13 Simple Tips for Better Online Teaching

Due to the shutdown of schools, colleges, and universities across the world because of the
pandemic, we are seeing a steep increase in the use of ​online teaching among educational
institutes. Teachers are also trying to keep up with the new reality and develop new ways to
teach students virtually for a better learning experience.

And we have created a list of quick but efficient tips for teachers to make ​online teaching
seamless.

1. Record Lectures
The biggest problem with online teaching is internet access. If a student
doesn't have an internet connection right away, he/she might miss the lecture.
So it is always better to record the live lecture and send it to the students for
future reference. In this way, they can watch it at their own pace.

2. Show Your Face

Showing your face on videos projects authority. ​Research has shown that
showing the teachers' face creates a more engaging learning environment. So
always show your face along with your notes and slides to engage your
students.
3. Keep the Content Short
Students have very short attention spans. It is hard for them to give their full
attention to a longer video. So if you want to provide a longer lecture or have a
lot more to say, make two or three short videos.

4. Optimize Content
A majority of the students access and consume content directly from their
mobile devices. So, when you create content or notes or slides, optimize it both
for the small screen mobile devices and the web. Check font size, colours,
template, and screen ratios for easy reading across all devices.

5. Use Existing Resources

It is impossible to produce a year's worth of lectures on your own in a short
period. Instead, you can use pre-published content or lectures by others and
build a repository of clickable links and share it with the students.

6. Give Specific Instructions

Always give specific instructions to the students when teaching online. The
average attention span of a student is ​10 to 15 minutes​. So when you create a
longer course, always give specific instructions, such as put out a clear
timestamp of different sections of a video. It will create curiosity among the
students and guide them towards the resources they actually need.

Also, clearly label the resources you put out for your students. You can do it
based on the level of difficulty or importance. It will be a great help for the
students.
7. Make Sure Students have Access to Resources
Whatever resources you share with your students, always make sure students
can access all the resources. If any of your suggested resources are inaccessible
to the students, you will receive a lot of students' emails and waste a lot of time
troubleshooting for them.

8. Create an Interactive Environment

Interactive, personalized learning is always better than non-interactive online
classes. If you take an example of ​EduVue learning management system​, we
have created easy to use interactive learning environments with direct question
& answers, quizzes features. This engages the students more actively and
makes them learn more efficiently.

9. Set Reasonable Expectation

When you do a Q&A session, or create quizzes, make sure the questions come
from the learning that happened till now.

Also, when you give students a task, make sure to mention if the task is
high-stake or low-stake. Because creating a mandatory but low-stake
assignment will produce the best results from the students. And it will engage
the students for more holistic learning.

10. Use Group Communication Wisely

Teachers have the misconception that group communication must be used for
teaching. But in reality, group communication should not be used for teaching.
Instead, ​it is for providing social support to the students and solving
students' queries.

It is a great way to collect student feedback and mark the points required to
improve online teaching. Also, make these online meetings optional and
low-pressure. Students will not respond well if they feel it is forced.
11. Trust The Students
Once in a while, let the students take charge. You can set up groups of students
and ask them to support each other and consult with each other on their
problems.

Let them decide on the tools they want to use and how they want to approach
it. It will develop different skills and provide holistic learning to the students.
Also, it will create a strong bond between the students and the teacher.

12. Don't Hide Your Feelings

We all know that ​online teaching is very new. ​So don't try to be an
"everything I know" person. Tell the students that you are very new to ​online
learning​, and you are also learning.

Emotional openness is a great way to bond with the students and build trust.
Specifically, ask them to help you with the technologies and reassure them that
you will do your best to make sure they have a great learning experience. You
will create trust and a strong bond with the students as you share similar
emotions.

13. Repeat
Online learning ​is a bit difficult. ​That is why no one likes frequent changes
in their learning process​. If one method is working for you and your students,
feel free to use the process until there are other innovations in the ​online
learning​ field.

Online teaching surely isn't perfect, but today's technology makes ​online
learning a very trustworthy learning platform. Just make sure you follow the
tips mentioned above, and you will be amazed to see how online teaching gets
better with time.

EduVue
reachus@eduvue.in