Manage your time online

Online teaching and learning typically amplifies good and bad work habits, which can take time and practice to get right. But with 24/7 access to course materials, a global classroom, ongoing discussions via message boards, forums, blogs, and more – there are tremendous advantages to teaching online for time-poor academics if you can be disciplined and develop efficient workflows.

Online courses generally require more development and design time upfront, and the delivery can often be more labour intensive since learners are engaging at different times. Therefore, every aspect of the course needs to be carefully organised with clear and explicit instructions to avoid the ‘non-stop’, 24/7 nature of online learning that can lead to instructor burnout.

Because time tends to be more flexible and fragmented online, it is more effective for teachers to work in smaller blocks of time, more often, rather than concentrating their teaching on one large block of time once a week as they would in a traditional face-to-face class environment. Being able to pre-load content for review prior to Zoom sessions maximises online class time and also allows students time for deeper reflection and repetition of materials.

Tips

• Check-in on Canvas regularly but for shorter periods of time
• Develop healthy work habits and set boundaries to avoid burnout
• Set clear expectations for students
• Communicate clearly about project submissions, requirements and deadlines
• Be mindful of different time zones and be specific about times, e.g. Friday 10 June 2020, 9am Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST)
• Be mindful of internet access and limitations; consider file sizes and poor connections
• Release content in a timely manner and include notifications
• Give prompt feedback