Like you Lauren, I am planning on doing some online teaching. I started taking an on-line program recently, work as a faculty memebr at a local college and run a business. I went into this thinking I would need to spend about 4-6 hours per week on the course. My estimate was very close. I allocate 2 hours twice per weeknight and 2 hours on Saturday to get the work done. It is all due on Monday. Time management is the key. After 3 weeks, I am adjusting my schedule to front load the work to earlier in the week. That helps me with unexpected circumstances. My sense is that teaching curriculum will be much the same. I would want to invest more time in preparation early. I think once the material is created and the flow of the course is optimized, it should be fairly straight forward in delivery. Student maturity and experience plays into it, but that isn't any different than ground-based instruction. Get the work done early. If you can get head of it, all the better. I try and stay about 1 week ahead of the syllabus.
Andrew,
Many schools have an online faculty that is primarily adjunct instructors who work full-time in their regular jobs. Many online teachers, therefore, teach mainly on evenings and weekends. Most do it because they love the interaction with the students and the extra money is helpful. A 50+ hr week is not unusual for these folks. It's just a lifestyle choice.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Its different for all people depending how how many classes they have. At the school i teach, we have a minimum amount of hours that we are required to put in. I know a lot of teachers that work 40 hours a week and teach two classes online at night as well. I'm not sure how they do that!
Nathan,
Excellent mentoring advice. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Laruen.
The amount of time you spend in the class is going to depend on the class. In the past 10 years I have taught a wide range of design courses and some require a lot more time than others due to the nature of the assignments and feedback required. That said regardless of the course content successful time management comes from staying organized and on top of the discussions and feedback. As long as you do that you will be fine. be sure to develop a relationship with your administrators so that if you do have a family emergency or issue (we have had 4 kids in the past 10 years, which compromised my schedule at times :) they will work with you. Most schools are very good to their adjuncts when it comes to this kind of thing. I wish you success.
Noel,
Your point about the diverity of the class is a significant one. Watching for clues as to when a student may be missing something because of cultural background can be more difficult (require more time) online because the lack of nonverbal cues may allow the deficiency to go unnoticed longer. Excellent point.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Time will vary depending upon how many subjects you teachand at what level your students are at. Some of my students require alot of extra time spent on their assignments, and explainations of what words and phrases mean. You maybe required to explain things that you would take for granted, but mean something else to a different culture. I have some different cultures and back grounds , as students, so they need more clarification than some other students. Some want more than what your book teaches. It all depends upon what you teach and who is learning.
Lauren,
I started teaching online in 1999. It varies greatly from school to school and as things change over time. Start with the acquirements of the institution and organize your materials and time schedule based on the parameters they provide. Then stick your time schedule. Just as it is with students, procrastination can make online class unbearable.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
