The Six Knows of Teaching Online: Know Your Stuff

 

Know Your Stuff: In general, most online instructors are hired because they are experts in their field. You know your content inside and out because you have either studied it or lived it extensively for years. Although, engaging with online learners poses new challenges as you have to always be one step ahead of your students in their knowledge base. This can be difficult working with adult learners who often come into the learning environment with a great deal of experience in the topic themselves. 

As faculty teaching online, you may need to brace yourself for more opinionated and often challenging students when it comes to their knowledge on content. A good online educator will embrace this increased knowledge base from their students and use it to craft engaging learning activities, such as case studies and scenarios that often turn up in the students’ work environment. Allowing your students to lead discussions, make presentations, and add their perspective of the content can be a valuable addition to your course.

The largest learning curve for most online educators is in the technology required to do the job. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s (2017) report on how students learn explains that when it comes to technology, learning goals should be aligned with the technology instead of competing against it (p. 164). That means online educators need to know how to use the technology in more ways than just the basics. Students invariably report when faculty struggle with technology instead of recognizing its effective use. In other words, when the tech is being used well, students do not notice. Your goal should be for students to focus on the learning that is occurring through technology use, not the technology itself. Take the time needed to learn the technology required for you to engage students and inspire deeper learning of the content.

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References:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). How people learn II: Learners, contexts, and cultures. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/24783. ISBN 978-0-309-45964-8