Best Practices for
Online Teaching
Lucia R. Nemeth, Ed.D
May 10, 2014
Seven best principles for good
practice in the online classroom
1. Encourage contact between student and faculty
2. Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students
3. Encourage active learning
4. Give prompt feedback
5. Emphasize time on task
6. Communicate high expectations
7. Respect diverse learners
How can you implement these
principles into your course
template/online class?
1. Encourage Contact between
Students and Faculty
This is perhaps one of the most fundamental principles to the
success of an online course. Students need to know how and
when to contact you. More important, they need
encouragement to do so.
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Virtual office hours
Cyber cafe in discussion board
Voice emails
Announcement
Email response expectations
Blackboard instant messenger
2. Develop Reciprocity and
Cooperation among Students
Students learn best when they can relate the
content to experience, either their own or that
of peers. Creating collaborative student-tostudent interactions encourages this type of
learning.
• Discussion board
• Journals
• Group projects
3. Encourage Active Learning
Students expect to learn from more than
just the textbook. Blackboard has an array of
multimedia that you can utilize in order to
encourage active learning.
• Mash-ups
• Voice Authoring
• Use of Wilmington University's Online Library
4. Give Prompt Feedback
You as an instructor require your students to complete work within
one week. A best practice technique is to grade within a week of
receiving the work.
• Make known in the syllabus (or elsewhere) when students can
expect their work graded. They will hold you accountable
• Respond to each introduction during week 1 of class
• Create and utilize the Rubric tool
• Provide feedback for every assignment
• Use the "review" tool in WORD documents
• Use Screencasts or Kaltura to record comments on a document and
share the link with students
5. Emphasize Time on Task
Though online learning is flexible, it is important to
remember that your students are usually juggling a fully
time job, caring for children, and often are taking more
than one class. Manage your course load so as not to
overwhelm your students. Emphasize time on task by
using the following:
• Explain your syllabus in the START HERE activities by
creating a video
• Use voice emails/announcements to create mid-week
reminders about posting to discussion board
• Open weekly folders on Sunday
6. Communicate High Expectations
Maintain high expectations for your classes but make sure
to communicate them to your students. They won't know
what to expect from you if you do not communicate them
to your students.
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Netiquette for discussion boards
Voice email reminders mid-week
Announcements outlining participation guidelines
Snagit or Kaltura video introduction
7. Respect Diverse Talents and Ways of
Learning
Students range in experience, age, and learning styles.
It is important to incorporate a variety of assessments.
Make learning engaging and fun for students by
incorporating the following techniques:
• Voice discussion boards
• Collaborate presentation rather than written report
• Screencasting or Kaltura to deliver lesson
Lessons Learned from Online Teaching
1. High-touch is more important than high-tech
2. Establish social presence by using digital storytelling
3. Use technology intentionally
4. The power of external resources
5. Make your expectations explicit
6. Fun playfulness and the unexpected
7. Log in regularly
8. Personal feedback
Questions?
Resources
1. Dreon, O. (2013). Applying the seven principles for good practice to the online
classroom. Retrieved from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/onlineeducation/applying-the-seven-principles-for-good-practice-to-the-onlineclassroom/
2. Educause. (2013). 8 lessons learned from teaching online. Retrieved from
http://vimeo.com/65413138