contents for more Excellent Online Teaching also has a companion website with resources for each chapter. Because this is a rapidly changing field, this book focuses on enduring online teaching methods. The companion website contains updates, technical helps, and other resources. "My hope is that you'll end the semester with a new level of confidence and with course evaluations that let you know that you are on the right track. More importantly, I hope that you and your students will be experiencing a vibrant learning relationship. If you have been teaching online for a while, I think you'll find some ways to improve your game." - Author, Aaron Johnson