COMMUNICATE OFTEN
Online students crave information. Geographic and temporal distance make online teaching much more diffused than face-to-face teaching. The only way to manage that is to establish clear communication channels – you-to-students, students-to-you, and students-to-students – and to foster healthy and efficient communication norms.
ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN ROUTINES
Online students crave direction. A clear and modular course structure, a clear course calendar, a clear cadence of course events, and a clear weekly routine will provide that for students. It is essential not just that you establish these routines, but that you also adhere to them strictly and clearly communicate any change to them.
BE PRESENT
Online students crave interaction. Ensure that part of the routine you establish involves you being available to your students. Offer online office hours at times that work for your students, respond to discussion posts, provide weekly updates
BE HUMAN
Online students crave connectivity. To the degree that you are comfortable with it, let your students see you in your natural element. Let them see your face. Empathize with their feelings of disconnection.
NURTURE COLLABORATION AND KINDNESS
Online students crave community. Establish norms that encourage students to interact with each other, comment on each other’s work, and respond to each other’s questions. Clearly indicate the ethical standards of the course, and hold students to a standard of etiquette.
MAKE USE OF GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS
Online students crave choice. Find ways to let students learn and demonstrate their learning in both group and individual settings.
PROVIDE AND SEEK FEEDBACK
Online students crave clarity. Find a way to provide them with feedback and data on what they are doing well and where there is room for improvement. In smaller classes this may be 1-1, in large classes this may be you highlighting common struggles and successes.
BE FLEXIBLE
Students crave customization. While routine is essential, so is responding to the unique needs and demands of each course. Be prepared for some trial and error, and seek feedback from your students about what is working for them and what is not.
MANAGE YOUR TIME
Online students crave you. Teaching online requires much more writing, and it lends itself to much more email. Both can occupy your time rabidly. Add to that that students engage in online courses at all hours, and teaching online can easily feel like a 24-hour job. Block off time in your calendar to focus on your online class. Establish with your students your hours of availability, your response rate to messages, and a process of self-help and peer-help students can use to solve some problems independently.