The Challenges of Online Education

For educators who want to move beyond traditional teaching methods, online teaching jobs, with instruction delivered via the internet, can be an exciting new direction to explore. Teaching jobs centred on classroom instruction demand a particular set of communication skills. Online teaching jobs allow teachers to explore other means of delivering knowledge to learners. This can be stimulating and exciting for educators in online teaching jobs and online learners alike.

Delivering Knowledge and Instruction Via the Internet

Online Education

The internet offers diverse opportunities for educators to teach online. Online teaching jobs come in many shapes and forms, and use different strategies to engage and instruct learners. Some parallel traditional classroom instruction, but there are also other opportunities for educators to use interactive technologies to deliver knowledge in new and innovative ways.

1. Online teaching in virtual classrooms and webinars. It is perfectly possible to use the internet much like a conventional classroom, with instructor-led teaching delivered by video link in real time. With the right software (WebEx is one example) it is possible to conduct lectures, workshops and other meetings almost as if all participants are gathered in the same room. Attendees can ask questions and discussions can take place. This is an especially good option for adult learners who do not require additional supervision.

2. Blended learning. Studies have shown that learners whose course content is delivered both in conventional classroom contexts and via the web tend to achieve more highly than in courses that depend on one or other of these options. Some educators may be well placed to deliver the web-based component of blended learning courses (or both).

3. Distance learning - one-to-one. Video calling, screen sharing and interactive whiteboards make it possible for teachers to instruct individual learners, almost as if in a private tuition situation.

4. Online tutoring jobs. In the array of online teaching jobs, online tutoring is a popular option. Rather than delivering the primary instruction, tutors provide additional coaching, supplementary to lessons. Varieties include catch-up tutoring, remedial lessons, test prep and homework supervision.

5. Materials development for online learning. For educators seeking online teaching jobs that do not necessarily involve direct instruction, there is often a call for devising teaching materials designed especially for delivery over the web. That material can be delivered with or without active input from a tutor. For teachers interested in the new ways of learning that the internet offers, this can be a rewarding career path.

6. Online learning communities and peer-to-peer learning. Teachers seeking new ways of offering learning support may wish to experiment with web-based learning communities, where learners with common interests and problems can interact (either via message boards and chat rooms or by webcam), preferably in a moderated environment where expert help is available. The collaborative learning environment that the internet facilitates is one area of online education with enormous but as yet under-explored potential.