From Insight to Impact: My Journey as an Online Educator

by Dr. Abimola Farinde

Professor, College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Columbia Southern University

Introduction

Before I entered my career as an instructor, it was my firm belief that I possessed a complete understanding of the adult learner and what was required to motivate and engage this population to achieve academic success. Prior to entering my career in academia, my goals consisted of enhancing my professional skill sets focused on teaching style, student engagement, and taking advantage of professional development opportunities.

As a result of my time as an instructor, I strongly believe that I was able to achieve this outcome and much more as an instructor. I have gained the ability to incorporate what I have learned about adult learning styles, resources that are available to students for support, and ways to assist students with understanding difficult concepts or topics.

Goals for Teaching

First and foremost, out of all of the goals that I had in mind for myself as an educator, the primary goal was to become more knowledgeable about how to integrate different methods for teaching students regarding concepts that are likely to be misunderstood. Given that not all students can learn in the same way, it is important for an instructor to know what the most common approaches are and how to incorporate this into the classroom.

For example, as an instructor, I am more accustomed to the use of peer-reviewed journal articles to enhance the learning process, but as a result of engaging in professional development opportunities, I have come to realize that there are also other creative and impactful methods that can be employed to enrich the educational experiences of students.

For instance, the use of video presentations, webinars, or case presentations that include real world scenarios can help to enhance the learning experience for students. I have learned that there are myriads of ways to present any given topic or concept to students, and Columbia Southern University offers a wide array of resources to help instructors facilitate growth and development in this important area.

As a result of my previous academic training experience, I believe that I am better suited to serve as an effective instructor that can serve as a catalyst for academic achievement. This training experience along with ongoing professional development opportunities has helped to foster the growth of my knowledge with time. Information in the area of adult online learning led to the understanding of the following adult learning theories:

• Knowles’ 5 Assumptions of Adults Learners

• Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory

• Trellis Theory of Adult Online Learning

I have gravitated toward Knowles’ 5 Assumptions because as we age, we gain experiences that can become a source for learning (Bannier, 2014; Imel, 1998; Pappas, 2013). For example, an adult learner who has worked in a particular industry such as healthcare has been able to gain a significant amount of knowledge from their experiences and can ultimately apply this knowledge to their online learning.

Perspective on Online Teaching

Since the beginning of my career in academia, my perspective of online teaching has significantly changed because I was of the mindset that the approach I repeatedly used was the most effective. However, professional development opportunities have served as an eye opener because I have come to realize that I can do so much more in the classroom. My understanding of adult learning theory is that adults apply what they have learned based on their experiences, and this can be involved in the decision-making process.

As it currently stands, the resources that can support my role as an instructor would include the use of instructional videos, case presentations, case vignettes, and ongoing presentations that are given to students. All of these resources can be shared with students to not only improve the quality of information that they receive in any course but also help to expand their understanding of subject concepts that they might struggle with.

The mission is to utilize any and all relevant resources to help students succeed with their academic journey. The practice I believe all instructors should adopt is to utilize these resources as effectively as possible during the duration of a course to improve upon each student’s learning experiences as this stays with them even after the end of the course. As an instructor, it is my practice to facilitate students through their academic journey and provide them with guidance and direction when they are confronted with challenges along the way.

Best Practices and Strategies

Lastly, continuing education and ongoing training have impacted my perspective of the best practices for diversity and inclusivity in online teaching. This has shifted my understanding of the dynamic nature of each student and has led me into making a conscious effort to tailor my teaching approach to the student’s style. The one-size-fits-all approach cannot be adopted when it comes to teaching given the diverse backgrounds of students, and this has to be applied each and every time I find myself taking on a new course.

An experience that stands out to me was learning about the different resources that students have access to in an academic institution which can include academic support, technical support, mental health resources, and library support to name a few.  The strategies that I plan to utilize will include continuously monitoring the progress of every student throughout any course that I teach and identifying the cues that would lead me to refer the individual to receive academic support.

It is important that there is an open line of communication between student and instructor because this will enable me to identify issues before they escalate. I can be the first line of support when it comes to addressing an issue that a student presents with that requires immediate attention. Doing this helps to create a safe and inclusive online classroom because it allows me to have an open mind when it comes to approaches that can be taken to address a number of issues that can arise with students as well as the methods that I can implement when it comes to teaching students.

For instance, I recognize the importance of being able to engage in effective communication with students and determine when a student is struggling. The ability to identify a student who presents with academic or other personal issues can stem from being able to communicate with that student to identify the reason for their current presentation. If I am able to be approachable based on how I speak and interact with a student, they are more likely to consider my recommendations for resources that are available to assist them along their academic journey.

Conclusion

As an instructor, it is always my desire to grow and become better. and with ongoing continuing education. I actively strive to meet this goal. I have learned the key steps for becoming a more effective and impactful instructor, and these are strategies that I plan to apply over the course of my career. In my opinion, the sky is the limit in terms of what I can learn as an instructor and what new strategies I can apply to promote student engagement, learning, and increased academic success.

References

Bannier, B.(2014). The Trellis theory of adult online learning. International Journal of

 Information and Education Technology. 4(1). http://ijiet.org/papers/360-L0004.pdf

Imel, S. (1998). Transformative learning in adulthood. Columbus, OH: ERIC

 Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education. [ED423426]

Pappas, C. (2013). The adult learning theory-andragogy of Malcolm Knowles. eLearning

 Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/the-adult-learning-theory-andragogy-of-

 malcolm-knowles