What is the Workload Like for an Online Teacher?
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Question:
When you take on a new class as an online teacher, do you go through the same planning process that classroom teachers go through? I’m curious about the amount of work involved in teaching a typical online class.
Answer:
The amount of time that goes into planning online courses depends on so many factors, including what course you’re teaching, who your students are and how many you have, what your school’s requirements or materials are, and your particular teaching style.
In a lot of ways, the workload is lighter when you’re teaching online. This is because you aren’t required to prepare a lecture for three hours of class time each week. The work you will do is slightly different; rather than giving face-to-face instruction, you’re more of a facilitator, encouraging online chats, answering questions, etc.However, in my experience, the workload can seem a lot heavier, at least at first. While new education technology has made instruction easier, it can also be time-consuming…especially if you aren’t already used to online education tools. The first course, especially, will probably take you a considerable amount of time as you cope with a learning curve–getting used to the pace, the amount of online interaction with students you need to have, the amount of grading you need to do, and the methods for accessing all the electronic course materials available to you.However, once you get past that initial hump, teaching online is often very manageable, which is why so many of us teachers find it appealing!
Tags: electronic course materials, online education, online education tools
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