Online Teaching Jobs

Online teaching jobs are not limited to college and university. There is a growing market for online teachers with elementary and middle school experience. For example, Pinellas County (Florida) School Board opens a K-8 online program in Fall 09 (http://virtualschool.pcsb.org). This is modeled after the highly successful Florida Virtual School (high school) which is considered among the finest in secondary online programs.

At this writing, 16 state public schools have online K-8 programs. State and county virtual schools typically hire only state certified teachers. Teachers coming from public school classrooms have a slight advantage in the hiring process.

Check with your state or county school board for online teaching jobs in programs that may still be on the drawing board. Make it known that you are interested. While waiting, get experience as an online tutor. Scroll down further for an article about online tutoring.

Online teaching jobs for grades K-8 are increasing. Along with the freedom to set your hours, work in jammies or travel, online K-8 teachers never have lunch duty or playground monitoring. How great is that?

At the end of each term, you receive an evaluation based on student surveys and your faculty supervisor's assessment. You definitely want to pay attention to these since you career may depend on it. Of course, there is often that one student who Socrates could not please and that student spews verbal "hemlock" on you.
Don't get frantic over it. I have read evaluations in which twenty students think I'm the best online teacher in the universe and two think my class was awful (or too hard, or too insistent on deadlines). Take what is useful and leave the rest.

Even if a student rallies a few friends to trash you in the end-of-course evaluation, you can proactively neutralize this. At the first sign of a problem student, send the student's email and your response to your faculty supervisor. Let your supervisor know early on that this student is challenging your authority, complaining about grades and wants special treatment (usually for a trivial excuse). Here's also where you find out how much your faculty supervisor and your university backs up your authority in the class. Granted if you are wrong (i.e., miscalculated a grade), admit it to the student, make the correction and move on. But if you are correct, you want to work with a supervisor and university who supports you. Watch out for schools that lean over backwards to keep student fees over academic integrity.

The good news about teaching online is that you miss the weekly eye rolling, text messaging and under-breath joke telling that our on-campus colleagues experience. Classroom teaching is not any easier; try it and you will see. Plus you had to drive in traffic, find a parking spot in crowded lot and get tapped for a dull committee. Meanwhile, the online faculty did the 30 step commute still in warm jammies and sipping coffee.

Adjuncts are contract workers who are basically only as good as their last class. This may be more scrutiny than tenured professors receive, but so what, if you are there to do an excellent job then it's no big deal. Frankly, students deserve online faculty who are constantly making the effort to improve the distance learning experience.

So never fear those evaluations - - look on it as your time to shine. And here's a bonus you can count on - adjuncts with consistently good evaluations are the go-to people who will have as many classes as they want.

Aside from the right credentials, the #1 skill needed for online teaching jobs is good time management. Whether you teach one online class or four (at four different schools like I do), you absolutely must mange time effectively.
Showing up twice weekly for a live class is a forced deadline. The online week can easily pass without the instructor keeping up. That lack on interaction frustrates students and give them ample reasons to dislike online learning.
Here are my top time management tips for online teaching:
1. Set up a Favorites folder with log ins to active classes for fast access
2. If possible, use the same password.
3. Schedule time daily in your calendar to monitor and interact with online classes.
On average days, I can manage all four classes in 60 to 90 minutes.
4. Schedule longer time blocks for grading major assignments. Split the time over several days and never wait until the last week of the semester.
5. Let students know when you typically check in to class; morning, evening or both, that way students know when to expect a response from you. Some schools require 24-48 hour email response and set the number of days fo your to be present online.
6. Keep gradebook current. When students can check their grade progress online, you get fewer phone calls or frantic emails.
7. If you are traveling during a class, check on internet connection locations before you leave. Don't get stuck without connection. There are lists of free wifi locations for most major cities.
8. Note all major assignment dates and grading due dates in your personal calendar starting 4 days before the absolute due date.
9. Expect to spend 4-5 hours fully preparing, uploading and arranging any new subject in an online class. The next term, you can "course copy" most of this work and spend 1-2 hours setting up for the new class.
10. Set up detailed "to do" lists for your classes either in an electronic note system or paper/pencil. Last year I discovered Planner Pads (www.plannerpads.com) which have room to coordinate all my classes, plus my freelance writing and Health Coaching. Whatever "to do" system you prefer, use it consistently.

