One of the biggest myths about online classes is that they are "correspondence courses online" where an instructor puts something together before the semester starts, walks away for a few months, and comes back to submit final grades. Successful online courses are more than video lectures, slide decks, or lecture notes with automatically scored quizzes. They include instructors actively teaching and supporting student learning, providing helpful and timely feedback, designing opportunities for students to learn and work together, and challenging students to be better communicators, problem solvers, innovators, and community contributors (see the Profiles of Learning for Undergraduate Success for details).
Below are some other common myths about online classes.
"You have to be really technology savvy to teach online."
Teaching online doesn't need a lot of technological bells and whistles. A well-designed course—that is, one with measurable learning outcomes; assessments, activities, and content aligned to those outcomes; and clear and detailed explanations—can be developed using nothing more than Canvas. If you need help setting up your Canvas site, the Center for Teaching and Learning consultants will be happy to work with you.
Once your course is set up, consistent instructor presence is key. Some faculty choose to record short lectures, either on their own or in the Academic Media Production Space. Participating in discussions, providing useful feedback, and keeping students up to date with the course through announcements or messages also makes you visible to your students.
There are also some simple tools that integrate with Canvas such as eTexts through IU's eText Initiative, Zoom for video office hours or review sessions, and Quick Check for in-context knowledge checks. There may also be integrated tools provided by your publisher.
"You don't get to know your students as well online."
Because you don't meet in person, many faculty believe that you can't get to know your students in an online class. In contrast, experienced online instructors report that they often feel they know their online students better than the students in their in-person classes. In online classes, students who may be uncomfortable speaking up in class for any number of reasons can participate more actively. Students have more time to think about what they want to say and the pseudo-anonymity online discussions provide can make it easier to ask questions or share ideas.
You want to hear from your students, and they want to hear from you as well. When first teaching online, instructors can shy away from participating in student discussions in an effort to not stifle the students' voices. However, student feedback consistently shows that they want to hear from the instructor. Whether you use discussions, announcements, or the inbox, being visible in the course is important for student learning and retention.
"Teaching online gives you more time to do other things since you don't have to go to class meetings."
Developing and teaching an online course the first time can take up to 40 percent more time than developing and teaching a face-to-face course. Subsequent offerings take less time, but on average, teaching a course online will take at least as much time as teaching in-person. Online courses aren't just face-to-face course conversions. It takes time to think through how you want to present content, structure student-to-student interaction, organize group work or presentations, assess learning, and create meaningful online learning experiences.
The main difference in time allocation is that for an online class, the bulk of the work is done in advance. During the semester, the workload is more diffuse. With an in-person class, your prep is likely done during the day or two preceding the class meeting, and teaching activity tends to be constrained to class time. The first thing many faculty note when teaching online is that activity is continuous. Communication happens when students have questions, which may be any day of the week. The need to check in with students frequently is something that it can take time to get used to.
When thinking about developing and teaching an online course, the earlier you begin, the better. Most faculty find that a minimum of 5-6 months is necessary for course design and development when occurring alongside the demands of a regular semester.
"You have to be available to your students 24/7."
Just because students may email you in the middle of the night does not mean you need to respond to them in the middle of the night. While you should reply to student questions in a timely manner, an immediate response is an unreasonable expectation for both students and faculty. Your syllabus should explain your availability and turn-around time for messages (replying within a 24 hour period is recommended) and your preferred contact method.
Teaching online doesn't need a lot of technological bells and whistles. A well-designed course—that is, one with measurable learning outcomes; assessments, activities, and content aligned to those outcomes; and clear and detailed explanations—can be developed using nothing more than Canvas. If you need help setting up your Canvas site, the Center for Teaching and Learning consultants will be happy to work with you.
Because you don't meet in person, many faculty believe that you can't get to know your students in an online class. In contrast, experienced online instructors report that they often feel they know their online students better than the students in their in-person classes. In online classes, students who may be uncomfortable speaking up in class for any number of reasons can participate more actively. Students have more time to think about what they want to say and the pseudo-anonymity online discussions provide can make it easier to ask questions or share ideas.