I signed up to the course, and headed to the forums. I read a few threads and could get a feel for the other members.
But what about the teacher? The author of the course? The blogger I idolised and was so excited to connect with? Where were they?
Oh. There they are. They started a thread. Then another. Oh nice, they do answer some direct questions and yep, they always deal with the technical problems.
Cool. So I started hanging out in the forums and participating. I saw the teacher every now and then.
But I wanted more. I wanted feedback, and extended discussion. I wanted to know when they agreed with me, and I wanted to know when I make a mistake. I wanted advice on where to look further. I wanted answers. And I wanted them not just on the first week but every week until the end of the course.
No scrap that. I needed all those things. As a student I needed my teacher present and available.
But it didn’t happen.
And course after course I saw the same thing happening. At first I thought it was because these heroes of mine where just chasing the easy dollar gained from creating an online course.
But that wasn’t the case (though I wasn’t to know that until later).
No one was taught how to be a teacher.
Google online courses and you will easily learn how to set up a membership site or online course. By poking around a little you could also find out how to write a course or a lesson. But what about teaching skills?
Do you know what to do once the course starts?
Well you do know a little. Just like the bloggers I described above you know that you need to fix problems as soon as possible. You also know to answer all direct questions.
Anything else?
Well think about why you would do those tasks. You are doing them because you want that student to get the information they need so they keep going on the course.
And that’s it. That is the holy grail to teaching online and working inside a forum.
When you read every comment ask yourself
“What does this student need to keep succeeding in this course?”
Now the answer will be different for every student. But here are some common examples:
They will need specific help and guidance.
They need to feel safe
They need to know that someone has heard them
They need you to enjoy their company.
They need you to keep quiet.
They need a cheerleader and teacher tough love (usually at the same time)
They need you to hold them accountable.
They need you to have fun
I’d love to tell you there is a one idea fits all solution for every student. But that’s not the case at all. Every student is different and each and every one of them will react differently to your course and content.
But that’s what makes teaching so much fun.
