The in's and Out's of Online Instruction

Online teaching is rewarding and exciting. It enables educators to work from home or anywhere in the world where there is an Internet connection. It is flexible and allows instructors to teach early in the morning, in the middle of the day, and/or late at night. The statistics say by 2019 more than 50% of high school classes will be delivered virtually. Plus more and more universities are adding online departments to their well-established brick and mortar degree programs. With online instruction growing at a more rapid pace than traditional brick-and-mortar classroom instruction, a classroom instructor or college professor who is considering making the switch to online instruction has many things to think about before making the leap.

In this book, there are tips on how to find an online job both from online job billboards and from searching through a plethora of online universities for a position that is right for you. The book will take you step by step through the process of applying for a position, writing your resume/curriculum vitae, interviewing, training, and preparing you for that first day of class.

Wouldn't it be nice to set your own office hours? How about the days and hours you wish to work? The goal of effective time management is to know how you spend your time and make purposeful decisions on how to balance work, family, and leisure time. In the online classroom, the biggest draw for both students and instructors is the anytime, anywhere aspect. Students and instructors can work any hour of the day or night, any day of the week, any time of the year. You can work around all of your family's extracurricular activities and even take vacations when no one else can This book will guide you on stetting up a work schedule that fits your lifestyle.

There are several online resources that can help you with your job search. There are also several online discussion groups where current and prospective online faculty network and share leads; Yahoo groups have more than one group for online adjuncts where networking occurs and job opportunities are passed along.

Just like learning online, teaching online is not for everyone. This book will assist faculty members to determine if online teaching is a good fit and, if it is, to find a position and make the transition from the brick-and-mortar classroom to online instruction. This book will also help the new online instructor become more comfortable and efficient in the classroom. You will find ideas and suggestions for setting up and maintaining a positive, inviting online classroom that invites collaboration from your students.

Many online instructors work at home for part or all of the day. The majority of work in an online class is completed at the computer. Organization is the key Keeping all of your materials organized saves time from hunting through piles of material to find a specific paper.

This book is not just for the new online instructor but contains a plethora of tips and shortcuts for managing your online class, including grading and participation. You will also find great strategies for handling challenges that accompany online learning, such as plagiarism, flaming, group problems, and many other difficult situations.

Inside this book you will find great icebreakers, ways to divide students into groups, and how to solve problems and/or be proactive to minimize problems in the collaborative forums. We invite you to use this book as a tool in creating and maintaining your online classroom