In the corporate world, best practices provide the guidance needed to keep a company running smoothly. They supply the guidance necessary to maintain shareholder and client security and to ensure success for everyone involved. Best practices in online learning serve a similar purpose. By creating and adhering to pre-determined rules, goals and missions, institutions of higher learning can develop the best possible environment for education.

A college or university’s best practices in online education are intended to bring about learning effectiveness and satisfaction for both teachers and students. As a resource for traditional institutions looking to initiate online degree or course offerings, The Learning House, Inc. is always ready to assist schools, teachers and students with customizing best practices for online learning and developing a method for adhering to these practices.

Set Parameters

One essential area of best practices — and a recommended starting point for institutions and instructors — involves setting parameters. Distance learning offers many benefits to students and professors alike. One of the more significant advantages is flexibility, in the sense that online participants do not have to attend set class times at set locations. In order to ensure that both parties enjoy the maximum amount of productivity and satisfaction, clear limits and regulations need to be set to prevent any task or project from falling by the wayside.

Define Classroom Expectations

One of these recommended parameters involves defining precise expectations for both teachers and students. Whether it is the amount of class participation desired or the establishment of instructor office hours, these standards help to determine routine measures for all parties. One facet of online learning that benefits significantly from parameters is referred to as clearly defined response times. Taking steps to determine — and then stick to — strict time frames will help to promote effective communication and cooperation within a course. Suggested guidelines may include determining the amount of time available for students to complete assignments or establishing a set day of the week during which instructors will return graded work.

Encourage Interactive Communication

Additionally, best practices in online learning can assist in developing and maintaining teacher-student bonds — an aspect of education that increases in importance when parties are not face to face. By ensuring open communication, instructors will also be able to utilize their best practices to maintain students’ interest in the online course.

Instructors can get the course off to a more personal start by sending a welcome email to each student, or calling to chat for a few minutes with new students. Instructors can also designate a location and invite students to post photos and biographies on a course’s site, which allows individuals to put names with faces and learn information about each person outside of class discussions.

Create Awareness About Student Resources

It is also important to make online students aware of the fact that they have access to the same opportunities as traditional students, including library resources, help desk support and bookstore services. Online students need to feel attached to the university or college they are attending, even if they are attending from many miles away. By following these best practices for online learning, instructors and students alike can make online learning very engaging.

Best practices are an essential resource for the successful launch of an online campus.  As a comprehensive online education solutions partner, Learning House is fully aware of the value of these guidelines and others for an institution seeking to break ground in the distance learning realm. To learn more, please visit: www.learninghouse.com.