AchieveYourCareer Blog home|AchieveYourCareer.com

Student Voices

Interested in learning more about online education?

Hear what current online students have to say.

Pamela Gustafson

U. of Northern Iowa, U. of Wisconsin Whitewater

Jen Zeman

University of Maryland University College

Instructor Responsibility in the Online Learning Environment

Posted by Phyllis Stith on July 30th, 2008

Understanding Instructor Responsibility in the Online Learning Environment

Instructors in the online learning environment are faced with the same tasks as those that work in traditional brick and mortar institutions. However, there is also the added responsibility of facilitating online communication to ensure that discussions are both unbiased and lively, in addition to being educationally relevant.

Thus, the instructor is charged with developing pedagogical lesson plans that engage students in the critical thinking process through objectives that are both clear and concise. This is accomplished when the instructor facilitates discussions in ways that encourage active participation from students.

In addition, the instructor should remain objective when assessing student performance because personal biases can lead to unfair grading methodologies that hinder learning opportunities. In addition, the instructor must develop lessons and discussions that do no offend students that come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Thus, sarcasm and other types of language that may be offensive should be avoided at all costs.

Instructors must also take the time to learn particular learning styles in order to meet the needs of the class and this can be accomplished when students are required to provide class introductions. Moreover, instructors must maintain a sense of flexibility because all students do not learn and comprehend at the same pace. However, the online learning environment is based upon the schedules that are developed by the learning institutions which means students must meet course requirements or receive incomplete grades if the situation warrants such a measure.

Finally, the online instructor must employ the use of effective classroom management skills at all times. This will serve to eliminate the potential for disarray which is not conducive to the learning environment. Thus, any behavior that is unsuitable for the classroom should be immediately addressed by the instructor and disciplinary actions should be taken on a case by case basis.

Tags: Online Instructors