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Prospective and New Instructor FAQs
Below are some frequently asked questions prospective instructors have about teaching online and the services OnlineLearning.net provides.
What is OnlineLearning.net?
OnlineLearning.net is the leading online supplier of instructor-led continuing adult education for UCLA Extension, the University of San Diego, the California CPA Education Foundation, and curriculum materials publisher Houghton Mifflin. We provide training and support to the instructors and students of our education providers and market and deliver their courses online. Our relationship with our education partners is founded on the excellence of their academic programs and instructors.
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What qualifications do I need to teach online?
Requirements vary by education provider and individual departments, but providers require a terminal degree, and look for professional experience and/or some teaching experience in the subject area or related field.
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What kind of computer and technical skills do I need to teach online?
Most any PC or Macintosh computer will be just fine. You'll also need your own access to the Internet for ten to fifteen hours a week. Please see the minimum technical requirements.
It's not necessary to have extensive technical skills to teach online. However, you must have at least basic knowledge of software and tools such as a word processor, email, an Internet browser, and search engines. Additionally, skills in Internet browsing, searching, word processing, cut and paste, email, and switching between windows and applications are necessary.
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How is online teaching different from traditional classroom teaching?
OLn's classroom model emphasizes an instructor-led, highly interactive learning environment. There are some fundamental similarities to the traditional adult education classroom in that the learning process attempts to incorporate the work, life, and educational experiences of the students and the instructor. Our students are often working professionals with years of experience. Our online teaching model leans is designed to stimulate dialogue between you and your students and among students themselves. The online process requires both you and your students to take active roles. You will often act as a facilitator, organizing activities that engage students directly rather than relying too heavily on lectures and memorization. Because we realize that this may be an entirely new environment even to instructors with years of traditional classroom experience, we offer a training program to ensure that you feel comfortable and confident in the online classroom.
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When and where do classes take place?
The courses take place wherever your computer is: at home, at work, on the road - anywhere you can connect to the Internet. Our courses are generally six to eight weeks in length, have a specific start and stop date, and are typically organized by week. The model is primarily asynchronous-not in real time-which means that within each week you and your students may log in at a time that is most convenient for you. You will generally log in four to five times per week to give timely feedback and interact with their students. You will communicate with your students in a shared classroom space featuring threaded discussion forums, not merely by exchanging email. Although communication is primarily asynchronous, a real-time chat is available.
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How many students will be taking my class?
Enrollment in each instructor-led online course is limited. Most classes are no larger than 20 students, allowing you to give adequate attention to your students and affording ample opportunities for students to collaborate with their virtual classmates.
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I worry that I'll miss the face-to-face contact of a classroom. Will I be able to communicate with my students?
A lot of instructors mistakenly assume that they'll feel isolated from their online students. To their surprise, most instructors find that online courses actually provide a high degree of personal contact, and many say that they get to know their online students much better than students in on-the-ground courses. This is because asynchronous online courses offer many more opportunities for reflection, in-depth discussion, and interaction than a traditional course that meets once or twice a week. Not only will you and your students communicate directly, everyone in the class can be involved in group- and class-level discussions contributing as much and as often as they want. Far from being an impediment to communication, the online format facilitates and enhances it in ways that would be impossible in other situations.
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How much time does it take to prepare for and teach an online course?
If you have never taught online before, you'll need a minimum of three months to prepare. We will provide you with all the training you need to get up to speed and be successful as an online instructor. However, you should budget an average of two to three hours a week to the training process. Once you start teaching your course, you should log on a minimum of four times per week to participate in your classroom discussions and interact with your students. We estimate that you will spend five to twelve hours per week teaching your online course, depending on the assignments and topics for a particular week. If you cannot budget this minimum amount of time to prepare for and teach your online course, please do not consider teaching at this time. Even though the course exists in a virtual environment, the time commitment to be a successful online instructor is quite real.
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How much time will it take to develop a new online course?
We estimate it will take between one and three months (which can be accomplished simultaneously with training). The time will vary based on your familiarity with the online teaching environment, whether you have already created some version of a syllabus and other materials that you can adapt for the online course, and the availability of this material (lectures, activities, assignments, etc.) in electronic form. Additional development time will be needed if your course includes multimedia presentation. Of course, you can still assign a traditional textbook or other reading materials such as a course pack, which your students can order online.
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Who owns the course I will teach?
OLn does not claim any intellectual property rights or copyright ownership for courses offered by its education providers and their instructors. Each education provider has its own policies, procedures, and arrangements with its instructors regarding intellectual property and copyrights.
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Will I need to buy and learn to use complicated software?
You don't need to buy anything -- we provide the Blackboard online course management software environment, which is accessible to you via the Web. It is very simple to use, and all new online instructors take an online training course to learn how to build their own online course using the Blackboard software.
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What will I learn in the Instructor Training Course?
The training program is conducted entirely online. It is a comprehensive course that combines software training along with lessons in the methods, approaches, and practical techniques for teaching online. This six-week training program offered elsewhere for several hundred dollars per person is a valuable professional development opportunity provided to you at no cost by OLn. Successful completion of this training is required of all new online instructors. This is to ensure your comfort in the online classroom and your effectiveness as an online instructor. More information about the Online Instructor Training program.
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Does OLn provide professional development opportunities for me to keep learning?
Yes, the Instructor Development Team at OnlineLearning.net has created a dynamic, full-featured Instructor Community Web site providing the latest information and resources instructors need, as well as continued training and professional development opportunities from OLn. You can visit the OLn Instructor Community Web site, but you will not be able to access all of its features yet.
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Will I have opportunities to connect with other online instructors?
Yes, OLn provides moderated discussion forums for current instructors from all of OLn's education providers and disciplines, giving you opportunities to network and exchange ideas with fellow online instructors.
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Who will help me if I run into problems?
During training and course set-up, the Instructor Development Team will assist you with any problems you may encounter. Once your course begins, you will have a Course Manager who can help with the technicalities of the course and administrative issues for you and your students. Your Course Manager can also serve as point person to direct you to the proper resources to resolve any other problems. We also provide 24/7 technical support through Blackboard for our course management software.
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What makes an effective online instructor?
Experience has shown us that the most successful online course experiences for students and instructors depend on the expertise and dedication of a well-prepared online instructor. When an online instructor is fully equipped with proper technical skills, familiarity with the online learning environment, and most importantly, a true awareness of effective online pedagogies and teaching strategies, the online learning experience that he or she creates has the highest potential to succeed.
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Who will hire me and what reimbursement can I expect?
The education providers who work with OLN are ultimately responsible for hiring, providing contracts, and paying their instructors. Reimbursement varies by provider, department, type of course, number of students, and instructor qualifications. Average payment for teaching a course is between $1500-$2500. Some providers also pay a preparation fee for developing new courses.
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How do I apply to teach online?
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PROSPECTIVE INSTRUCTORS FAQ
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Course Managers are also here to ensure your online experience is smooth and trouble-free.
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