Number 24 September 1, 2002	A publication of Project Eagle, St. Petersburg College

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Teaching Tips for E-Structors

"In order for online learning to be successful, teachers as well as learners must take on new roles in the teaching-learning relationship..."
(Instructional Strategies for Online Courses, Illinois Online Network)

The wealth of online support the Web offers to e-structors at all levels is amazing. This issue highlights just some of the best e-sources for beginning or experienced online faculty.

General Teaching Tips

Courses and the Web. University of Idaho Center for Teaching Innovation. Suggestions from Web developers to instructors that include keeping it simple, mapping it out, talking it over with others involved, promoting information exchange among students, keeping students informed and involved, and making use of visuals and graphics when possible.
Educating with New Technologies: Networked Learning Communities. Web site developed at Harvard (MA) designed to help educators develop, enact and assess effective ways of using new technologies.
Facilitating Online Learning. Tips from Australia on the skills needed for online teachers and students, plus advice on getting started and keeping the momentum.
Instructional Strategies for Online Courses. Illinois Online Network. Suggests the effective use of learning contracts, online lectures, discussion, self-directed learning, mentorship, small group work, projects, collaborative learning, case studies, and forums.
Online Teaching Tips. Curtin University (Australia). Links to tip sheets assembled from interviews with teachers, responses to student questionnaires, and observation of online units.
Strategies for Teaching at a Distance. University of Idaho Engineering Outlook Guide #2. One of a series of twelve e-learning guides, this one focusing on what is different about e-struction, reasons to do it, ways to improve it, how to meet students' needs, guidelines on teaching skills, and methods for improving interaction and feedback.
Teaching Tips Index. Honolulu Community College. Impressive collection of tips for college teaching, both face-to-face and online, that covers 18 topics related to successful instruction.
Teaching Online: Best Practices and Tips. John Jay College (NY). Web page that offers quick tips for communicating with students, plus links to a variety of resources done at other institutions.
Teaching Online: Tips and Advice. Houghton Mifflin Co. Collection of links assembled for online writing teachers, but general enough for all e-structors. Topics include classroom exercises, email, listservs, syllabus creation, and course delivery products.
Tips and Techniques for Teaching Online. University of Denver (CO). Links that include course development, student assessment online, community building and interaction, role of online instructor, getting started, and more.
Tips for Online Teaching. University of Colorado. Offers advice on interaction, engaging learners, using student-centered techniques, motivating students online, designing with appropriate use of technology, and preparation.
Tips for Teaching. Central Queensland University (Australia). A collection of teaching tips for both traditional and online faculty, from a variety of places, including a database with descriptions of fifty theories relevant to human learning and instruction.
Virtual Resource Site for Teaching with Technology. University of Maryland. Consists of two modules, each exploring key issues in developing and teaching online courses with the use of technology.
Web for Teachers. Designed for teachers integrating technology into the curriculum at all levels. Includes links to professional development, free tools for teachers, and the site of the week.

Tips on Specific Topics

Avoiding Online Discussion Pitfalls. San Francisco State University. Chart of problems and solutions for students involved in online discussion groups.
Education Using PowerPoint. Web site created by an instructor at Worthing High School (UK) that offers instruction in using PowerPoint to create effective online presentations.
Handbook for Instructors on the Use of Electronic Class Discussion. Ohio State University. Comprehensive manual on the use of effective discussion in online courses.
Online Teaching Assessment Tips. Part of a Web site developed by consultant Sandra C. Ceraulo that provides ideas on methods and types of assessments for online courses.
Teaching Critical Thinking Online. University of Central Florida. Example of an exercise used to teach law school students to think, taking advantage of asynchronous learning for best results.
"Technology and Education Online Discussion Forums: It's in the Response." Article by Sherry L. Markel, Northern Arizona University, in Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration 4(2), Summer 2001. How one school uses discussion forums in e-courses,
Using Electronic Mail (E-Mail) in the Classroom. University of North Carolina (UNC). Referenced look at the good and bad of e-mail use by Chester Goodwin, Fayetteville State (NC).
Using Materials on the Internet: What Are the [Copyright] Rules? University of Texas. The place to look for the use of online materials in academic courses.

Background Information

Discussion Papers. The Online Education Interest Group, University of Melbourne. Collection of links about the Internet and its impact on education.
Guide to Online Teaching. University of Minnesota. Scholarly and comprehensive look at the topic for educators considering and practicing Web-based instruction.
"Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology As Lever." Article by Arthur W. Chickering and Stephen C. Ehrmann updated in 2002 and reprinted by the Flashlight Program that originally appeared in the AAHE Bulletin, October 1996. Builds on principles established in 1987.
"Online Teaching Redefines Faculty Members' Schedules, Duties and Relationships with Students." Article by Jeffrey R. Young in the Chronicle of Higher Education, May 31, 2002.
"Seven Principles of Effective Teaching: A Practical Lens for Evaluating Online Courses." Article by Charles Graham et al in The Technology Source, March/April 2001. Another look at applying AAHE's seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education to e-classes.
Web-Based Instruction. Virginia Tech. Extensive set of links to both the theoretical and practical aspects of Internet use in the classroom.
Welcome to Web Teaching at Dartmouth College (NH). Web site with links to case studies, articles, forums, downloadable teaching resources, and more.

Selected E-zines and E-Journals

Chronicle of Higher Education. Info Technology Section.
F-Light. The Free Flashlight Program Newsletter.
Syllabus.
Technology and Learning.
T.H.E. Journal.
The Technology Source. (UNC)
Tips Online. California Community Colleges.
USDLA Journal.
WebCT Newsletter.

Associations and Other Resources

Higher Education Online Teaching and Learning Resources. National Education Association.
Merlot. Free peer-reviewed e-learning material.
Virtual Campus Faculty Resources. Randolph Community College (NC). Covers all facets of e-struction, including community college information.
Weblearning Resources. University of Texas. Extensive catalog of tools, topics and issues.
World Lecture Hall. Links to online course outlines worldwide.

The contents of BEEP were developed under a grant from the U. S. Department of Education (DOE). However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the DOE, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.