The Six Knows of Teaching Online: Know How to Get Help

Know How to Get Help: Even the best instructors understand they are only the best because they put in consistent effort to learn and grow at their craft. Continual professional development is the best way to get help with teaching practices (Baran & Correia, 2014). Most institutions of higher learning offer free courses on a regular basis for faculty to attend. At 2U, we also have opportunities for enrichment available to all of our partner faculty each week. Our unique professional development is built off of Garrison et al’s (2000) “Community of Inquiry” model that breaks down effective learning environments into three areas: “social presence, cognitive presence, and teacher presence” (p. 88). We believe professional development that takes place in the same online environment where you teach allows you to have the same experience as the students in your class, all while learning new online pedagogies alongside educators teaching in different academic disciplines. 

Another effective way to receive help is by participating in smaller Communities of Practice so you can gather with practitioners in your field to share ideas and help solve challenges in a collaborative learning environment (Baran & Correia, 2014). Getting advice from a group of other faculty teaching in the same (or different) academic discipline can be a productive way for you to learn more through a social environment. Why not ask someone from your community to review your teaching and offer suggestions? This is a great way to get an outside perspective and help you improve.

The final way to know how to get help is through your own individual research. Most faculty are experts at research and writing on topics in their field, yet rarely do they have the time to advance their own knowledge in online pedagogical practices through that same kind of research and writing. Henning (2012) invites faculty to consider autoethnographic research and describes why: “Since autoethnographic methods invite self-reflection, learners have the opportunity to direct their studies in ways that fit their own learning goals” (p. 23). Self-reflective practices, much like in the first step of knowing yourself and the fourth of knowing how to assess and adjust, will assist you in being more prepared and confident teaching online. As educators we often ask students to participate in some kind of reflection of their learning. It only makes sense that we should spend time reflecting on our experiences teaching online in order to make improvements and encourage growth in the process.

→ Pro tip: Attend an Enrichment Seminar or a Community of Practice session sponsored by 2U. Our Faculty Enrichment website contains information on all upcoming seminars, recordings of past seminars, and our ongoing Community of Practice events.

This completes the learning cycle of The Six Knows of Teaching Online. I invite you to continue in your learning journey by revisiting each component of the wheel each term, then let us know how you are doing!

References:

• Baran, E. & Correia, A. (2014). A professional development framework for online teaching. TechTrends 58(5). 95-101. DOI: 10.1007/s11528-014-0791-0
• Henning, T. (2012). Writing professor as adult learner: an autoethnography of online professional development. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 16(2), 9+.