FROM FACE-TO-FACE TO ONLINE LECTURER: FOUR BASIC KEYS FOR ADAPTATION
Lucas A. Pérez Martín
University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Online teaching enhances the democratization of education and grants access to higher education for students who might otherwise be unable to achieve it for a variety of reasons. As lecturers, we engage with a modern, dynamic form of teaching and expand our influence on the student body. However, it is also true that to effectively approach this different type of teaching, lecturers must substantially change their method of engaging with their activities. We present four key considerations.
First Key: The Attitude of the Lecturer
We are not the same professors we were in face-to-face teaching. We must abandon our previous visions of traditional teaching and approach online teaching differently. We cannot expect direct and visual interaction with all students, even during synchronous sessions. We should not become frustrated if students do not have their cameras on or if they occasionally multitask. Instead, we must focus on the advantages and potentialities of online teaching. It doesn’t matter if a student has their camera off; we must concentrate on those who are actively participating in the course.
Second Key: Course Preparation and Vision
The lecturer’s role is fundamental, especially in planning and motivating students. Thus, our first task is to adequately prepare teaching materials for online delivery. This includes clear written content and concise visual-verbal elements that resonate with the student’s environment. Synchronous interaction may lose some value online, so a well-designed calendar and program are essential. We must clearly outline when and what activities will occur and how they will be conducted. Encouraging participation is crucial, even if it is initially low, and avoiding criticism of the student body for low participation is important. Meaningful collective work with individualized results should be promoted. In synchronous or asynchronous visual sessions, we should highlight only the essential content, addressing doubts and concerns during synchronous sessions. Correcting errors and explaining successes are vital, and this should be done collectively initially and then individually as much as possible. Student feedback on their work is essential, even if it is collective feedback (Dias-Trindade, S., Moreira, J.A., & Gomes Ferreira, A., 2020).
Third Key: The Teaching Method
To overcome these challenges, planning, classroom attitude, informed control of class participation, and feedback are necessary. Students must clearly understand the periods for explanation, consultation, and evaluation. We must adhere to the calendar and clearly communicate any schedule modifications, their reasons, and effects. Collective and individual correction dates can optimize time with students. It is essential to differentiate between general explanation periods and those for debates where doubts, concerns, and difficulties are expressed. In virtual sessions, we should not aim to cover all subject content. This is neither feasible nor necessary when students have well-explained materials available on the teaching platform. We must provide informed control of class participation, even if it is for handling uncertain situations, recording class interventions to promote participation (Hidalgo, B., & Gisbert, M., 2021).
Fourth Key: Our Relationship with Students
All comments made by lecturers during sessions must be positive and assertive, recognizing the context and the student’s abilities, and acknowledging that their lack of knowledge might be shared by others. Comments must be clear, honest, comprehensive, coherent, and transparent, especially when addressing doubts. Evaluation criteria should have the same characteristics, as online students need to know how they will be assessed. The evaluation must be motivating and empowering, focusing on meaningful learning rather than numerical scores. While academic assessments must be fair, they should be a tool to overcome online teaching challenges, not a hindrance. Clear assessment dates should be provided. An experienced lecturer, knowledgeable about the subject and common student errors, can manage time effectively to provide individualized corrections (Buenaño-Barreno, P., González-Villavicencio, J.L., Mayorga-Orozco, E., & Espinoza-Tinoco, L., 2021).
In Summary
To summarize, the four keys for lecturers in online teaching are: 1. Shift our mentality regarding student expectations, less synchronous activity and more progressive learning; 2. Organize content clearly and effectively; 3. Encourage debate and reflection on errors to facilitate learning; 4. Provide academic and emotional support throughout the process and evaluation.
