VIRTUAL TEACHER PREPARATION: TRANSITIONING FROM ON-GROUND CLASSES TO ONLINE COURSES

The purpose of this presentation will be to address the growing concerns of traditional teachers and university administration as they approach the decision to transition over to online learning and how to obtain proper online instruction. Also, this presentation will overview how one online university has approached virtual (online) teacher training for both experienced instructors, as well as new teaching recruits as they prepare to transition from traditional classrooms over to virtual classes. While there is still a large population of graduates who have learned in the traditional learning environment (on-ground classes), there is a growing number of adult learners obtaining their degrees from online universities (with the same type of accreditation as their on-ground counterparts). As a result, both online and on-ground graduates are now seeking additional education in order to compete for online (adjunct) teaching opportunities.

This presentation will focus on an overview of current online teacher training trends in the e-learning environment, in terms of what is required of new online instructors. It will also focus on the use of the online learning environment as a vehicle of helping current and potential online instructors to prepare for online teaching in terms of current teaching strategies used – both from the live (on-ground) environment, as well as those strategies used in the online learning environment. Also, this presentation will help participants understand how several U.S. universities recruit, hire, and train potential online instructors. This presentation will consist of four major elements. First, it will provide an overview of the recruiting, hiring, and training aspects of the online teaching environment. Second, it will provide an overview, as well as lead into an open discussion session among the participants to see what other educational institutions are doing in their recruitment and training of online instructors. Third, it will provide a brief discussion of technological and skill requirements of online instructors. Finally, this presentation will provide a good networking effort for current and potential online instructors to meet others interested in online teaching.