Online Teaching Best Practices
Posted on August 14, 2009 in Instructor Education, Newsletter
Setting Standards and Policies
Setting and communicating standards and policies related to offering, managing and teaching online courses represents one of the most important, yet often overlooked, aspects of implementing an online program.
Successful online programs have specific and rigorous policies that program coordinators lay out and instructors adopt, and both clearly communicate these policies to students and other stakeholders on a consistent basis.
Course Development
Schools offering online courses must decide early in the process on their standards and policies related to the course development (course creation, course format or course changes). This will ensure that the development process continues smoothly and results in an online course that provides students with the highest quality education possible. Most of all, your institution should focus on the following points:
• Identify the staff member(s) who will make the ultimate decision on course structure, format and changes. You might choose a knowledgeable, experienced and reliable instructor, the online program coordinator or the vice president of academic affairs in some cases to fulfill this function and be responsible for the implementation and outcome of policies. In a timely and clear manner, you should provide all stakeholders within the school and online learning platform provider or partner with the names and contact information of the staff members in charge.
• Work with your online education partner or online course developer to establish standards regarding specific course elements that the instructor can modify. For example, you might allow instructors to customize assignments, quizzes and content to fit their needs or their students’ needs, but you should limit the amount and extent of changes if they stop providing value to the course.
• Clearly communicate all standards and procedures on various types of changes internally with your technical team and externally with your online learning partner. Also, set deadlines for implementation and select avenues of communication that the entire team can use effectively.
Online Teaching/Learning Training
• Instructors
o Best practices in the industry show that every instructor should complete orientation training before receiving access to his or her course — even if the instructor has taught before in a different online learning platform or system. Staying abreast of all new information and technologies, features and methods in the pedagogical realm will ensure that the course launches and runs smoothly.
o If the school’s policy requires additional specialized training, the school should clearly communicate those requirements to the instructors and the online education partner who schedules and conducts the training sessions. Set clear expectations and deadlines for all instructors’ training, so everyone can effectively prepare to start their online courses on time and full-steam.
• Students
o Another set of best practices in the higher education industry and online education shows that students should complete an orientation course before they start taking courses online.
o Before the student enrolls in any online classes, the school should clearly communicate to the student the requirements for student training or online orientation. The school can display these requirements and expectations on its online campus site — a Web environment tailored to online students and their educational needs.
Course Delivery
Many aspects of course delivery can benefit from standardized processes and policies, depending on the school’s needs or resources available. The following list provides some examples for common policies that the school should establish and properly communicate both internally and externally:
• Communication expectations: The school should establish communication expectations for the entire duration of the online course, sectioned according to various stages of course delivery — before starting the course, during the course, before the final exam and after the students have completed the course. Also, ensure that the expectations (policies) apply to all online courses within a program or within all programs delivered online.
• Communication methods and features: The school should establish communication methods and features that it will enforce across the board for all instructors and students (synchronous, chat, asynchronous, forum or campus email).
• Format for submitting assignments: The school should provide a standardized procedure for how students must submit assignments to the instructor, the minimum length required, due dates and the type of research allowed. This will minimize or eliminate confusion and maximize learning outcomes.
• Late assignments or incomplete work: The school should establish the course of action that instructors must take in the cases of late assignments or incomplete work and the standard repercussions that instructors must enforce with non-complying students.
• Course features such as quizzes and exams: The school should set appropriate expectations and communicate requirements such as timing, number of attempts or time limits for taking a quiz or exam. Students will also want to know the type of questions included (multiple-choice, essay, true/false or a combination of the three). The school must set examination standards to ensure that students answer the questions in a secure electronic environment or via a secure browser.
• Course participation: The school should set concise guidelines on how much time the school expects the student to allocate to a particular class per week or per term and how the student should use communication features during the course (chat, discussion board, forums, etc.). These will help instructors and students plan their disposable time and stay on track with the course.
• Grades submission: The school should identify the most feasible timeframe within which the instructor must report grades to the institution and who will take responsibility for confirming the submission. Also, specify how and when instructors must communicate the grades to students. Informing instructors and students about specific grading criteria and the way the instructors will weight assignments, research, projects, quizzes and exams proves especially valuable.
An across-the-board policy for grading criteria and instructions on how grading criteria are selected and implemented will help online program faculty work more effectively and efficiently throughout their teaching experience.
• Accessibility of online courses and features: Schools must recognize and apply the standards of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regarding student access to higher education and develop creative approaches to preventing and addressing discrimination in the classroom. To ensure that all students receive an equal opportunity to learn online, your institution must identify the specific needs of students with disabilities and modify and adapt the learning objectives, course elements and delivery methods to meet those students.
• Instructor availability: The instructor must communicate his or her office hours to all online course participants, so they know when they can reach the instructor outside of classroom time. Specify availability times (days/hours) in the syllabus, and select appropriate methods of communication (phone, chat and/or email).
Taking the time to set the standards and policies in place for the benefit of all online programs your school offers will pay great dividends in the long run. Online program coordinators should rally all their available resources and take note of all constructive input from faculty, students and administrators to best understand the needs and wants of all those who take part in the online learning experience and share the online classroom. Well-defined processes, standards and policies can ensure that the program runs smoothly as an added value to the instruction’s intrinsic quality.
