The Plain Hard Work of Teaching Online: Strategies for Instructors

Abstract

Learning to teach online presents new challenges to even seasoned instructors. In an age of technological wizardry, the author of this chapter proposes that there are no secrets to good online teaching. However, the effective application of sound pedagogy online requires time, effort, and planning. Using Collins and Berge’s framework for online teaching, this chapter outlines how novice instructors’ adaptation to the new medium must include attention to the pedagogical, managerial, technical, and social aspects of teaching. In so doing, online teachers are encouraged to move from a didactic, teacher-centered paradigm to a constructivist-based model where community and collaboration are valued equally with content.