EIU Faculty Development and Innovation Center

Quick Tips: Best Practices for Teaching Remotely

Lecturing videos:

1. Videos are recommended to be less than 6~7 minutes.
2. If you use PowerPoint slides to record videos, limit bullet points to only the essential ideas, and narrate the slides.
3. Pair each video with some activities to encourage active learning (e.g., quizzes, online discussions).

Resources: Classrooms without walls, creating video instruction at EIU

Online discussions:

1. Prepare discussion posts that invite responses, questions, discussions, and reflections.
2. Specifically tell students what they need to include in their post.
3. Encourage questions, discussions, and reflections in student replies rather than “I agree.”
4. It is recommended to require students to reply to at least 2 posts to encourage interactions.
5. Do not respond to every discussion post as an instructor, but encourage student interactions.

Student engagement and retention:

1. Establish teaching presence early and often:
   • Post announcements, appear on video and participate in discussions.
   • Show your personality, passion, and expertise.
   • Resources: A webinar recording of how to promote social presence in online courses
2. Help students dive straight into the content by providing them with:
   • Detailed syllabus.
   • Due dates and schedule.
   • Clear assignment directions.
3. Provide meaningful and prompt feedback. Avoid feedback such as “That’s right-way to go.”
4. Establish a supportive online learning community:
   • Embrace student mistakes, and establish a safe learning environment where students can freely express their ideas.
   • Emphasize community by using messages such as “We’re all in this together.” “Your success and learning are my success and learning.”
5. Ensure students are not isolated:
   • Provide students with opportunities to interact with peers, such as through discussion and group work.
   • Encourage experience sharing in their assignments and online discussions.
   • Allow some level of social interactions.
6. Constantly check student progress in D2L (How to track student progress in D2L.), and reach out to students who are “no shows” or “low scores.”

Parse your time:

1. Provide occasional summary feedback of student performance, instead of constant individual feedback.
2. Do not be available 24/7, but pick and choose when (and where) you insert your voice..
3. Tell students how soon they can expect your feedback or your response to their emails (usually 24-48 hours).