Teaching Online Successfully

The role of the teacher in the online classroom is no less important than it is in the traditional classroom, it is just different. Get insights in to how to make the move from "stage on the stage" to "guide on the side" as you move your classroom into cyberspace. This course will introduce you to the tools used in the online classroom, the concepts of student-centered learning, give you ideas on how to encourage student participation. All of this will help you find your place in the virtual classroom.

Lesson 1: Comparing the Traditional and Online Classrooms

Welcome to the virutal classroom! During this first lesson we want you to come in, take a look around, meet your classmates and get comfortable with the learning environment. If this is your first online class I would like for you to pay particular attention to everything you are feeling right now. These feelings will be similar to those your future students have when they start their classes - the ones you will be developing or teaching.

During this lesson we want to compare teaching and learning online with teaching and learning in a traditional classroom. In what ways is learning online better? In what ways is it not as good as in the classroom? We also want to explore the differences in the roles of the instructor and the learner. The instructor has gone from the "sage on the stage" to the "guide on the side". Learners are no longer able to sit quietly in the back row and hope the teacher does not call on them. To make the grade they need to active participants in all aspects of the learning process.