Online teaching does not have to be a challenge for new graduate teaching assistants or professors. This chapter has outlined simple ways to make moving a class online easier and discussed the disadvantages and advantages of the most popular methods in which online courses are presented. It also highlighted important points to consider when setting up an online system to support student-centered teaching. I hope that with the student- centered tips in this chapter, you can confidently create an online course quickly and help keep the class’s focus on your students, not the technology.
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Reflection Questions
• What methods can you use to make your online class more engaging?
• How can you make your online class less mechanical and more personable?
• How can you improve communications with and among your online students without making the technology the focus?
References
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https://anygoodthing.com/2020/03/12/please-do-a-bad-job-of- putting-your-courses-online/
Bates, T. (2012). Nine steps to quality online learning: Step 1: Decide how you want to teach online. https://www.tonybates.ca/2012/05/06/nine- steps-to-quality-online-learning-step-1-decide-how-you-want-to- teach-online/
Bennett, S., & Lockyer, L. (2004). Becoming an online teacher: Adapting to a changed environment for teaching and learning in higher education.
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Boretz, S. (2012). Mid-semester academic interventions in a student- centered research university. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 42(2), pp. 90-108. doi: 10.1080/10790195.2012.10850356
Briggs, A. (2015, February 11). Ten ways to overcome barriers to student engagement online (Academic technology: At the College of William and Mary). https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/news_item/ten-ways- overcome-barriers-student-engagement-online/
Brown, J. K. (2008). Student-centered instruction: Involving students in their own education. Music Educators Journal, 94(5): 30-35.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/20685476
Budhai, S. S. (2020). Fourteen simple strategies to reduce cheating on online examinations. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/educational- assessment/fourteen-simple-strategies-to-reduce-cheating-on-online- examinations/
Cohn, J., & Seltzer, B. Teaching effectively during times of disruption, for SIS and PWR. https://bit.ly/stanfordteachingdisruption
ED (2010). TEAL Center fact sheet No. 6: Student-centered learning.
https://lincs.ed.gov/sites/default/files/6%20_TEAL_Student- Centered.pdf
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https://www.schoology.com/blog/how-prevent-cheating-during- online-tests
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panic-gogy-teaching-online-classes-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic Mann, J. T., & Henneberry, S. R. (2012). What characteristics of college
students influence their decisions to select online courses? Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 15(4), 1-14.
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6-tips-creating-engaging-video-lectures-students-will-actually-watch Peters, E.E. (2010). Shifting to a student-centered science classroom: An
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5. Technology Makes It Easier
NASIM EBADI AND GHADIR ASADI
Introduction
Imagine that you have a large class full of students whom you might not have a chance to talk with during the semester. You want all of them to be engaged in the class and participate in the class activities. You might also find undergraduate students to be very shy about participating during class time. Students may be especially hesitant to answer your question while you are teaching new material. Or, you wish to grade the assignments faster and give quizzes every other session without spending so much time with paper collection, grading, and grade entry. You might find it a tedious task to reply to students’ emails about this week’s reading list, midterm date, due dates, and their standing so far in the semester. A well-designed technology- integrated course might be the solution to your problems. Technology integration is a dynamic process of design, implementation, and evaluation.
How to cite this book chapter:
Ebadi, N. and Asadi, G. 2022. Technology Makes It Easier. In: Westfall-Rudd, D., Vengrin, C., and Elliott-Engel, J. (eds.) Teaching in the University: Learning from Graduate Students and Early-Career Faculty. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. https://doi.org/ 10.21061/universityteaching. License:
CC BY-NC 4.0.
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This chapter will discuss…
• The opportunities and challenges related to technology integration.
• How to design, implement, and maintain a successful technology-integrated course.
• Common types of technologies that can be purposefully integrated.