Professional development is an annual requirement for many online universities and when it is required is usually stated as a specific number of hours that must be completed. No matter whether or not you work for a university that states this as a requirement for your position, professional development needs to be an ongoing process rather than a one-time event. This provides an opportunity for you to develop and refine your instructional skills, acquire current and relevant knowledge, become an effective educator, and create a meaningful learning environment.
Teaching a class is not just about showing up and giving students course materials and making certain that your facilitation requirements are met. Instead, learning is an interactive process with many vital components that are enhanced through your own self-reflection, addressed through adult learning theories, and are made meaningful as you make the transformation from being an instructor to an educator. While instructors may view this obligation as being time-consuming, consider this to be an opportunity for growth and you will quickly reap the benefits for your work as an educator.
Identify Your Own Areas of Need
Before you begin taking courses or randomly selecting from a variety of choices as you are planning how you will meet this developmental requirement, take time for self-assessment. One of the most effective strategies you can use is that of self-reflection after a course has concluded. Use this time, even if it is a brief period before the next course begins, to consider what worked well in the prior course and what areas you would like to improve. Through self-assessment ask yourself about your strengths as an educator and challenges you experienced. You can also ask yourself the following questions: Do you find class discussions are enjoyable and students respond to you or is a challenging to get students involved? Is feedback meaningful or do you view it as a task to complete quickly, and how does that approach affect your students? Are students learning and how do you know if they have learned? The more questions you ask immediately following the conclusion of a class the more likely you’ll have accurate answers as relevant details can be forgotten over time.
Adult Learning Theories You Need
The process of self-improvement also provides you with an opportunity to reflect on your knowledge of adult learning and what areas of research you may still need. Some of the basic concepts that are helpful for your work as an educator include andragogy, self-directed learning, transformational learning, motivation, engagement, and cognition. Andragogy is a theory about teaching adults that is in contrast to pedagogy, which is a theory about teaching children. Adults want to be actively involved in the learning process and they have both existing knowledge and experience, rather than children who must be taught how to learn. Adults are also self-directed by nature and that means they want to be responsible for their involvement; however, that level of responsibility can vary from student to student.
Transformational learning refers to changes that are experienced by students as they participate in the class. Motivation refers to the amount of effort a student exerts and it can be influenced by internal and external factors. Engagement refers to the level of involvement students become in their class and it can be affected by such factors as emotions, feelings, and interactions with others. Cognitive processing refers to the levels of mental functioning that students are required to use in their class and higher cognition is when critical thinking comes into play. Other concepts that would be useful to learn more about for your class facilitation includes knowledge creation, diversity, learning styles, and learning disabilities.
Transforming from Instructor to Educator
Instructors are often hired because they are subject matter experts in their particular field and/or they have experience in a career field. However, possessing knowledge and experience is not always enough to be an effective instructor. As a faculty peer reviewer I have examined many classes where the instructor was very knowledgeable about the subject they were discussing but they didn’t fully understand the process of learning. Even though they were able to complete the minimal facilitation requirements their overall instructional approach was often ineffective. Becoming an educator means that you can facilitate engaging class discussions, provide feedback that contributes to the academic progress your students are making, and you are able to communicate and interact with students in a meaningful manner. Everything an educator does is done with a well-defined purpose.
Resources You Can Use
One of the first resources you can utilize are websites dedicated to adult learning and more specifically, online learning. One example is MERLOT, which stands for Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching. There is a page that offers links for faculty development you may find useful. Another organization is Sloan-C or the Sloan Consortium, which offers resources and the Journal of Asynchronous Learning (JALN). If your university has a Center for Teaching and Learning you may want to review what’s available, especially if there are online webinars you can attend. Another helpful publication to look for is the Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT). Finally, look for professional communities such as groups offered through LinkedIn that are specifically related to higher education and online teaching.
Ongoing Commitment to Learning
Finding and utilizing resources allows you to not only develop your instructional practice, you also become a lifelong learner just as you want your students to become. Through ongoing development you can become more than an instructor who manages the process of facilitation, you can transform to an educator who effectively promotes learning. As an online educator it is especially important to be familiar with changes in technology, which allows you to present information through new methods and with different tools. It is important that you stay up to date and be current not only with technological tools but current thinking and practices in the field of online learning that you will find published through scholarly articles.
Through the process of self-development you will provide yourself with an opportunity to experience professional growth in a manner that informs all aspects of your work and performance. Consider what your students need and view your instructional work as being adaptive and never reaching a finished or ending point. Just as the process of learning is ongoing so too should your professional development be, regardless of the length of time you have been an online educator. The more you learn the more effective you likely will become, allowing you to create a meaningful and purposeful learning experience for your students.