What is one best practice for transitioning from in-person teaching to online teaching? (higher education focused)

Most online platforms allow for classrooms to be divided into breakout rooms for smaller group work. Divide class into teams or breakout rooms and assign leaders for each team to help students stay on task in their activity or discussion and to "report back" when the class regroups. This helps encourage leadership for the team leader but also strengthen teamwork among students.

Make sure the physical and digital elements of lessons are equivalent. changing over to online teaching often means utilizing digital versions of books, lessons and resources. Its important to make sure that the digital equivalents of the elements used in in-person lessons actually match up. In some cases it may be possible to find digital versions of texts books and lessons using online resources. If not, it will be up to the teacher to make sure to digitize lessons for their students. Before making the switch to fully digital teaching, it's a good idea to prep start preparations early for the change. the more time teachers give themselves to prepare the more smoothly the transition will go.

In the transition of teaching modality from in-person to online, do not forget to communicate your expectations to your students. It is up to you to set the tone for your course and define for your students/participants your expectations of how your course will flow. Set the ground rules for cameras, start time, chat features, the process you desire for questions, and your office hours. Set the stage for success with advance materials and clear expectations for your course. Keep in mind, not every students has had the same experiences with online education. This is your moment to set the stage for success.

Share the learning materials in advance. As simple and obvious as it may sound, this is one of the most important things, actually. Having in mind that the greatest differences between in-person and online teaching lie in technology, we should adjust to the digitalized teaching world’s game rules. Ensure you send/share everything at least one day before the classes. It is enough to give your students the opportunity to check whether everything works, report possible problems, and print copies if needed. No matter how advanced today's technology is, anything can happen. Expect the unexpected and always be a few steps ahead. It will help you avoid stress, frustration, and wasting time that could be spent on more valuable stuff.

I got my master's degree entirely online. My favorite part of the experience was that the professor taught live from behind a podium in an actual classroom. He stood in front of a green screen, so when he was lecturing, he could be seen speaking, but when he was referring to his PowerPoint slides, he would fade off the screen, and be replaced by the slides. It gave the whole experience a flow that made it feel like I was really there, so I felt more engaged in the class. Instead of regressing to the convenience of a simple online class, universities should try to recreate the actual classroom experience as closely as possible to maximally engage their students.

I have taught online for fifteen years now for a well-known university at the graduate level. I have successfully used my own, copyrighted approach online. It is called Action e-Learning. First, provide the students with a wide arrange of multimedia resources on the topic being taught as well as peer-reviewed case studies and a textbook. This requires a lot of upfront work prior to class offering. Second, focus your attention on the discussions and asking questions about the materials. Offer one thought-provoking question for each student each round of discussions. Ensure you present discussion guidelines (netiquette), and specific requirements for substantive discussion (e.g., start by asking questions of each other's ideas). In so doing, the discussion board--not lectures -- become the focal point for learning and the creation of informed opinions. Finally, rely heavily upon peer-reviewed literature available through the university library. This works for me. What do you think?

There is a reason why the classroom experience has taken so long to translate online. However, with the available technology now, your online teaching experience can be even better than in-person teaching. For example, I started teaching my university program online before the pandemic, and the results were so poor we never did it again. We had one camera covering 1/3 of the students at best. One microphone made me unable to hear feedback. It was like talking to a brick wall. Then during the pandemic, I was forced to teach my university class online and it was night and day. I could see students\' faces. I could hear their feedback. I could talk to them in breakout rooms. I could see their names and gauge their participation even more than in the classroom! Plus, we could record the sessions for retention of knowledge. It was the best teaching experience I ever had. So I say stick with what works in the classroom and use technology to make it even more engaging and meaningful.

I am regular TEDx speaker and the founder of Shifting Shares, a company that offers an online course on investing in the stock market. When I started my company, I transitioned from teaching investment education in-person, to now teaching online. One best practice for making this transition smooth is understand that you are going to have to be more aggressive in driving engagement. Over 40% of my students never ask a question in an online class, even though they have paid for it! This phenomenon happens as a result of the lecture format most teachers stick to. This is common with in-person classes as well, but the lecture format is more prevalent in online classes and students tend to be more hesitant to ask questions. You need to be prepared to facilitate engagement and discussions and it may take more effort to spark participation. Spending more prep time in creating extended discussion topics is a great way to drive engagement with your online class.

When transitioning between in-person teaching and online teaching, you might be thinking the two are very different. Actually, online teaching can be just as effective as in person teaching as long as you treat your online classroom the same. That means have clearly defined rules and go over them at the start of your lesson. For example; microphones off unless asked to speak, raise your hand if you want to speak, cameras on, sit at a desk and not on your bed. When students understand that there are still rules, your class will run smoothly. You should also offer rewards for following the rules. I would reward my students with a 5 minute story at the end if they followed the rules as a class. This means they had to work together as a team to get the reward. Don’t forget about classroom management, it still exists online. The same practices used for in person teaching can be applied to online teaching, they just need to be adapted.

