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It can be challenging to keep online courses engaging and interesting. In this episode, Dr. Bethanie Hansen shares five methods and strategies to help online educators enhance their classroom. Learn how to increase student engagement through asynchronous discussions, online group work, gamification, guided exploration, and leveraging the full power of your school’s learning management system. 

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What motivates you to keep teaching? In this episode, APU’s Dr. Bethanie Hansen discusses tools to assess your true drive and how to track the impact you’re having as an educator.

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The post #25: Using Your Influence to Build Community in Online Courses appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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In today’s podcast, I’ll discuss online discussion forums. What is their role? How can we use them? What considerations will help you best engage with your students? And, how do you write discussion forum prompts that work?

The post #23: Online Discussion Forums appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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Starting the new school year, there are two online teaching best practices that matter most. Putting these two practices front and center will help you get your class off to a great start and ensure that it keeps running smoothly.

1. Be present.
2. Communicate your norms or expectations clearly, and effectively.

In today's podcast, I'll share some strategies to help you develop presence in y our online class. Then, we'll take a deep dive into communicating with your students.

The post #22: Two Online Teaching Best Practices That Matter appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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Students come into our online classes with varying backgrounds. Yet one group needs extra structure. And they are inexperienced students, who are new to online learning.

There are many ways to meet the needs of students who are new to online learning.

Some need additional structure, tools, and help.

Others just need a guide to learn how to navigate the online classroom.

Regardless of the tools that will work best for your own students, this podcast brings many ideas to help you prepare.

The post #20: Helping Inexperienced Students Who are New to Online appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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Is it possible to balance eating healthy and working online? In today’s podcast, I’ll share ideas about this challenge.

In my own online work, living with healthy habits was difficult. I struggled for years without effective strategies.

Eventually, I adopted new habits. Then, I lost 95 pounds while still working online.

Yes, it’s possible to develop healthy eating habits as an online teacher. Strategy, planning, and timing can help!

The post #19: Eating Healthy and Working Online appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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Have you wondered why anyone would be concerned about getting healthy sleep while teaching online?

The main idea behind online education is that it can be done anytime, anywhere. With no boundaries, this type of work can easily take additional time and energy.

For example, instead of working with a group of students all at once, teachers often write comments and feedback each individual student. This might happen more than one way, every week. 

At first, this work might be surprising to anyone new to online teaching.

After getting used to the idea of regularly reaching each student, balancing one’s time and energy becomes important in order to continue teaching well and to maintain work-life balance.

And, healthy sleep while teaching online is a critical part of the balance.

Here are some great resources you might want to explore:

• Sleep is Your Superpower, by Matt Walker.
• Three Brains-Thinking to Doing to Being by Joe Dispenza

Resources listed here were consulted to prepare today’s podcast:

https://www.sleepadvisor.org/remote-work-sleep/

https://www.online.umich.edu/courses/sleep-deprivation-habits-solutions-and-strategies-teach-out/all-reviews/

https://www.sleepdr.com/the-sleep-blog/the-effects-of-sleep-deprivation-on-work-performance/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4610176/

https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/tired-at-work

The post #18: Healthy Sleep when Teaching Online appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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Because online teaching is known for its isolation, how can we be authentic while teaching online?

The answer to this question is to see the humanity in our students. And, to get to know them as people. Of course, this can be challenging with a large class, grading demands, and other competing demands.

In today’s podcast, I’ll share strategies to help you be authentic while teaching online.

The post #16: Be Authentic while Teaching Online appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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After quickly moving face to face classes online earlier this year, it may be a learning curve, adjusting to online best practices.

Just as there are many teaching standards and models well-known in face to face teaching, online education has a standard of excellence.

In a crunch, a face to face class might have moved online with just a few tools. For example, professors might have communicated through e-mail. Lecture courses might have continued with live sessions, hosted through video tools like Zoom.

But, now that educators look toward the fall’s online classes, there is time to learn online teaching approaches and practices that ensure a more complete online learning experience.

