Online Teaching and the Modern Educator: Student-Centered Instructional Strategies

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There is little question that the field of distance learning is a viable option for students and there will be continued growth as a result of the number of traditional and non-traditional universities that offer online classes. However, questions concerning the quality of online courses will persist and what it means for the field is that there is a growing demand for someone who is more than a competent online instructor. This is a time when a highly proficient and highly skilled Modern Educator is needed, someone who is capable of communicating within a technologically enabled virtual environment. The initial appeal for instructors who wanted to teach online classes was the flexibility and convenience provided. Instructors were often hired because they were working in their subject field or they were subject matter experts. But this is no longer enough as the Modern Educator must be adept at digital communication and skilled in the art of developing student-centered instructional strategies.Private Teachers in Port Harcourt (PH), River State, Nigeria

Student Interactions in a Virtual Environment

Everything interaction that an online instructor is involved in is based upon their one-dimensional posts, which can include interactions in the discussion board and email exchanges. What is being communicated to the students is done without visual representation, verbal clarification, or support of nonverbal cues. Once the message is sent or posted it will be subject to interpretation and possibly misinterpretation. Digital communication relies on perceptual factors that include a perception of the meaning and tone of the message. What the instructor intends to state may not be the message students receive if it is interrupted by a negative tone, wording that lacks clarity, or poorly constructed and written sentences. The instructor's attitude and disposition about their students will always be evident in how they write what they intend to post. This does not mean that an instructor needs to be afraid of communicating in this environment and instead they should view communication as a collaborative process that requires follow-up and follow-through whenever there is a possibility of miscommunication.
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Online Students and Learning

Students are always going to be working on their own and accountable for their performance in class - even if the instructor has created the most engaging classroom environment. An online student must be self-motivated to take control of their involvement in the learning process and responsible for completing all required activities. They must also possess the required academic skill sets and be academically prepared to function in class. Students are constantly challenged to be adaptive to changes in their classes, work with different instructors, learn new procedures, and develop new methods of studying and learning. Instructors cannot see their students to gauge how they are progressing in class, which means they must be on the lookout for virtual indicators as students are actively involved in the learning process. Instructors who are not monitoring the involvement level of their class may soon find students who have disengaged after it is too late to initiate a successful intervention.
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Student-Centered Online Learning

Anyone who has taught an online course knows that it is challenging to balance the mandatory requirements, such as deadlines for feedback, while maintaining a focus on each student's individual developmental progress. For an adjunct this time challenge becomes even greater because they are likely working full-time and teaching on a part-time basis. No matter what conditions the online instructor is working within they must always develop and maintain a student-centered mindset and approach towards teaching. This is not just about putting every student first and foremost - is about considering their progress and development with every aspect of every learning activity or requirement. This requires an instructor to be monitoring class conditions, receptive to questions and concerns, and responsive to students when they interact with them. An online instructor who makes a commitment to meet the minimum instructional requirements will likely find that adequate work performance is not enough to produce a student-centered focus that encourages individualized learning and personalized feedback.

Student-Centered Strategies

#1. When you commit to teach an online class make it a priority in your daily and weekly schedule rather than something that is done at the end of the day when there is little time left to work with students. If you are feeling hurried or rushed that may be reflected in the perceived tone of your messages or online posts.
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#2. As an educator you should never stop learning yourself. A degree is not the end of your own learning and you should always consider the necessity of ongoing professional development, whether it is done formally in a training workshop or informally through an online webinar. Most online universities offer classes and workshops, and there are also numerous associations that you can consider joining for additional options.

#3. Develop a mindset that you see the potential and value in everything that you do as an online teacher. You are not teaching just to provide instructions and point students to the syllabus. Every interaction that you have with your students has the potential to help them learn and/or work on the development of academic skills they need to succeed. Consider how you can add value to everything you post or communicate with your students.
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#4. Hold your students to an expectation that promotes their academic growth and causes them to expand their capacity for learning and development. This does not mean you are making demands that are so far beyond what your students are capable of doing that they disengage from the class. It is an opportunity for you to expect that your students will do well, be involved in their own development, and develop or refine their academic skill sets. What is absolutely required for this strategy is your ongoing support and guidance.

#5. To be successful as an online instructor and Modern Educator you must teach by example. Students are aware of your involvement and this can assist or hinder their engagement in class. If you want students to be highly engaged and responsive in class discussions, then you must lead the way through your active and visible presence - with substantive contributions in everything you post. If you want students to improve how they write and develop their papers, you must provide them with tools and strategies they can use and then offer feedback that prompts their ongoing development.
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Transformational Learning

There are many words to describe an online instructor and it may include a facilitator or adjunct; however, at the heart of an online class is the work of a teacher. This does not mean that you stand and lecture or you are a guide on the side. You have an ability to bring a one-dimensional virtual class to life through your instructional strategies and teaching methods. You are not just facilitating process as some online schools have told their instructors. I have been significantly involved in online faculty development and what I have observed as a faculty peer-reviewer and trainer is that every online instructor is teaching self-development, self-improvement, self-motivation, and personal self-empowerment. If your approach to online teaching is not student-centered it will become a generic class that will likely fail to connect with students on a personal level. And while they may finish the course with an adequate knowledge of the subject they studied they may not have gained the full advantage possible of an environment that has the potential to stimulate their growth. Always put students' needs first in every interaction and you will find that you are a Modern Educator who is capable of creating a transformational learning environment.if anyone want to get organic traffic for website or blog click here
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