The Guide to Bring your classroom online quickly and successfully - %

The rapid growth of COVID-19 has meant that school closures have been occurring across the globe to smooth the curve of the virus spreading. Teachers are in charge of quickly getting their classrooms up and running in order to help the well-being of students in these times of uncertainty.

If you're just beginning to explore online education, the transition can feel overwhelming. Good news--there are actions you can follow to make your online classroom productive for both you and your students. The creation of an online course can provide additional support for students as well as ensure they have a educational experience the same, even when classes are closed.

  What are the advantages from online learning?  

With the current environment moving to an online classroom may seem daunting. There are however many benefits of learning online for teachers and students. These benefits include being able to shield the students of our society from COVID-19, but also offering flexibility with regards to how and where a student learns.

When you use online learning tools to construct or enhance your online course, you can enhance the experience of your students with additional tools and clear learning objectives. There are several methods that online learning could aid in student achievement:

  Learning outcomes & expectations  

The online courses enable you to easily create your curriculum with specific learning goals that your children can understand. A linear format allows students to progress at their pace to digest information and revisit lessons, helping them meet your learning expectations.

  Track your students' development  

Online courses let you closely track student progress and determine which students require more support. Through online forums for discussion with quizzes, games, as well as assignments, you'll be able to engage students to put their knowledge into practice.

  Build an online community  

By using discussion forums or the Communities feature, you can save time and foster the feeling of being part of a community of students. Students are able to ask questions directly during a class or reach out to the other students for help in an online setting.

  Allows for more ways of learning  

One of the greatest benefits of taking your class online is the possibility to offer more resources you might not have time to discuss during an in-person class. A multimedia type of lesson allows you to attach PDFs, link to additional resources, and more.

Find out more about the benefits of online learning as well as what the new paradigm will look like , in practice, and how to get started now.

  Choosing a format to use for online classes  

As educator, you're an expert in how you the best way to present your information in your classroom. With online education, there are unique options you can consider when selecting which method to present your curriculum with students. The format you choose is based on the place your students are at in their semester, your educational institution's policy, the content of your class, as well as the way you think your students will learn the most efficiently.

  Choice 1: Self-paced online classes  

With this method you can deliver your course in lessons that the students go through at their own speed. The lessons are recorded and stored in your online class hub. This type of class is ideal for mature students who are balancing school amongst their busy schedules.

The advantage of this model for teachers is that, once you've created the course and then upload it, you can share it with an an unlimited number of students. It also gives you more freedom to track student progress, provide 1:1 support, as well as to modify your course between terms.

An example of this format in action can be seen at an institution called the University of Tasmania who provides brief, self-paced, courses that help students further their careers or discover their own interests.

  Option 2: Classes that are scheduled  

Classes that are scheduled allow groups of students to begin and complete the recorded course simultaneously. The classes can be suited to those who need the more structured curriculum and the group learning environment, such as high school students.

  Option 3: Blended Learning  

Most educators are working remotely via a mixture of self-service courses as well as online live instruction. This is also called blended learning. It is an excellent opportunity to engage with students, lead coaching sessions, and facilitate a human connection to build trust with your students.

James Shipway is a good model for someone to use this technique. James Shipway runs Total Guitar Lab on , and provides a variety of self-serve guitar lessons as well as live coaching.

  4 steps to get your classroom online quickly  

There is a need for the majority of educators in the field to transition to online learning and fast. For your classroom to be online in a short time, take these steps:

1. Secure the necessary tools for online teaching

Online learning must-haves are:

  Education Management System  

• It's intuitive and easy to set up, and great for educators with no design or programming experience.
• It creates an incredible experience for your students at every step of the learning process, from arriving on the school's web page through completing their curriculum to achieving their learning objectives.
• You have an entire Support team backing you through the entire process, and accessibility to an comprehensive knowledge base of instructions and guides to get set up on .