Making the transition from in-person teaching to online teaching can prove challenging when you lack the resources you once depended on to teach effectively. An interactive white board is easy to take for granted, and with just a computer at your disposal, you may struggle to keep the class engaged. But through the use of simple gamification software, it becomes easier than ever to liven up discussions and keep students invested in their own learning and development. Perhaps my favorite software for gamified learning is Gimkit, which lets teachers build quizzes for students to solve. Students earn in-game currency for answering correctly, but answering wrongly comes at a cost. This currency can be used to purchase upgrades and power-ups. The software also generates reports which detail each student's strengths and weaknesses, which is a great resource as an educator. It's the perfect complement to any learning environment, and makes for a smooth transition from in-person teaching.

In-person teaching allows for easy time management when teaching because it's only the teacher who can release the students. However, in online teaching, the teacher needs to optimize time to get high concentration from the students. Teachers need to break standards into smaller, manageable units. Shortened time frames mean that objectives will take longer to teach, practise, and master, so segmenting lessons can help with planning and teaching. The teacher should plan instruction for a brief time, and then incorporate opportunities for practice and feedback. Students can collaborate in a shared document to practice a skill while the teacher observes and provides verbal and written feedback. Then the students can move into independent practice. Breaking up lessons, especially when constantly working on a device, can maintain engagement and focus for learners.

Most teachers will have to switch between virtual and in-person education at some point this school year. There are few tips for teachers to be noted KEEP IT SMALL AND STRESS-FREE. Keep the workload realistic, both in terms of the sort of material covered and the amount of work anticipated to be finished, is my first piece of advice. BE PREPARED FOR QUESTIONS. Take a step back and consider this: Why do students need professors if they can complete their assignments on their own? There are nearly too many high-quality movies available to utilize as extra information. For lectures and other materials, visit Khan Academy, Ted-Ed, Shmoop, and The Owl at Purdue. TRY TO MAKE YOURSELF AVAILABLE WHEN YOU NEED TO BE. There are so many ways to communicate, including text, phone, email, and video conferencing (Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, etc.). Making every effort to encourage students to get in touch with you when they need assistance.

Interesting content and interactive engagement get and keep attention. Be sure the content is insightful, applicable, and immediately usable. Create opportunities for engagement - in a synchronous environment that includes discussion, Q&A, breakouts, and practice. For asynchronous learning use quick quizzes or similar exercises at random intervals. Elevate the learning further by making it personal. Whether a student is online or in a physical classroom, they want to be heard. Students want to know you care about them and their experience. Demonstrate that care by listening and supporting each student based on who they are and their context.

Create content that transforms classroom instruction into online learning as a novel communication platform. Work on finding unique ways to make your lectures engaging yet informative. You can create exercises that are both relevant to the course and significant to your pupils. It is ineffective to just record oneself in front of a computer giving the same lecture you would have given in a conventional classroom. A thoughtful blending of audio and visual imagery will convey knowledge more effectively, making topics easier to learn and retain. Your pupils will show more interest in your lectures as well.

As an adjunct professor I had to transition from in-person to online teaching. It was easy to feel disconnected from the students, so I did my best to start classes with some personal interactions. Instead of jumping right into the material, I'd ask students about highlights from their weeks or if anyone had any exciting news. Some would talk about relationships, internships, being accepted to programs, etc. Leaving some time for personal interactions helped make the transition to online teaching better.

Taking time to plan out your course material with the online format in mind. It is not just a matter of pressing the “record” button and letting it roll. You need to consider things like how the course will be organized, how it will be structured, what types of resources will be provided for the students, how the students will be engaged, and how you will be conducting the course.

One way to better transition from offline to online teaching is to include different teaching methods. As an online tutor, one focuses on a very wide range of students rather than the 50-100 students that they were responsible for teaching offline. When one shifts from offline to online teaching they have to keep in mind all kinds of doubts that a student might come across while learning a certain topic. They need to address all these doubts and make the students understand the solution in various ways, as not every student would be able to understand something in the same way as the other does.

Online teaching is a boon for students as both the teacher and student can record the session easily which they can see later to understand. Even for the students who can’t join every class due to some issues, the teacher or students can pass that recording session link from where they can see and understand it which isn't possible in an in-person class. This is a great practice for teachers. In case, they don't want to send this one by one, they can easily upload it on YouTube on their channel which hardly takes any time. And from there, students can easily watch them. On the other hand, they might be helping other students worldwide who are searching for a similar topic. Recording sessions are a boon for teachers. If they do well, YouTube can be their side hustle.

In order to succeed online, you need to attract potential users by showing them your charisma, energy and personality through your introduction video. If people find your introduction video appealing, fun and charismatic they will be eager to sign up for your online teaching. Many people lose the energy and the vibes online and the screen creates a barrier that makes teaching a bit boring. If your sample video overcomes that and shows your true potential, you’re ready to teach online.

The best practice for transitioning from in-person teaching to online teaching is to plan ahead. Begin by creating a plan that outlines what you will need to do to make the transition, such as developing and testing materials, setting up a virtual classroom, and establishing a communication plan. You should also identify who will be responsible for each task and when it needs to be completed. Having a plan in place will help ensure a smooth transition and minimize any disruption to your students' learning. In addition, it is important to be aware of the different learning styles of your students and to tailor your instructional methods accordingly. Some students may prefer visual aids while others may prefer hands-on learning. Make sure to provide a variety of resources and activities to accommodate all types of learners. Finally, be patient and flexible as you make the transition to online teaching. By being prepared and keeping an open mind, you can ensure a successful transition.