TEACH REMOTELY: BEST PRACTICES
Below you will see general advice, a variety of course types, and additional tips on student engagement. The teaching tips are broken up according to common teaching styles (lecture, case, small group discussion, and hands-on).
GENERAL ADVICE
Focus on the pedagogy, not just the platform:
The attributes of a physical classroom do not guarantee that a class is effective
or engaging. The same goes for online platforms. Time spent now thinking about how
you want to teach using this technology will be time well spent. Think about which
of your classroom-teaching strategies translate well to the remote setting, which
do not, and what new approaches you might incorporate.
Take advantage of interactivity:
Online technologies can encourage and facilitate more “lean forward” behaviors than
the traditional classroom. Moreover, most students are digital natives who already
use remote technology for their own meetings and gatherings. Take advantage of these
possibilities. This applies even to courses that are traditionally more lecture-based.
For example, as described below, you can increase learner engagement by:
- Surfacing questions that learners have around the material
- Using polls to get a sense of the aggregate “temperature” of the room
- Inviting students’ answers on particular questions
- Having students engage in small “buzz group” conversations, or
- “Cold calling.”
This is an opportunity to innovate:
Although the remote environment removes access to certain modes of teaching, it opens
up a number of new possibilities, some of which you may be able to bring back to your
physical classroom once the crisis is over. Students are likely to be more forgiving
of missteps in a new environment. Take advantage of this difficult time to experiment
with new teaching methods and tools.
EXPECTATIONS
DELIVERING YOUR ONLINE COURSE
ADDITIONAL TIPS ON ENGAGING STUDENTS DURING CLASS
OUTSIDE OF CLASS
*Adapted from Teach Remotely https://teachremotely.harvard.edu/best-practices