Competencies for Teaching in a Videoconferencing Classroom (also known as teleteaching and telecourses)

I.                   Course Planning and Organization

·        Understand how teleteaching differs from traditional teaching

·        Advantages and disadvantages of the delivery system and how it affects the course plan

·        Logistical knowledge – copyright issues, use of site coordinators or facilitators (or lack of), technical details such as getting instructional materials (handouts, homework, exams) between sites

·        Basic course design strategies – how to build interactive teaching/learning strategies into course, how to use technology effectively

·        General knowledge of instructional development and system theory, learning theories

II.                 Verbal and Nonverbal Presentation Skills

·        It is important for all teachers to be able to construct organized presentations, to project enthusiasm for the topic, and be able to pace lecture appropriately

·        Coordinate presentation with a study guide or handout

·        Operating with a reduction in feedback cues from learners

·        Be aware of how, as an instructor, you look sound and move on TV monitor

·        How to manage discussion among sites as well as with originating site

III.              Questioning Strategies

·        Teleteachers need to know how to construct questions at a variety of intellectual levels for a variety of instructional purposes and to move among these levels and purposes during a question period

·        Establish ground rules for asking and answering questions and how to signal individual and sites to respond

·        Encourage students to ask questions, eliciting positive feedback

IV.             Involving Students and Coordinating Their Activities

·        This is one of the key differences between teleteaching and classroom instruction

·        Managing student involvement could take up to 30-50% of class time

·        Need to understand how to select, design, or adapt exercises to match the domain, intellectual skill level, and cognitive level of course objectives while still engaging remote students

V.               Design of Study Guides

·        Use of PowerPoints – coordinated with subject, limits the amount of note taking

·        Uses key words and phrases as fill ins to cue students, focuses attention and keeps students together

·        May need to redesign visuals and graphics for viewing on TV monitors

 

Source:  Cyrs, Thomas E. (1997). “Competence in Teaching at a Distance.”  In Teaching and Learning at a Distance: What it Takes to Effectively Design, Deliver and Evaluate Programs. Crys, T. E. Editor. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. Number 71, Fall 1997. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

 

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Empowering Educators – Standards-based Preparation

Created by Deb Gearhart        Last Updated 11/26/2002         Hit Counter