Teaching online presents a tremendous challenge for most postsecondary faculty, particularly new online instructors. The lack of experience in teaching in this learner-centered teaching environment causes many faculty members to experience discomfort or cognitive dissonance, as teaching in an online learning environment differs significantly from teaching in the face-to-face classroom where lecture formats are used as much as 80 percent of the time. Therefore, the very nature of an online course places increased demands on new online instructors to make several fundamental changes to their teaching practices. One change that new online instructors must make involves assuming the role of an instructional coach. Performing this role helps students provide elaborations for online discussions and encourages students to think deeply about instructional content. The novice online instructor must also perform the role of advisor. This role empowers students to make academic decisions by providing the students multiple decision paths to consider in reference to a given task.
Instructor adaptations to the online learning environment are not limited to instruction; new online instructors must also grapple with the intricacies of course management systems. These systems require instructors to perform tasks that involve creating and collecting assignments, establishing and monitoring discussions, and creating and uploading instructional content. Learning all of the tools to perform these tasks can be somewhat challenging to new online instructors. Therefore, ongoing support is needed to help new online instructors to use the tools of a course management system and perform uncharacteristic pedagogical tasks.
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