While this course focuses on designing and developing your online course, knowledge of best facilitation practices can help you understand why you might want to include specific practices and communications into your course. One of the best resources is using the knowledge of other online instructors. Here are some tips that link to the information you will be learning in the USG Online Certification Series (Cooper, 2016).

1. Be Present

Students want to feel connected to the instructor and their classmates. Achieving this online means utilizing a range of different communication methods and ensuring that you check in on them daily or hourly if needed. Discussion boards, emails, announcements, and forums are just some of the ways you can be present each day in your online classroom. Course 2 will focus on improving student engagement and cultivating an online learning community through various formats.

2. Set the Expectations

As the online classroom can often feel a little free-form, you’ll need to provide students with a very clear set of expectations before they commence their studies. These expectations should include everything from what they can expect from you as their teacher, as well as what will be required of them. The expectations can outline due dates for assessments, your communication frequency, how much online participation you require of them, and the conduct they will be expected to display throughout the course.

3. Let the Students Do the Work

The aim of learning is to have students engaged in the content for as long as possible, so you need to create the opportunity for this to happen. To give your students plenty of opportunities to engage with the content and each other, you can ask them to find and discuss resources, grade their own assignments, and hold student-led discussions in the online forums. By completing the discussions, quizzes, and various activities in this course, they will gain knowledge through their own work.

4. Nurture A Supportive Online Community

Since this online space is their classroom, you want students to feel as supported as possible when they’re here. By using a variety of dialogue formats, you’ll ensure your coursework caters to all learning types and allows students to flourish. Encourage students to use the general forum for discussion, but also set up small groups within the class so that students can engage with their fellow classmates through feedback and support. Some students may sit back and learn from the sidelines, whereas others will benefit greatly from actively engaging in this type of communication. You will learn the foundation of a supportive online community in Course 2 where we present research on engagement, ideas to promote active learning, and how to cultivate collaboration and interaction.

5. Think Before You Write

Not only is this an important principle for teaching staff to follow, but one that should be communicated from the very beginning to all students. As it’s well known that written text can be left open to interpretation or misinterpretation at any time, it’s crucial to craft well-thought-out responses and posts to others. When crafting responses to assignments and other evaluations, the best tone to use is a simple, clear, and polite one. In Course 2, you will read about how to communicate clear expectations.

6. Ask for Feedback

Sometime around the 2nd or 3rd week of a full term, you should ask your students for direct and honest feedback on how things are going. This feedback should cover everything from content to teaching methods, and request any areas requiring improvement. The best way to achieve this is in a somewhat formal tone, so post something on the discussion board and see what pops up. In Course 2, you will read about opportunities to allow students to ask questions and get the feedback you want.

7. Foster Personal Relationships with Each Student

Getting some one-on-one time with each student is just as important as effective group communication. Students studying online can sometimes feel deserted and alone in the digital classroom, so it’s up to you to make an effort and reach out. Use a blend of different communication methods, including personalized responses to their discussion board posts and emails addressed to only one student. Course 2 focuses on ways to communicate effectively with your students.

8. Use Resources That Are Readily Available

Since your students will already be engaged on their computers and use the Internet to log onto the learning portal, the best resources for them are going to be online. By using an assortment of relevant and easily accessible resources such as digital publications, news sites, and online videos, your students are going to be far more engaged than if they had to refer to an outdated textbook. Course 1 is designed to introduce you to different materials and formats to use in your courses.

Incorporating these principles into your online teaching methods will not only ensure a supportive community for your students, but will make your job ultimately easier too.