Schools are increasingly being compelled to accommodate the demands of students who are unable to attend in person as the globe struggles to deal with the repercussions of COVID-19. Even the most tech-savvy instructor finds it challenging to deliver effective lessons during online teaching.

Online teaching and learning is complicated and involves several factors, such as limited student access and ability, synchronous (live), asynchronous (on-demand), blended, and maybe flipped learning. Having stated that, let’s begin with a few fundamental steps to make sure we’re off to a good start.

• Specified Expectations

In the same way that you would want to be explicit about establishing rules and expectations in your physical classroom, you should do the same when online teaching. Students must understand what you expect of them in terms of behavior, academic performance, and cognitive ability. What are your customs and traditions, and do you follow and uphold them consistently? Are the directions you provide for any particular work clearly and understandable?

Think about them verbally and in writing expressing them, and make sure they are accessible. This also applies to the design of your e-learning course. Do students have a clear understanding of the course structure as a form of the road map, and can they access that road map if and when they feel lost?

• Strong, Engaging Content

It makes sense that we want our online teaching to be strong and vibrant, well-constructed, and perform across a wide range of settings. I’ve written before about the need for robust teaching and learning in the context of project-based learning. What lessons and exercises will mentally stimulate students by encouraging them to participate in rich inquiry or meaningful critical thinking exercises?

In terms of their usefulness to you as the instructor and the students as the end users, the tech tools you select frequently make or break your instruction and evaluation. When choosing applications, websites, and other forms of technology, put your objective and pedagogy before the instrument.

• Support and Advice

The connections, culture, and communities that many classes had established over the course of the academic year before the epidemic forced them to lock their doors in the spring won’t be preserved. Even those who might have recurring kids and families due to looping or other circumstances will want to concentrate on establishing and upholding connections that foster student growth as much as feasible.

Think about incorporating some social-emotional learning techniques into your daily activities with students and even with yourself. Last but not least, don’t forget to offer procedures and venues for considerate, accurate, and useful feedback, delivered live or asynchronously, that encourage students to perform their best work.

• Assistance and Counsel

Many classes did not manage to keep the relationships, cultures, and communities they had built over the course of the academic year before the outbreak forced them to seal their doors in the spring. Even those who could have repeat children and families as a result of looping or other factors will want to focus on creating and maintaining connections that support student progress as much as is practical.

Consider including some social-emotional learning strategies in your routine interactions with kids and even with yourself. Last but not least, remember to provide methods and locations for thoughtful, precise, and helpful criticism that is offered live or asynchronously and encourages students to produce their finest work.