If you are here looking for information on how to be an online teacher, it is because you are part of the teaching world and need to get on the digitalisation bandwagon as soon as possible.
Or maybe not, and you just want to take a look at how to improve your skills as an online trainer.
Whether you are interested in learning, improving or specialising, the following tips on how to become an online educator can be very valuable for you.
As you can imagine, it is no longer enough to be a subject specialist, have a passion for teaching and some communication skills. The conversion of the teacher to the digital modality requires new qualities and skills to meet the demands and challenges of this educational paradigm.
But do you know how to become an online teacher? Do you have any idea how to do an online course and become a good reference for your students?
Keep reading and discover the requirements, tips, and keys on how to become a virtual teacher from head to toe.
How to be an online teacher without the necessary characteristics and skills?
First of all, we would like to emphasise how significant the online teacher’s behaviour is in achieving positive and effective learning.
In fact, there are certain attitudes and inappropriate responses in a virtual environment that can have a negative impact on the classroom climate.
That is why, apart from knowing in depth the subject to be taught and having good skills, as we were saying, you must find in yourself the necessary qualities to be an outstanding online teacher.
Let’s take a look at them!
Open, patient and motivating attitude
Online classes cater for different student roles.
Whether you are dealing with the submissive, the passive, the leader or the bossy, you will need to stay focused, stay calm and outline a strategy that is right for each profile.
To do this, you will need to know what motivates them, why they do the course and what concerns them, among other things, and encourage them accordingly.
In fact, ‘motivating’ is an imperative task to keep students interested in their studies and interacting in class.
Self-learning
In addition to the teacher’s specialisation, passion and communication skills, there is also the ability to be a self-learner.
In other words, a good online teacher has to keep abreast of developments in the industry and deliver smooth and effective training sessions.
Communicative and decisive
Of course, you have to be there to clarify learners’ doubts in the best possible way and help them face the challenges of new technologies.
The good news is that, nowadays, it is extremely simple to interact with and assist learners.
In particular, if the e-learning platform provides the synchronous and asynchronous communication tools for this purpose, you have nothing to worry about.
Digital Creative
Every e-learning professional has to take advantage of the digital solutions of the web to develop content in varied, understandable and attractive formats for students.
That is why you should focus on creating videos, audios, infographics, games and anything else you can think of to cater to different learning styles and provide extraordinary experiences and classes.
Virtual host
How to be an online teacher without thinking about the medium that your students will use and through which you will make your courses a reality?
It goes without saying! It is very important that you know the e-learning platform inside out and that you can explain to them, before the course starts, how to use the campus.
In any case, if your platform is really intuitive and they can use it without any problems, they will not take time asking questions about the navigation, you will be able to follow your planning as planned and they will learn with the agility they deserve.
Requirements to be a good online course teacher
Similarly, to deliver online training properly, you should acquire a number of digital skills.
Take note!
Mastery of technologies
Undoubtedly, mastering ICT is the first requirement for everyone today. The virtual teacher, of course, is not left behind.
By the way, there are plenty of tools for content creation with which it is possible to do wonders in a short time and without the need for great design skills.
But back to the basics, master at least these:
- Word processors, spreadsheets and presentations: to create, edit and present lesson content.
- Email: to communicate with other teachers and tutor students or resolve specific exercises and doubts.
- Videoconferences, discussion forums or chats: for teaching classes and for certain individual and group activities.
- Cloud storage services: to host your materials and have them accessible from anywhere and on any device.
Creator of digital materials
The teaching function is closely related to the design of didactic content.
Therefore, you must be able to develop attractive and educational proposals, where the clarity of the subject matter and the psycho-pedagogical mastery of the content are present.
Mentor and supporter
As we mentioned before, one of your functions as an online teacher is to motivate students and make the learning process easy.
In this respect, the e-learning platform will be a good working partner, as it provides the relevant tools to monitor and measure students’ performance.
Be a good guide, monitor their progress day by day and take measures for their growth.
How to become a remote teacher and succeed in the attempt
At this point, where you already know the skills and requirements to be an online teacher, it is time to address some recommendations.
