Introduction to Effective Online Teaching

This course is an introduction course to online teaching. During the course

participants will learn about best practices for online instruction, including engaging
students, establishing and maintaining community, participating actively as facilitators, and
aligning course content and assessments with stated course objectives. The course mainly
concentrates on facilitating courses in Jabin, not in actual course design.

Time Commitment: Participants can expect to spend 60-90 minutes per day to successfully
complete this course. We expect that you will log in at least six or seven days of the ten-day
session. You can choose which days and times to do classwork, because there are no set
meeting times. To learn most effectively, log in more frequently for shorter periods of time
instead of completing one long session with several days between log-ins.

Pre-requisites: None

Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
1. Identify unique aspects of online learning
2. List differences between online learning and face-to-face instruction
3. Explain the importance of building community in online courses
4. Discuss methods of engaging and motivating participants in online courses
5. Describe the importance of facilitator presence and feedback
6. Create feedback policies
7. Identify methods of conducting effective online discussions
8. Design course activities and assessments to promote alignment

There are several modules in this course. Each module includes a short summary, module-
level learning objectives, readings and/or videos, and learning activities.

NOTE: We understand you are busy with ministry commitments, but please read all content.
Many online students think they can skip or skim the readings and still complete the course
successfully (be aware of this when you begin teaching online). It’s important to read all
material carefully as it forms the foundation for all activities.

Also, note your experience as a participant. This will help you understand what your
students are going through when you are the facilitator of an online course.

Course Outline: Introduction to Effective Online Teaching 1

Main Topics
Main topics to be addressed in this class include:

Module 1: Introductions and Overview. It is essential to take the time to introduce

ourselves and learn a little bit about each other. This is a key practice of effective online
learning. We’ll introduce other best practices for successful online learning as well.

Module 2: Differences between Face-to-Face and Online Learning. Understanding what is

different in the online learning environment will help you adjust your expectations as well as
your pedagogical approach. Consequently, you and your participants will have a richer
learning experience.

Module 3: Student Orientation and Engagement. Students get the most out of your online
class when they are comfortable in the learning management system (in our case, Jabin) and
when they are actively engaging with course material.

Module 4: Instructor Presence and Feedback. Modeling active participation is one of the
best ways to encourage your students to log in frequently and interact with you, with each
other, and with the content. Carefully considering your feedback policies and tone is also
important to the success of your online class.

Module 5: Conducting Effective Discussions. Discussions are the heart and soul of online
learning. Creating and facilitating profitable discussions is a skill that can be acquired.

Module 6: Principles of Alignment. Making sure that content and assessments line up with
the stated objectives in your course is a central concept of effective online learning. Using
the Backward Design approach to create alignment will result in consistent quality in Jabin
courses.

Module 7: Reflection and Evaluation. What theories and practical tips might you apply to
an online course you develop and teach? What feedback can you provide to us, to make this
class more effective for participants?

Course Expectations
Please honour the commitment you made by enrolling in this class. We expect that
participants will complete all readings and tasks in a timely manner. Engaging with the
content and with each other will result in a rich and meaningful learning experience.

To successfully complete this course, participants will be expected to:

• Read all lessons and materials

Course Outline: Introduction to Effective Online Teaching 2

 • Submit all assignments
• Post to the required discussion forums
• Respond to at least 2 other people’s posts in each required forum
• Practice appropriate netiquette

Tips for successful course experience

Plan to spend between 60-90 minutes per day when you log in to this course. In case you
want to read through all the discussions, it might take even longer than this. Each module is
designed to be completed in one day. Then you will interact with each other in the
discussion over the period of a few days for each topic. Check the Announcements forum
each time you log-in.

We encourage you to log in on 7 to 8 different days over the course of this ten-day session.
Ideally, it’s best to check in to the class work and discussions on each weekday of the
course. Please plan to stay on track with the recommended schedule to create the most
rewarding learning experience for all.

It might be a good idea to start making notes on a separate word/one note document so
that it will be easier keep track of things that have been meaningful to you. Unfortunately,
we are not able to provide a PDF document with all the course contents, so feel free to copy
any information you want from the course site.

This course is designed such that each module builds on the one before. It’s not actually
helpful to get too far ahead of schedule, as you may want to apply facilitator feedback to
upcoming assignments. Staying on the recommended schedule also helps keep everyone
“on the same page.”

Please submit all assignments by the closing date of the course as we cannot accept work
after that date. Though it will not be possible to submit work after the course end date,
course material, including the evaluation, will be available for 7 days after the end date.

Please practice academic integrity. Do not submit work that is not your own.

At the end of the course you should have all small boxes ticked as a sign you have finished
everything. Those who have finished all the training components will receive a Certificate of
Completion.

Facilitator Availability
The facilitators will participate actively in the discussions each weekday, though they will
not be able to reply to every participant’s post in every discussion. We will make every

Course Outline: Introduction to Effective Online Teaching 3

effort to answer specific questions posted in the forums within 24 hours.
We will also reply to email queries within 24 hours, barring unusual
circumstances.

If you have a general course-related question, please post it in the “Announcements /

Questions about the course” forum. It is likely that another participant will be able to
answer your question before the facilitators can respond. We encourage each participant to
“jump in” to answer others’ questions when possible. If you have a more individual
concerns, please feel free to email any time at JabinTeam.INT@om.org

The facilitators will be online 5-6 days per week, though Sundays are preserved for rest.

Netiquette Expectations
In an online learning environment, people can’t interpret your body language, facial
expressions, or tone of voice. Consequently, a set of guidelines for civil communication has
emerged that are collectively referred to as “Netiquette.” Some basic pointers for discussion
board and email communication include:
• Maintain a polite, respectful, business-like tone
• Use standard English, not text or conversational slang
• Stay on topic
• Re-read your submissions carefully to check for language that may be misinterpreted
• Do not use ALL CAPS as this is considered “shouting”
• Treat others as you would like them to treat you

Thank you for observing these guidelines in this course.

Acknowledgements
Much of the material in this course is drawn from Quality Matters, an inter-institutional,
non-profit, peer review organization that promotes consistent quality in online learning in
higher education. Multiple other open source materials have also been synthesized into this
introductory course. We greatly appreciate the contributions of numerous higher education
online learning collaborators.

Course Outline: Introduction to Effective Online Teaching 4