In the world of online teaching, OEDB's top ranking list is as hot as the Emmy nominations. OEDB or Online Education DataBase for 2009 shows some upsets and some new superstars in educational opportunities for online teaching.
The new top 10 online colleges/universities are:
1. Nova Southeastern University
2. Regent University
3. Champlain College
4. Upper Iowa University
5. LeTourneau University
6. Liberty University
7. Grand Canyone University
8. Dickinson State University
9. Salem International University
10. Keiser University

You can bet that these top 10 schools also have expanding programs which means more online teaching jobs to fill.
P.S. I currently teach at one top ranked university and hold a master's degree from another.

Last year I saw a news story featuring "1 Bag at a Time" (www.onebagatatime.com). Since ordering these bags, I use them for everything; groceries, clothing, laundry, home repair supplies, library books and extra travel tote. These bags are larger than what many retailers offer, sturdy and washable.

Don't tell anyone on my list, but I'm ordering more "1 Bag at a Time" totes as "wrapping" for Christmas gifts. These are also great gifts for colleagues that you want to remember but have no idea what to get. It's truly a gift that will be used over and over for years.

If you have a business, club or special interest group, you can have your 1 Bags printed with your logo. I don't make any money from recommending these bags. My reward is the same as yours: a healthier environment. Here's what "1 Bag at a Time" has already achieved:

So far, 1 Bag at a Time has sold over
3,838,438 reusable bags

Over the next 2 years, these bags together will save:
624 million plastic bags.

Enough petroleum to drive a car 115,153,140 miles.

Up to $652,535 in disposal costs.

Stop by the site: www.onebagatatime.com

Blackboard system kicks it up a notch with WIMBA. Technically speaking, WIMBA's user guide refers to the "building blocks" in this expanded system which includes podcasting, voice email and narrated presentation option. Engage the full WIMBA Classroom and you have the closest thing to actually being present with your online class. WIMBA takes Blackboard to new levels for online communication. It also gives the potential to allow students to feel less isolated and more like part of a class.
Like all technical upgrades, WIMBA takes some practice. It's certainly better to have the features under one system. Now we all just have to get up to speed and get our students excited about it.

Welcome FACCS educators! Presenting at the FACCS Conference is always a highlight of the conference season.

My presentations are: Put the Insperience Factor in Your Teaching (Inspiration + Experience = Insperience); Burnout Prevention - 8 Practical Ways to Thrive v. Survive and the sure to pack the session; High Tech Cheating - How to Find It and Prevent It

Do online students have more opportunities to cheat than face-to-face students? Frankly, no. Both groups find ways to cheat. The best way to control cheating is so simple it's almost laughable but here it is. . . you control cheating in an online class by giving unique, targeted assignments. If you assign the same research paper over and over or choose broad topics, you make cheating easy.

Control cheating while enhancing the learning experience by giving students more involvement in developing the topic. Set parameters, then let them propose a thesis and research for your approval. When students can research an aspect of the subject that they find interesting, they tend to produce a better product and actually enjoy the assignment.

Most colleges and universities use Turnitin to check for plagiarism. Use it and don't be wimpy about turning in suspected cheaters. Or be subtle as I am with a large print statement in every syllabus: Dr Erwin has ZERO TOLERANCE for Plagiarism so expect an automatic ZERO. But grading is like parenting, don't say it unless you mean it. Ignore cheating and word gets around that you are easy. Confront cheating and the word gets around that you are serious about academic integrity. That's your best defense against online cheating.

You know that feeling when you order a crisp salad only to be served limp lettuce and dull vegetables that look nothing like the photo on the menu. That's the way students feel when they enter your online class and get stale leftovers from prior semesters. Online teaching is an opportunity to be current, active and relevant with learning.

Granted, the basic course material and text can remain the same, yet you can enliven the learning environment by adding new content each term. Change the discussion questions. Encourage use of Powerpoint or video for student assignments. Add your own podcast or video explaining a project.
Post a link to a news story that illustrates a point or becomes a springboard for discussion.

It's easy to copy the last course into the next term and let it run. Don't do that! When you keep your courses fresh and unpredictable, you'll attract more students, make it more enjoyable for you and improve your ratings that secure your online teaching jobs.

