Provided by guest blogger, Stefanie Gardner, graduate student University of St. Francis, MS Training and Development program

A strategic approach to online teaching should be considered essential for a successful e-learning experience for both the instructor and learners.  Understanding different strategic approaches will allow the instructor to effectively create a learning environment for the participants in e-learning.  A course cannot be simply transitioned from a face-to-face course to an e-learning course without consideration for the change in which the information is being delivered. 

Scott Cooper (2016) states that there are 5 strategies that should be considered in the article, “5 Strategies To Improve Your Online Teaching.”  The strategies are engagement, a supportive environment, the use of a mix of tools, feedback and the content made to be mobile.  He states that students need to feel engaged and supported by the instructors from the beginning of the e-learning experience.  Support and engagement will take the e-learning experience to a successful level.  Using a mix of available tools during the e-learning process can also lead to the course information to be “more interesting and exciting.”  Mr. Cooper states that this will also lend to a further engagement for all participants.  The feedback component should consistently happen as the e-learning process progresses through the entirety of the course.  Feedback allows for the student to adjust and grow.  The advantage for some that choose e-learning is that is can be done with the flexibility to meet the personal schedule for the e-learning.   Creation of e-learning content to be mobile lends to the flexibility of e-learning that is appealing to some learners.  Educational institutions will want to ensure that access for many types of devices is available when choosing the e-learning platform.  Mobility and flexibility are viewed as sizable advantages when a learner is choosing the course type.

I feel that Cooper (2016) has shown the 5 strategies that will hold true as e-learning advances.  An instructor will always want the learners to be engaged and supported through the e-learning process.  Creating the environment of support, engagement, consistent feedback and allowing for the mobility of the e-learning will always be standard considerations for e-learning.  Using a mix of tools is where e-learning has shown a larger amount of growth due to the tools becoming more advanced with a wider variety of tool options.  Tools as they have been used and continue to be used will further the engagement to the e-learning information being conveyed during the course.  The 5 strategies outlined in this article will holdup as e-learning advances with the growth of modern technology.

Reference:

Cooper, S. (2016, December 16). 5 strategies to improve your online teaching. Elearningindustry.com. Retrieved from: https://elearningindustry.com/5-strategies-improve-your-online-teaching