Barb and Brian Forrest started teaching online in 2002, and were the first instructors involved in the Math Department’s transition into offering online courses. Their first course was developed with the support of the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL). Since then, the Forrests have worked independently to develop their online courses, calling upon us as needed.
Barb and Brian discovered that they could easily adapt the majority of their teaching to the online environment, however, they did note some changes. The biggest difference Barb noticed was the loss of the feedback that an instructor typically gets on-campus from reading students’ faces to see whether they’re lost, having a bad day, or in need of an extra push to get excited about a topic. Brian pointed out that it’s still possible to get this kind of feedback from students online, but that the instructor has to work for it by being fairly active.
To maintain an active online teaching presence, Barb encourages her students to contact her as often as they require by email. She posts daily announcements, discusses weekly assignment questions on a one-by-one basis, and remains connected online for most of the working day. This allows her to respond quickly to her students, and shows them that she’s invested in their learning. For Barb, “teaching is about caring about your students. I want them to try hard…and if they’re going to try hard, I will give them personal attention to help them become successful in the course.”
Brian’s approach to maintaining his presence online is slightly different. He pointed out that “in terms of personal contact, students have changed a lot…now students don’t like to come to office hours, they like to email and do things electronically.” To adapt to this change, Brian makes the most of online discussions. This allows him to get to know his students’ personalities and build a connection with them. He encourages his students to participate actively, and has found that even those who don’t participate still benefit from taking in what other students are discussing.
Barb and Brian noted that their students benefit from the availability of online course content, as they can essentially go back in time whenever they want to revisit a particular topic or concept, something that can’t be done in face-to-face classes. Additionally, since Barb and Brian create digital lectures for their online courses, students are able to pause and take notes without getting lost or losing content (which is very important in a subject like math).
Barb and Brian suggest that instructors who are new to online teaching should identify the particular issues that cause students to have trouble before designing the course, talk to an instructor in their discipline who has taught online, try out the software that will be used in the course in advance, and be prepared to interact online regularly. Taking these steps will ensure a positive teaching experience for the instructor, and a great learning experience for the online student.