Teaching Fully Online

Instructors interested in teaching fully online classes at Washington State Community College need to demonstrate competency in the various strategies used to facilitate online learning. Some of the teaching strategies associated with effective online course delivery are:

1. Student-centered activities
2. Facilitating and moderating
3. Problem-based learning
4. Collaborative learning
5. Peer evaluation

Franklin University Course

All instructors who wish to teach fully online classes need to enroll in a free 6-weeks course: Instructional Strategies to Facilitate Learning (ISFL 690) - simply referred to as the Franklin course. Faculty members who have taught online at other colleges/universities need to provide evidence of such prior experience to be exempted from the Franklin course. The Franklin course upcoming offerings are:

ISFL 690 F1WW - 06/28/2010 to 08/07/2010
ISFL 690 F2WW - 06/28/2010 to 08/07/2010

To register for the course or if you have any questions, contact:

Kim Browning
Education Alliances Manager
Franklin University
201 S. Grant Ave.
Columbus, OH 43215
614-947-6053
614-947-6745 (fax)
brownink@franklin.edu
http://alliance.franklin.edu

Regardless of prior online teaching experience, all interested faculty members need to go through a special training to get familiar with Sakai CLE learning management system. If you wish to be exempted from the Franklin University course, please furnish the appropriate evidence that qualifies you for this exemption to the Director of Distance Learning and/or the Chief Academic Officer.

Instructors need to be proficient in using the basic elements of online teaching such as email, asynchronous and synchronous communication tools (e.g. discussion forums and chat). They should be able to describe the characteristics of a successful online learner and the techniques for effective online teaching. Moreover, online instructors should be able to explain the ethical, legal and accessibility issues associated with online education, and should be able to describe strategies for integrating online and classroom instruction.

Remember, teaching online requires sitting in front of a computer for at least one or two hours every day, enjoying one-on-one interaction (as opposed to lecturing or group presentations), being flexible in teaching approach and willing to experiment, and being prepared to do a lot of writing/typing. You also need to have convenient (home) access to computer/Internet, be very comfortable with Sakai CLE features and tools, and have first-hand experience as an online learner.