In recent intake interviews with new students of education at West Texas A&M University, I found that teaching online is the new holy grail for many young educators. They dream about how wonderful it would be to work from home in their bunny slippers and to conduct meaningful interactions with students via Skype while preparing dinner. To this group, teaching online means never having to be anywhere at any particular time, never having to wear uncomfortable "professional clothes," and never being asked a question without having time to research the answer.
After two decades in online teaching in both the corporate world and higher education, I regret to report that the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of a network connection. While online teaching offers many rewards for instructors, it takes a special set of skills and attitudes to excel at it. And these are emphatically not the same skills and attitudes that make an exceptional classroom teacher. Here's what it takes to be a successful online teacher:
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1. Don't Expect Constant Validation.
While it may be heretical to say it, many teachers are attracted to the profession by all the ego-stroking they hope to receive. They remember the worshipful glances that they bestowed on their favorite professors, and now they want to earn their share. But there is a world of difference between a warm face-to-face encounter and an e-mail--no matter how appreciative it might be. While there has been much discussion about how e-mail or even video interaction might not meet students' emotional and security needs, the emotional vacuum on the professor's side has gone largely unnoticed. Online teaching actually requires a much higher level of emotional security and confidence in one's own professional competence.
While it may be heretical to say it, many teachers are attracted to the profession by all the ego-stroking they hope to receive. They remember the worshipful glances that they bestowed on their favorite professors, and now they want to earn their share. But there is a world of difference between a warm face-to-face encounter and an e-mail--no matter how appreciative it might be. While there has been much discussion about how e-mail or even video interaction might not meet students' emotional and security needs, the emotional vacuum on the professor's side has gone largely unnoticed. Online teaching actually requires a much higher level of emotional security and confidence in one's own professional competence.
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