7 characteristics of effective

online teachers
Adjunct instructors who have excellent teaching skills and engaging personalities in the traditional
classroom environment already have many of the characteristics necessary to be effective online
instructors. They know their subject area, love teaching, and are invested in their students.
However, the two delivery modalities are different and there are some additional qualities that make for
better online instructors above and beyond what is required for face-to-face instructors. If you are
wondering if you have what it takes to be an effective online educator consider the following list of 7
characteristics of Effective Online Teachers:

1) Passion about the Subject

Why does this belong in a list specific to online instructors? Shouldn’t all college teachers be passionate
about their discipline? Yes! But, this needs saying for the following reason: Most online students are
adult learners. They are often burned out from their current profession and looking for something
new. They have been inspired to go back to school (and make all of the requisite financial, work, and
family sacrifices needed to do so) and are excited to learn. They have a fire in them and they want to
see that same fire in their instructor. They need help keeping it burning while they are balancing
everything in their lives.
Put another way, a 19 year-old in one of my undergrad psychology classes is interested in psychology
but still figuring out what she wants to do and has interest but no fire. A 35-year old student has her
sights on being a psychologist. There is a difference there.

2) Passionate about Teaching

This makes the list for the same reason as number one. Adult learners are looking for mentors,
really. Not just teachers. Every teacher they come across online is a sort of mentor for them and they
can quickly sniff out someone who isn’t engaged in the teacher-student relationship.

3) Sees Value in Online Education

I teach traditional college instructors how to teach online. Vulnerability about teaching online is
common. Many wonder if they can translate what they do face-to-face to the online environment. For
some, vulnerability takes the form of questioning whether their class going online is a good idea at
all. They have opinions regarding the quality of education that online students receive versus on ground
students. Some simply question it, other are strongly opposed and are very upset that they are being
forced to teach online. All of those feelings are fair, but with any job if you believe in the purpose, if you
see value in what it is you do, you will naturally be better at it. That’s why I suggest teachers who are
uncertain about the value of online education take an online class for themselves. Not necessarily to
“get on board” but to at least develop a clearer understanding of what the thing they fear or dislike
actually is.

4) Is a Good Time Manager

Most online courses are asynchronous, meaning there is not set time to be in class and that discussions
are going on in the classroom at all hours of the day all week long. No, online instructors don’t need to
be online and teaching 24/7, but they are required to have a frequent presence in class, in contrast to
having a set day/days during the week when they are standing in front of the class. Thus, the effective
online instructor develops his/her own system for being present throughout the week.
There is also a bit more writing involved when teaching online—facilitating discussion board
assignments representing the bulk of that additional writing. This competes, to some extent, with the
grading of and providing detailed feedback for other class assignments. Another nod to the need for
online instructors to be effective time managers.

5) Is Flexible and Open to Feedback

Adult learners and millennials want to feel a part of their learning experience. Adults because they have
an array of personal and professional experiences to bring to the table. Millennials because they have
had access to the world wide web of information since they were children and think they know a thing
or two about what you are saying/doing (and, they may actually really know a thing or two!). The
effective online teacher is aware of this and is empathetic to their students’ need to have some control
or input and will allow for that in the classroom. This is exemplified in the statement, “Be a guide on the
side, not a sage on the stage.” Take their enthusiasm, experience, and knowledge and use it and adapt
to it, whether they are sharing a video or experience with the rest of the class in the discussion board or
asking for an assignment to change from an essay to a Prezi presentation.

6) Facilitates Classroom Community with Engaging Tone and Creativity

Without a solid online classroom community, online classes can feel like self-studies. The effective
online teacher is aware of the importance of the community feel and will use a professional, yet warm
and informal tone in their posts, use collaborative learning assignments, and utilize other creative
approaches to engage the community. School is not Facebook, but in a way we are trying to capture
the same idea that social media is—to help the individual sitting there at their computer feel tied into the
class and tied into the material.

7) Trained in Online Teaching

I strongly suggest that adjuncts seeking to teach online take a training course or at least take several
online courses themselves (as a student). This not only looks great on a CV, but also helps you become
more comfortable with common Learning Management Systems (like Blackboard or Moodle). You learn
how to use them effectively and with all the bells and whistles that could bring your learning objectives
to life. Good training programs will familiarize teachers with the unique needs of the adult online learner,
offer guidance when it comes to facilitating effective and engaging discussion boards, share ideas about
bringing material to life through interactivity, video/voiceover, etc., and go over the benefits and problems
associated with using outside Web 2.0/3.0 technologies in the classroom.

Source: https://adjunctworld.com/blog/7-characteristics-of-effective-online-teachers/