A community member asked the following question:
How many students should I have in my first time teaching an online course?
Judith V. Boettcher
Faculty have a lot to learn when teaching online for the first time. It takes time and energy and patience to establish new habits of teaching. The preparation time is similar to teaching a campus course for the first time plus the time required for learning the ins and outs of the technology. One of the main challenges is learning how to “be present,” teach and mentor effectively online. With all that going on, I usually recommend that the class size for a new online faculty not exceed 15 students. Other excellent ways of getting started in online teaching is to co-teach with an experienced online teacher or to have a e-coach for support.
What are your thoughts? We’d like to hear how you would answer this question. Share your thoughts below.
I couldn’t agree more with having a smaller class when you teach online for the first time. The learning curve with software can be a challenge. First time instructors who teach online need to realize that they will probably be reorganizing their course after teaching it for the first time. What you thought was going to work may not work and then you need to rethink the process.
Hi Teresa, thank you for your comment. Do you have any recommendations for first time instructors who find themselves with a larger class than is desirable?
Be organized and stay on top of the lessons. Also, allow the other students be “experts” as well. If a student responds with the correct answer, give kudos to that student to reinforce their involvement.