Best Practices

This course has presented the best practices of online developing, teaching, and learning. Judith Boettcher's "Ten Best Practices for Teaching Online" summarizes the content presented here as well as if I had written it myself (or better!). Dr. Boettcher states that "research and experience suggest that these practices contribute to an effective, efficient and satisfying teaching and learning experience for both faculty and students. Using these practices can help develop confidence, comfort, and experience in teaching online." I agree.

As you are moving your course online and teaching remember to:

• Set and share clear expectations
• Create a community of learners who learn together to successfully reach objectives by interacting not only with you and the content but with one another
• Implement strategies to encourage ethical behavior
• Encourage independent as well as collaborative learning
• Invite learners to offer feedback to you and really HEAR what is being offered; show the learners that you are willing to admit to errors and to learn from them and to adjust course content and flow so that it results in a better learning environment and experience for all of you
• Remember that you are teaching adults and that adults learn best when they can build new knowledge on existing knowledge and that new skills and content are learned more easily and concretely when practical application is obvious
• Be technology competent

We conclude this section with resources.