Because being an online teacher is much more than just teaching from the comfort of your own home, using a computer and an internet connection. You have to innovate, give well-prepared classes that your students will enjoy and offer ‘life’ behind the screen.
Let’s see how.
Tip 1: choose your e-learning platform 'very well'
First of all, go for an e-learning platform that offers convenience to you, but also to your learners. You will see how much headache you will save yourself!
Realise that, if your LMS platform is quite complete and clearly focused on the user, you will be able to:
- Interact and motivate.
In other words, you will have a tool with which you can actively tutor and build or upload the necessary materials to increase curiosity and enjoyment.
- Getting the information closer.
How to teach students online if your platform does not allow you to provide them with the content?
In addition to achieving the importation and creation of these different multi-format materials, it will provide you with the means and resources to transmit knowledge to them in many ways.
In this way, you will help learners to build a solid foundation and add motivation to their educational experience.
- Be quick to respond.
As it is equipped with tools for real-time and asynchronous communication, you will be able to guide and attend to your students throughout the entire training process.
At the same time, you will be able to interact with them, communicate their successes and mistakes and give them the feedback they need.
- Working with agility.
Likewise, consider how important it is that the platform is very easy to use so that you can work, and they can study, without effort or worries.
In case you are looking for the perfect platform for you, we suggest you study several alternatives and, above all, try them out.
This way, you will find out if it has what you will indeed need to teach online.
Tip 2: think about how to make an effective online course
Perfect, you now have the platform to deliver your course. But which course?
Remember not to get down to work without having things clear beforehand.
What will be the theme of the e-learning course?
The first thing you will need to think about is the topic.
Do you have enough skills and do you need to do more research?
Act on your answer.
What materials will you offer?
Will you rely solely on text or will you also include videos, images, presentations or infographics?
This knowledge will be vital to be able to draw up a script. With it, you will find a roadmap to follow in order not to deviate from your objective.
How will you structure the e-learning content?
It develops the course content in a logical, chronological and mobile-friendly way.
- Group lessons and ideas thematically.
- Focus content on key points that bring extra value to learners.
- Fragment the content into pills (not just text).
- Add worksheets and create lists to facilitate the assimilation of content.
- Propose exercises of different types. Don't do more of the same, invent fun activities that cause enthusiasm.
- Record and edit your didactic material, generate presentations, podcasts, videos or games to do in class.
The interesting thing is to make the content clear, attractive and able to bring dynamism to your e-learning course.
What communication tools will you need?
Don’t forget the spaces where you can interact and communicate with your students.
Through a video call, chat, email or through the forums you will be able to resolve their concerns, even after the online class has finished.
Tip 3: find your equipment
Do you have the right resources?
Of course, the computer is an essential tool. But is it the only one you need?
Consider what you want to deliver to your students. That is to say, if you are going to include videos, an indispensable and infallible resource for your online courses, it will be a priority that you have a webcam and a suitable microphone for streaming at your disposal.
Therefore, invest in what you may need and do not overlook the quality of your work.
Tip 4: consider the setting when creating course materials
In relation to the previous point, the place from which you construct the material can add or subtract a lot to the final result that the students will see.
While it will be imperceptible when you are producing written content, as no one will see how and where you are doing it, when you are producing your videos or podcasts, for example, you will have to be especially careful.
Keep in mind that the camera will record what is around you and the staging must be excellent. Therefore, the place must be tidy and transmit seriousness and professionalism.
On the other hand, light and acoustics are also important. Infiltrated sound and bad lighting, besides being distracting, will be amateurish and not very serious.
One last note on how to be an online teacher
Consider the above points when considering online training. You will become a great teacher and you will get a quality course.
When you are deciding what to include in it, think about your students. They are the ones you have to teach and please; therefore, any facilities you provide will be beneficial to their learning.
And speaking of facilities, preserving students’ interest and concentration also has a lot to do with how to be a virtual teacher.
Well, precisely, in How to concentrate to study, guide your students, we discuss some tips that may interest you if you want to give online training to millennials and adults from your academy or centre, or to give private online classes.
Now you know how to become an online educator and where to start.
Let’s get to work and good luck in your e-learning journey!