The following five skills/foci resonate the most with me when thinking of the most important aspects of

effective online faculty: passion, authenticity, collaboration, critical thinking, and support. I chose these five skills/foci
because of their generalizability to any online learning platform or level of instruction. Furthermore, these five were
chosen based on their individual merits, concurrence from academic learning resources, and feedback from peers
(D’Augstino, 2012; Laureate Education, 2016).

Passionate instruction translates across any medium but is required for effective online teaching. An instructor
who does not illustrate passion for their topic will not be as effective as the instructor whose passion is felt by the
classroom. Similarly to passion, authenticity of communication and content must be conveyed during the course.

An online instructor, in my opinion, should strive to maintain authentic professional relationships with their
students and peers, and develop their curriculum to illustrate authentic scenarios and learning outcomes to augment
the students’ critical thinking skills.

The instructor should demonstrate critical thinking and focus on the development of critical thinking within their
students. The ability to independently derive conclusions from linear and non-linear relationships is key in the modern
workplace and is a needed attribute of students and faculty.

Instructors must foster collaborative and supportive environments in the online workspace. The ability to
collaborate and work as members of a team are highly sought skills within any workplace. Improving students’ ability to
collaborate will only increase their marketability. Finally, providing a supportive environment for students to grow,
collaborate, think critically, and communicate through their individual diversity shapes the online workspace into a
highly effective platform for learning.

References

D'Agustino, S. (2012). Toward a course conversion model for distance learning: A review of best practices. Journal of
International Education in Business, 5(2), 145–162.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2016). Voices from the Field: Effective Online Instructors [Video file]. Balitmore, MD:
Author.