Plan Ahead, Use Resources, and Be Realistic -- Bonk

This video is one of several from the Penn State University World Campus Faculty Development where experts discuss “competencies needed to be successful in an online teaching environment."


In this video, Dr. Curtis Bonk shares the importance of managing the Online Workload.  



In a four-minute video, Dr. Bonk discusses the importance of time management in online courses.  He discusses that teaching online can also be overwhelming and learning how to survive and succeed are key components to an effective course.  

I agree with his suggestions about saving time and that the communication between teacher and students are key for success.  He suggests that planning ahead and letting students know when the course may become difficult or time consuming is important, in this manner both students and teachers can allocate extra time in their schedules to complete these difficult tasks and provide assistance.

Dr. Curtis encourages online teachers to also be realistic and to use as many resources as needed, otherwise you can go crazy with the amount of workload!  

These are several ways he suggests teachers can obtain support and limit the amount they need to grade:
   * Provide students with peer feedback experiences    
   * Streamlining course assignments
   * Use instructional assistants for classroom support (for calendar support)
   * Grade in an integrated manner or in a summative fashion, rather than feedback on every task
   * Provide Practitioner feedback (involving real world partners)
   * Do not grade everything
   * Post student sample work to reduce student concerns or questions
   * Have a FAQ's section on class website
   * Provide opportunities of synchronized meetings with students
              * Continuous communication with students (i.e. distribution list emails)

References: 

For more information visit PSU World Campus Faculty Development, please click below: 

  YouTube Channel: Penn State University World Campus Faculty Development