What are Online Best Practices?

Best practices are a set of guidelines, approaches, and standards known to work well. Just like live teaching has traditions and strategies that are effective, online teaching has its own set.

Some of these practices include presence, responsiveness, clarity, communication, norms, and feedback. When you take the time to communicate well with your students, they will grow to trust you. In this way, you will build relationships and establish a sense of community. Your presence and communication are two of many important practices online. Additionally, grading students’ assignments and providing specific feedback will help them continue to learn and make progress in the class.

You’ll learn about these tips and more, while we discuss some of the best practices in online education through today’s podcast.

For additional study and resources, visit these sources, which served as references in the podcast:

• Best Practices for Teaching Online
• The Online Learning Consortium’s Quality Framework
• Quality Matters (QM)
• Teaching Music Appreciation Online

The post #11: Adjusting to Online Best Practices appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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Have you ever wondered what your personality means for your online teaching? We all have unique personalities, and yours may influence how you approach online work, grading, and engagement.

In this episode, you will learn about how your personality influences your online teaching satisfaction. You'll also learn about areas to consider to increase your satisfaction while teaching online, and skills to develop a well-rounded approach.

The post #10: What Your Personality Means for Your Online Teaching appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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Where can I find a strategy for grading essays in Microsoft Word efficiently?

If this is your question, you've come to the right place! Using Microsoft Word for grading is easy with several specific tools, all built into the software. Enjoy the latest podcast for suggestions, tips, and strategies for using Microsoft Word to grade essays.

Autotext is an excellent tool for inserting chunks of feedback you might regularly use. Furthermore, in the Autotext feature, you can add entire rubrics and insert them on the document you're grading with only one click.

Two images are included here. These images illustrate the process for using Autotext as a grading tool. And for more details, visit Teaching Music Appreciation Online, chapter 12.

Autocorrect is another great tool for inserting paragraphs of frequently used commentary by typing a few letters.

For more tips, listen to the podcast.

The post #9: A Strategy for Grading Essays in Microsoft Word Efficiently appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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How do I manage my energy and stress while teaching online? I've heard this question from many people. And, it's normal for online teaching to become demanding on one's time and energy. Stress increases unless we find balance and set limits.

In today's podcast, you'll learn about managing your energy, not your time. And when you're experiencing high stress levels, you'll love these tips to manage your stress!

For additional learning about The Science of Stress, in a special Time edition, please click on the link provided here: Special TIME Edition, The Science of Stress: Manage It. Avoid It. Put It to Use. 

The post #8: Manage Energy and Stress while Teaching Online appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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Near the end of a session, you might need to consider accepting a course extension request in your online class. A course extension is also known as an “incomplete.”

Students request extensions because they cannot finish the class within its allotted time. They might be delayed by illness, an emergency, or a military deployment.

During difficult times, a flexible approach can help the struggling student finish well.

When students request course extensions, consider these points:

1. Have they completed any work?
2. Do they have a plan for completing the course?
3. How will you communicate during the extension?
4. When will you finalize the grade?

Given the many disruptions COVID-19 is causing, extension requests may become more common.

If you plan for this kind of arrangement, you can guide students in advance. And, a plan can help you manage your own time better. A plan will also give you reduced stress and confidence partnering with students who need your help.

Planning might include early outreach efforts with students who are not logging in regularly during the class, or who fail to submit assignments on time.

And guiding students means that you communicate the school's extension policies before the last day of class, then work with anyone who needs help requesting the extension.

Another way to partner with students is to guide them to create a schedule to complete the remaining classwork by the end of the extension date. This might mean sending out reminders, messages, and e-mails to keep up the relationship.

While many colleges and universities offer their own arrangements for accepting a course extension, in today's podcast I'll share strategies I have used in my own online teaching that can be adapted for your situation.

The post #7: Accepting A Course Extension in Your Online Class appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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As the school year ends in a new way and without face to face classes, it's time to plan online celebrations, reflections, and memorials.