If you missed getting an online teaching assignment, there's another way in. Many students register for classes at the last minute, so enrollments change radically. I just received an email from one school with a higher than expected enrollment in a core class. So the dean is scrambling to find more instructors.
Whether you are an adjunct or waiting for your first adjunct online assignment, check in with your dean now and again the week after class starts. Large classes are divided as late as the first week. Popular classes with enough waiting list become a second section (that happened with my Family Violence undergrad class this term).
How do you benefit? Let the dean know that you are willing to step in at the last minute and take a class. Not everyone is, so this could literally send you "to the head of the class". Be available. By helping the dean out of this crisis now, you build huge personal capital that translates into a regular online class assignment.

What you see is my favorite part of online teaching - working in my fuzzy leopard slippers. The "dress code" is whatever you want it to be. I get home from the gym and go right to work online in my yoga pants and tee shirt. In the summer, I work in shorts or by the pool. In the winter, I change to sweat suits. My "all weather" leopard slippers go with everything.
Teaching online is a money saving job:
No dry cleaning suits. No worries about gas prices. No time stuck in traffic during the morning commute. No wasting money and calories hitting the snack machine.
You might say online teaching jobs are healthy, safe and efficient. It's a work style as comfortable as my leopard slippers.

Every accredited college or university demands that you prove your credentials for teaching in their program. The diploma on your wall looks great but don't bother to make a copy of it. That's not acceptable. Only an OFFICIAL transcript will do.
UGH, it can take weeks to get a transcript sent from some institutions. Meanwhile the online job is filled and you are waiting another semester to get hired.
Here's how to avoid that problem: Order 3 Official sealed transcripts from every college or university you attended. These will be in envelopes with a signature written or stamped across the seal area. When you use the last set, order 3 more of each.
Once again, I saw the value of this approach in applying for an adjunct online teaching position. Because I had Official Transcripts to send with the application papers, I moved to quickly thru the process. If you want to teach online, be ready to prove that you can do the job.

Students have a right to complain when online class is just matter of dropping random comments into a forum a few times a week. Would you call that participation in a live class? I don't think so. If you want to get students personally invested in the class, then why not add some life to your online teaching.

Introducing my online students to the difficult subject of Family Violence, I post a short, compelling video in which a domestic violence survivor tells her story. She's an attractive, intelligent women who is the opposite of stereotypes on family violence victims. The way she tells her story makes students think seriously about the subject we are about to study. Its extremely effective in launching meaningful discussion in the forums.
Any useful video is fair game for my classe. On YouTube I found some good and bad video resumes that were shown to a Vocational Psychology class for evaluation.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth ten thousand words of lecture, notes and other static items. You have so many options to enhance learning online... use them!

The Net Gen are young adult college students who find more joy in learning when "wired" than in the pages of textbooks. I don't just mean filled with Starbucks double shots, I'm talking about their affinity for MP3 players and Ipods. Why let your generation gap show? Use those preferred communication tools to help your online students be more successful on major assignments.
Get with Podcasting! Whether your college or university has a separate ITunes site or you post it to your own site, podcasting is simple and highly effective. The key is keep it short and focused. The best podcasts are 5 - 10 minutes on a single subject. This is NOT for lectures. Frankly with so many fantastic teaching options for online classes, why would you lecture? UGH
Here's a podcast I use to explain a major Ethics project for online undergraduates. The details are in the online syllabus. This helps get them in the mindset to get started on the paper. So far it gets great reviews from students. See what you think.
Paste this link in your browser to activate podcast

http://www.writedoc.biz/user/Ethics%20-%20Ace%20the%20Case%20Podcast.mp3

Of all the books about online teaching jobs, Dr. Dani Babb and Dr. Jim Mirabella cram the most useful information into one book. Worthwhile reading and a major bargain if you land even one online teaching job.
Make Money Teaching Online: How to Land Your First Academic Job, Build Credibility, and Earn a Six-Figure Salary

Online education is no longer limited to a few pioneers. From the newbies to traditional universities, online learning is growing and so is the need for faculty. So how do you get a job teaching online? You have to:
1. Meet same standards as classroom faculty which is at least an earned Masters (with 18 hours in your field) or earned Doctorate if you want to teach graduate classes
2. Have prior teaching experience in a classroom. Learning how to teach while also learning online systems is too steep of a curve at once. That's why many colleges and universities only give online teaching jobs to instructors known to be effective teachers in classroom first.
3. If you have no prior classroom teaching experience, get it before you apply online. Start at the community college, just be able to show teaching experience.
4. Prepare a resume that can be posted inside an online application box. That means takes out the fancy lettering and formatting. Keep it simple.
5. Talk with instructors who teach online and in classroom. They can tell you about the differences, the adaptations needed and the mindset change for online teaching jobs.
You have to be ready when the opportunity presents. Start by reading Dr. Babb's excellent book, see Fantastic Resource for Newcomers to Online Teaching in this blog.

