General questions about online teaching

I teach a class on how to use Blackboard for the @ONE project,  and recently a participant asked the following questions on the "Discussion Grading and Help" forum. I liked her question and decided to blog her questions and my answers:

In general, does teaching online pay the same as teaching face-to-face classes?

• In my district there is no pay differential for online teaching.

Where are good places to look for openings regarding online teaching positions?

• Almost all California community colleges offer online courses, and the best place I know to find jobs in this system is the CCC Job Registry.

Is it hard to find an online teaching position?

• The difficulty depends on the institution.

Does the @one certification cover all levels of online teaching or just college? Is there anyone out there teaching online classes other than college?

• The standards for the @ONE certification program are based on standards originally written by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning. More information is on the @ONE web site.

Do you find online teaching requires more work, less work or the same work as face-to-face classes? In what way?

• In my experience online teaching requires a lot more work initially, as there is a lot less room for error than in a face-to-face class. If I screw up in class, I can let my students know immediately (or the next time we meet) about my mistake. If I screw up online, I might alienate a student who might decide not to log in again. The efficiency gained from experience makes it less work eventually, and the freedom to schedule the time I work helps make up for the extra time required.

What are some of the things you would do differently, if you could teach your first online class again?

• I would spend more time teaching in a web enhanced or hybrid mode before teaching my first fully online class.

Do any of you do group work with your online classes?

• Yes, I teach a class on online student success and give students a group assignment to give them the experience of working on a team they do not get to see in person.

My answers are of course based on my experience, and I do not include hearsay from other colleges and districts. Many institutions make for many situations, and I expect the answers to differ in other places.