Online reflections are opportunities to set aside time to look back over the past academic year and reflect on our experiences. We might come to new understandings about what was learned, where growth occurred, and what was lost. This year, more than any other, there is much to reflect on.

Reflections might take place privately, in one's own thoughts. Or, reflections might be shared in writing, by virtual means, or in a live conference call. Regardless of how the reflection occurs, it's essential to think about the past few months and how individuals moved through one of the strangest educational times in recent history.

Memorials are more formal opportunities to ceremoniously end the school year. These might include both happy and sad celebrations.

On the one hand, many people will celebrate significant achievements. Retiring from a successful education career. Graduation after attending school for many years. Finishing a set of tough classes. Overcoming significant challenges.

On the other hand, some of us will grieve for what was lost. High school seniors without formal graduation ceremonies. College graduates without live commencements. Virtual ceremonies instead of live events. Retirement without saying goodbye.

As the academic year concludes, now is the time to decide how to memorialize the year. Celebrations can help us make sense of unclear situations. A ceremony is meaningful because it signifies completion. They connect us to each other. And, celebrations bring meaning to life. Even when they happen virtually.

Some schools are hosting virtual commencements. 

So, will you create a digital slideshow and share it with friends?

Or, will you have a small celebration at home to feel the significance of the moment?

Whatever you decide, remember that a virtual celebration can still be meaningful, enjoyable, and fun. Bringing people together to commemorate achievement or milestones brings meaning to life. And online celebrations, reflections, and memorials are meaningful, even on the Internet.

The post #6: Online Celebrations, Reflections, and Memorials appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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Knowing how to host virtual office hours is important when teaching online. Office hours are the open space where your students can visit and ask questions. This concept comes from the tradition of visiting one's professors while attending a traditional university. The more classes have moved online over time, the less students attend live office hours face to face.

Some preparation for office hours will make them more successful. First, advertise your availability. Then, tell students how to access the platform. Next, explain what students can anticipate, such as the waiting room and using their video during the call. Lastly, dress professionally and ensure that you can be on camera a few minutes before the call.

Virtual office hours are more useful when they are scheduled at a time when students are more likely to attend. You might be most successful by choosing the same day/time each week. Or, you can schedule the hours on-demand, using a scheduling app like Setmore or Doodle.

Most learning management systems (LMS) like Canva, Blackboard, and D2L have an integrated conferencing platform. If one is provided by your institution, this could be your best option. If not, consider Zoom, Google Hangouts, or Go to Meeting. Some desirable features include waiting rooms, whiteboards, screen sharing, password protection, and recording.

For more tips about hosting virtual office hours when teaching online, listen to today's podcast.

The post #5: How To Host Virtual Office Hours When Teaching Online appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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In today’s podcast, we’ll look at the two most important priorities of working from home. Seeing others’ needs and objective, and achieving our own objectives. There are many competing priorities, but isolating the most important objectives can help us succeed.

The post #4: Working From Home (WFH) Tips – Priorities appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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The challenge of online teaching comes when workload demands your best efficiency strategies, but your students need authenticity and connection. You can have both when you use specific strategies to help learners in a variety of situations.

In today’s podcast, I’l share eight specific ideas about helping unique online students. Materials consulted for this episode come from Teaching Music Appreciation Online, my book published by Oxford University Press. This book is available free to help online educators during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The post #2: The Online Education Dilemma: Efficiency vs. Connection appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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The post #1: Time Management for Online Teaching appeared first on Bethanie Hansen.

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Teaching online can be time consuming and seep into instructors’ personal time. In this episode, APU’s Dr. Bethanie Hansen provides insight into how to plan a strong work routine. Learn about the importance of surveying your workload ahead of time, writing it down and tracking it, and reflecting and adapting to improve your time management.

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Listening is both a simple and complex skill. In this episode, APU’s Dr. Bethanie Hansen discusses the importance of “listening” in the online classroom, even when classes are delivered asynchronously. Learn about four types of listening as well as three tools to help online educators effectively respond to students.

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