Along with online teaching jobs comes a demand for E-tutors. If you have teaching experience in K-12 grades or college/university, you can find good part time tutoring work online. This is really great for teachers with young children, allowing you to make money working from home as an E-tutor.
Here are places to apply that need E-tutors:
Smartthinking.com Looking for part-time E-structors in math, reading, social sciences, accounting, economics, writing, and more. Check the web site for current jobs.
Tutor.com K-12 subjects and homework help
eSylvan.com This division of Sylvan Learning is fully online help for grades 3-9.
These are just a few of an expanding market for online tutors. If you are uncertain about teaching in a virtual environment, this is a great way to start.

Find online teaching jobs by making these connections:
1. Local colleges and universities that have courses in your field. Many have online classes both for distant students and campus students.
2. Here's a fast look at variety of online teaching options. Go to the site
www.worldwidelearning.com On the left side, click "View All Universities". That becomes your search list for online teaching jobs including Argosy University, Everglades University, Tulane University, University of Florida, University of Phoenix and Vanderbilt University. And this list is only a handful of schools with online teaching jobs.
3. Growing in popularity is online tutoring for high school and college-university level. Check out www.teacher.net Go to Distance Teaching.
4. Make note of advertisements for online programs that you find in print media. Find the school online and contact by email.
5. College Fairs - Attend a college fair for high school students. Ask the representative at each booth about the online programs and request a contact name.

To say I teach online is to hear the expected comments, "how can you develop rapport with students" and "doesn't the lack of face to face make online teaching jobs much harder."
The answers are "yes" and "no", respectively.
YES - An online instructor can develop rapport with a class by making the virtual environment intellectually stimulating. Students recognize your energy, preparation and love of learning whether face to face or online. Blackboard and other online systems have so many options for adding data, video, narrated power points, surveys and most every tool you want to enrich the class can be used online. Students appreciate the "extras". Just as in face to face, students know if you are engaged in their learning experience or if you are a merely phoning it in.
NO - Lack of face to face contact does not make online teaching jobs harder. Good teaching is good teaching, in class, online or standing on a hillside like Plato and Aristotle. The hardest part of online teaching is conquering the technology. You have the command module and your actions control the class access. Expect to make a few errors in the learning curve. Even after completing the practice "Sandbox Course", it takes most of us a few classes to become fully comfortable with the system. If you make an error, call technical support and find out how to fix it. Students struggle with learning the system as well and are generally understanding when you explain that you made a technical error and it's fixed now.
Here's another way to stand-out as an online instructor: contribute meaningfully to the discussion boards as you would in a classroom discussion. Students really like to see you participate with them. Online teaching jobs are for TEACHERS, not for attendance recorders and paper graders. Yes, you have to do those tasks but active teaching is job #1. Turnover in some disciplines for online teaching jobs is high because not every classroom teacher adapts well to the virtual environment. If you do, college and university job opportunities may open to you faster than waiting for a traditional classroom position.

An absolute "must have skill" for succes with online teaching jobs is speed reading. Without speed reading, you will spend hours longer than necessary and begin to hate turning on the computer everyday.
Thanks to my undergraduate training at Eckerd College, I was required to pass a minimum level of reading. I passed then became intrigued with the reading lab programs and participated voluntarily. That was one of my better 18 year old decisions!
Reading at over a thousand words per minute was a blessing for graduate school, business and teaching both online and in class.
Don't wait, start now. Poor readers and distracted readers often read too slow! Increasing reading speed to the level that your brain processes is more efficient, improves retention and saves times.
As you apply for online teaching jobs, get ready by taking a speed reading class. An instructor recently told me that he found a class for $800 which was out of his price range. We searched more and found a bargain price with all the basics to improve reading for less than a nice dinner out (or my weekly tab at Starbucks). The program also gives a FREE SPEED READING TEST, so check it out.
Click Here!

