Introduction
In the
traditional classroom, communicating is more direct and
obvious than it is in an online course. There are plenty
of opportunities to pick up on non-verbal cues, add impromptu
anecdotes, draw analogies or answer on the spot
questions. In an online environment, teaching takes a new
form where communication takes on a more intentional and planned
format. While there will still be some room for live (synchronous) or back
and forth (asynchronous) discussions, much of your role
as the instructor will be to guide your learners through the
content and activities via mini-lectures, assignment feedback, and news
announcements. The next few sections will provide strategies and best
practices for effectively implementing your teaching presence
into your online or hybrid course.
Curated
vs. Created
Before discussing
the different strategies, technology tools, and
resources. Let's differentiate between the two types of content that
will subsequently make up most of your course
content.
Curated content is the process of
gathering information relevant to the topic. This most commonly looks
like provided textbooks, relevant news articles, scholarly studies, links
to websites, interactive labs, podcasts, videos, or other multimedia. Depending
on the course or subject area, your curated content will most likely
make up the largest percentage of the online content you post.
Created content is the process of creating
something new and original. These materials are created
by considering the information you would typically present as part of
a lecture or conversation with your students face
to face and converting it to
engaging web-based content. Creation of new materials
is one of the best ways an instructor can infuse their knowledge,
expertise, and teaching style into an online course. This
allows you the opportunity to give context, draw analogies, anticipate and
address questions about concepts, re-direct, provide
feedback, or disperse new information in your own
words.
Common
Questions
Why is instructor created content so
important? Why not just load materials for students to view?
This is
the best way to infuse your voice and knowledge into the
course. Simply relying on having students intake curated
content can create some issues. First, it is
less engaging and less personal. Second, the act of
teaching is the process of providing context, guidance, and feedback. The
materials you choose are certainly part of a solid
course foundation, but your voice is the glue that holds it all
together!
What does instructor created content look like?
There
are many options for generating your own dynamic and engaging content. You can
use video, audio, text, or a combination of these methods to
create your message to your students. The next section will break down the
different options, best practices and technologies to plan and create your own
content.
How often should I
provide instructor created lecture content? And how long
should it be?
At least
one or more instructor mini-lectures per module or per
topic is a good rule of thumb. Instructor lecture may occur more
or less often depending on the nature of the course you
are teaching. For example, if you are teaching an independent
study, your approach to lectures would be very different than if you were
teaching a course of 30 or more students. You might think about
providing an introduction, content driven mini-lectures, and a summary
lecture for each module or each week.
What is the best digital format for delivering my
lectures?
Generally, using
a variety of methods throughout the course is a good idea. The fact that you
are providing instructor generated content for every module or week is the
constant, but the way that you deliver is up to you! If you want to
explain a process or graph, you may want to do
a screencast video or
text lecture. Alternatively, if you are sharing a
welcome message you may want to record a video of yourself on camera, this
method of delivery is known as a talking
head. There are many options which we will discuss more in
depth in the Lecture Options section.
If my online lectures are shorter than my face to face
lectures, does this retract from the quality of the course? Are my courses
equitable?
Yes! An
online course, if designed well, can be equitable and of high quality. The
format in which you deliver and facilitate the content and learning will
change, but you can still ensure your students are meeting learning
objectives. If you are used to lecturing for an hour about a topic
and don't want your online students to miss out on anything, you will need
to sit down and evaluate your face to face lecture content. Ask yourself
pointed questions about what content is critical to help students meet
objectives. What information could be provided through curation of
multimedia or reading materials instead? What is best conveyed in writing
vs. audio or video? Course planning will help you to determine
format, length, and topics to address.
What types of lectures can I create?
There
are several ways that you can create content to share with your students. Or,
in turn have them create to share with you! Below is a quick list of lecture
types.
- Text Lecture
- Talking Head
- Screencast
- Podcast
- Pencast
Read our
blog "Recorded Lecture Options for the Classroom" for more
information about each type of lecture.
References:
"The
State of Video in Education 2015." Quality
Matters, Kaltura,
site.kaltura.com/rs/984-SDM-859/images/The_State_of_Video_in_Education_2015_a_Kaltura_Report.pdf.
Accessed 5 June 2018.
Moore,
E. (2013, January 17). Adapting PowerPoint Lectures for Online Delivery: Best
Practices. In Faculty Focus: Higher Ed
Teaching Strategies from Magna Publications. Retrieved May 20, 2018,
from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/adapting-powerpoint-lectures-for-online-delivery-best-practices/