BENEFITS:

Cutting Edge Technology

As an online instructor, you would stay up to date with all of the newest tech offerings. This would include things like video conferencing services, websites and other relevant software, etc. With COVID-19, educators around the world were given the opportunity to see a glimpse of some of the amazing technology programs that are out there, as many services removed their user fees and allowed free trials of their products. Another related benefit of online teaching is that you would never have to fight for the laptop cart that is shared between multiple classrooms!

The Entire Course has been Finalized

Right from the very first day your course is active, you are able to give students 100% of your attention. You could stay right up to date with providing timely and informative assignment feedback and spend more time working one-on-one with a student or in a small group. Also, with every module and assignment set, the instructor does not ever have to scramble for something to do for the following day’s lesson, for instance. Even after teaching the same grade for multiple years, I was always spending time looking for better resources and ways to improve my lessons (it actually is a bit of a problem – just ask my wife!).

Flexibility of Schedule, Access, and Convenience

One of my long term goals is to teach online while living in another country. Being able to access course content from anywhere at any time are huge benefits to teachers and students alike. Having the ability to create your own work hours is another plus I am looking forward to.

CHALLENGES:

Making Connections with Students and Between the Students Themselves:

When we shifted to remote learning last year, teachers and students had already made strong connections with each other. I am curious to see what online learning looks like from the start of the year when nobody knows anybody else. It will likely take time for students to feel comfortable enough with each other and allow themselves to be vulnerable.

The Entire Course has been Finalized

Yes, this was one of my top three benefits, however, it is also one of my top three challenges. Being forced to build an entire course beforehand could become problematic if you are not sure how long it will take the students to complete the lessons. You could be way off with your estimations and course expectations would not be reasonable.

Keeping Students on Track

To be a successful online learner, you need to have discipline, motivation, and time management skills. Without being in a classroom every day with a student, it is more difficult to ascertain where they are at with their current assignment. Especially when there is a large project or paper due, a student may have been procrastinating and then find themselves way behind. Lastly, motivating online students could be more difficult, particularly if they are not even signing into their scheduled meetings.