Online teaching jobs require hours sitting at the computer. That means you must have certain basics to survive.
1. Desktop computer with minimum 17" flat screen monitor - Invest in a good quality monitor, you'll save money in eye care.
2. Laptop computer - your choice. I am wild about my Averatec laptop with titanium case; weighs less than my purse and easy to carry. Larger laptops have higher resolution monitors but you pay for it in weight.
OR get a docking station for your laptop to plug into a larger flat screen monitor.
3. Ergonomic chair - Don't get a cheap chair, your back will suffer and your patience wear thin. My Relax the Back store chair that cost over a thousand dollars is worth every penny. Whatever your budget, test the chair in a store rather than order online.
4. Task lighting - Nothing better than my full spectrum light bulb, purchased 8 years ago at a local health food store. New low wattage, low heat bulbs are good choices. Both are better than the high price of halogyn bulbs.
5. Music - load your favorite background music onto your computer or buy a cheap CD player.
6. 1 Gig flash drive for each college or university - Separating files by school helps organize and makes finding materials easier.
7. Bluetooth device for your cell phone to talk hands free while at your computer.
8. Headset with microphone to plug into a USB port. Again, the headset gives you hands free talk time, works great with Skype and allows you to record voice overs for powerpoint or other lessons for your online students.
9. Old faithful work outfit - Everyday in online teaching is casual day: shorts with tees for the spring, sweats for winter.
10. And then you need good associates. Online teaching jobs don't provide the luxury of graduate students to order around. My associates are more faithful and work for peanuts, literally. Par, a cockatiel, and Star, a Sun Conure, are my working buddies. You won't find better help anywhere.

I was not able to place 2 photos in the same entry about my favorite tools for online teaching jobs. The orange and yellow bird in earlier entry is Star.
Here is Par, who believes that she is queen of her known universe. Dispute at your own risk!

Emphatically "no", online teaching jobs are not just for techies or I would not be teaching online. Each online teaching job functions in a particular environment such as Blackboard (a popular user-friendly choice). Part of the introductory process is a series of tutorials and a practice class with a mentor.

You begin with a "sandbox course" where you learn to manipulate the tabs, add content, create a quiz, set up grade book, post to discussion boards and prepare content. These are tasks you do for face-to-face classes, only this time with your mouse instead of papers.

When I say you do not have to be an IT major to teach online, you do need basic computer skills. If "cut and paste" eludes you, at least get up to speed on word processing, email and spreadsheets. Practice posting a blog here at Squidoo to get over any internet fears.

The college or university gives specific requirements for your computer hardware. Here's something equally important:you will be online for long periods, so buy the best large flat screen monitor that you can afford. Laptops are for travel and mobility. Your desktop computer with a high resolution monitor is the best choice when working long periods.

And please, treat yourself to a comfortable chair and desk at appropriate height for keyboarding! Getting back aches and carpal tunnel syndrome from poorly arranged office is bad news for online teaching jobs.

My Daddy said, "getting a foot in the door puts you closer to the job you want rather than waiting outside for the ideal opportunity."
That advice secured my first job. I confidently marched into the most prestigious radio/tv station in Memphis and said I would fill in for any job over the summer, no promises, no benefits expected. Once I had a "foot in the door" and showed my skills, I worked most of that summer and the next. That experience led to a full time job in Florida and the beginning of a wonderful ten year career in radio/television news.
So what does this have to do with online teaching? Everything, if you apply the concept. What I am suggesting is that full time or tenure academic positions are becoming harder to obtain. Colleges and Universities learned the business value of hiring more adjuncts than full timers.
Here's how you turn this into a win-win situation for you and the college/university. Apply to teach online as your "electronic foot in the door". Why online? Because not every classroom teacher can transition effectively to the online classroom. PLUS - - the Net Generation of younger college students LOVE ONLINE CLASSES. That demand means more online teaching jobs every year.
Once you are teaching online, you build credibility, show your dependability and get the inside track to hear about full time positions.
Realize that you might be surprised at the flexibility and freedom enjoyed by those of us who value our online teaching jobs.
If you are currently in a full time job with the desire to transition to teaching, then online teaching jobs are perfect for you. Without giving up your day job and benefits, you gain teaching experience.
And one more secret you need to know: colleges and universities want instructors to have skills to teach online and in the classroom.