Professor Lisa Lawmaster Hess discusses some tools and techniques that she used in her online classes (Seven Things that Worked in my Online Class). Many of these were also discussed in the Cengage Blog. These tools are discussed in the following articles:
Online Teaching Tools
Professor Hess prefers to teach in an asynchronous manner to the whole class. Zoom calls are difficult to facilitate discussion and can be frustrating for students. This article focuses on how to make discussion boards work: Building Community through Engaging Online Discussions
Hess suggests that you add your voice to your slides. In this post, Shawn Orr shares some tips and tools: Awakening The Zombie: How To Transform Your Class With Active Learning
Weekly video greetings: Everyone will tell you that at least one video should be included in which you introduce your self to the class. Hess, and we wholeheartedly agree, suggests that you should include more than one video to build a relationship with your online students. Techsmith’s Knowmia is a great tool to help you achieve this goal.
Informal feedback: You can do this in many ways. Professor Shawn Orr offers plenty of ideas in her webinar Apps and Ideas for Engaging Students Now for Success Later.
Instead of taking exams, consider ePortolios. Are you unsure where to begin with ePortfolios. This post by Dr. Tanya Martini, Brock University: ePortfolios – Useful Tips to Get you Started
Teachers looking to “wake up that zombie within” and make their students more engaged in online classes will find plenty of tips. More teaching tips are available here.