"We have a unique opportunity through online education, which allows math to be fun as well as demanding at the same. With the help of's we have created an entirely new environment where students learn to be creative by constantly pushing themselves to solve problems that are out of their grasp. This is the most English-speaking math online program around We aim to continually push the limits every single day."         Dr. Po-Shen Loh

  Camera  

A lot of teachers get their classes going by making use of cameras on computers or mobile to capture their videos of their lessons. With clear, clear audio, this can work well. There is no need to invest in fancy equipment.

  Video software  

  Internet  

An internet connection that is reliable is vital to bringing your classroom online, specifically in the event that you plan to stream content live. You can use a tool like speedtest.net or Speedof.me to determine your Internet speed. In general, you'll want at least 1 Mbps (megabits per second) download speed for a two-way HD video call. If you're calling as a part of a group, you'll need more.

2. Use online resources for your training

Already have your course and materials, it's time to move your resources online! This website was specifically designed for educators who already have an existing curriculum and training materials as well as students. You can transfer your current documents, assignments, worksheets as well as audio files and much more, using our Bulk Importer.

3. Structure your course

As teacher, you are able to plan lessons for your in-person classes. While you may be capable of addressing students that have their minds been wandering off during class, this gets tougher when you're online. This is why an online course needs to be able to balance practical and high-quality learning in order so that you can engage your students.

To create a great learning experience for your students you'll want each course to be able to achieve one specific learning goal. Divide your classes into short sections that include:

• Introduction: Begin your lesson with a warm welcoming message to set the tone for you students.
• Chapters: Chapters are sections of the course that contain an individual sub-learning goal. The amount of chapters be determined by the curriculum and goals for the students.
• Lessons: Lessons make up a part of a chapter that help your students to achieve a outcome that is a sub-part of the chapter. You can have the number of lessons you need to achieve the outcome that you would like your students to attain. Include both lessons that teach the purpose and the method of your topic and learning tools like questions, downloads and surveys, and tasks.
• Finalization: This is best done when the final learning goal is reached by your pupils and provide them with the next step.

Pro tip: If you are designing a large number of lessons, be sure to include clear lesson titles. Your students will be able to find the content they need in the search bar and also helps them estimate their time in each class.

Pro tip: We highly recommend the use of surveys throughout your course to track student comprehension as well as the effect of your course. One of the best ways to do this is to include a survey at the beginning of your course during your opening to assess the students' comprehension of the topic and the conclusion survey to determine what they've gained from the course.

4. Use video

A fast and efficient method to deliver your course is through videos.

Video is the most versatile way to make the content you want. It lets you show movements, and also useful animations to help explain concepts and helps engage students more than other media.

Install your camera and film your class. Utilizing a program like iMovie, you can modify your lesson, or even film your lesson into short videos in sections as mentioned in step 3.

With , you're able to include closed captions, look at the video's analytics and establish completion requirements to make sure your students understand the material.

  What makes a great online course?

Learning online is an exciting transition for teachers and students There are steps you can do to ensure learning equally effective and fun as it could be in a traditional classroom.

  Onboard your students  

As we move towards online learning, onboarding your students is crucial to the course. That means teaching them to utilize the software from the student's point of view. It is recommended to include a demonstration video that has captions in it to introduce your students to the Course Player.

  Be interactive  

Whether through live lessons or by making yourself accessible via lesson discussions, communities or email, giving students the chance to answer every question they want to ask is crucial to setting them up for success.

  Develop student assignments  

Like how you would in a classroomsetting, you're able to send and make assignments using . For students who submit assignments in writing and worksheets to video-based presentations, you can use the media options that give you the freedom you require. Making an assignment for every module of your course helps to keep your file sharing process simple and organized.

  Create a community  

One of the best ways for students to learn is to collaborate among their classmates. Communities keep students interested by giving them a space to share their thoughts, discuss issues to stimulate discussion forward.

If you're feeling like there's too much information you're not wrong! There's a significant process of learning when you switch towards online education. The platform we use has the capabilities that will help you design courses that allow you and your students to benefit from the numerous benefits of the virtual classroom. When you choose the best format for your online course as well as creating a robust evergreen course it is possible to make yourself ready to utilize this curriculum for numerous semesters to come.