Self-Analysis Inventories
As an online instructor, why is it important to complete a self-analysis inventory?
Not all traditional instructors will make effective online instructors. It takes more forethought and preparation to develop an online lesson than a typical classroom presentation. More time is generlly required to assist students and faciliatate in the online courseroom. Effective online instructors can maintain a student's interest and participation levels. This requires more skill, patience, and engagement with the material as well as the students. An effective self-analysis inventory will help identify potential online instructor's strengths and weaknesses. The instructors can use those results to improve or polish their personal skills, knowledge, and abilities.
David,
You are so right. Not everyone can teach effectively online and not every student can learn effectively online. However, the more we do it the better we get - hopefully. ;-) Keeping those students engaged in the online course can be a challenge, but we learn from others and develop our own best practices. Thanks for your input.
I agree that the more one practices the better one gets but it is important that we engage in informed practice. A self-analysis inventory would help an instructor to create a personalized professional development plan that will highlight their areas of skill and the areas of growth potential. This self-analysis will help them to communicate with their coaches and peers specific areas of need so that all aspects of their training are informed by the analysis.
Sharon,
Right on! The more we can help students understand in what areas they need help and we provide information to help them improve, the better Many times students have not completed a self-analysis and simply think they can't do certain things. However, they can do those things with the proper feedback and guidance. Thanks for your input.
I've always thought that every student is not cut out for online learning. In other words, some students are simply less likely to be successful learning in the online environment. I also believe that some educators are able to instruct and/or facilitate in the online environment where others are not. Many would think that if you are self-motivated and able to monitor your behavior and tasks appropriately, you would be able to instruct an online course, but it is much more than that. Online instructors have to balance so many components of a course, address challenges without the benefit of face to face meetings, communicate effectively in writing, and troubleshoot issues related to technology.
I know that my role as an online instructor would be far more difficult if I were not technology savvy and unable to provide that balance not only for myself, but for my students. A self-analysis helps in uncovering those strengths and identifying weaknesses related to this type of instruction that I may work on in preparation for future courses. I think that is critical for all online instructors to take such an assessment prior to taking on the role of an instructor.
Shannon,
Thanks for continuing the conversation. I agree that not all students learn well online and not all teachers teach well online as well. It's important for everyone to know their strengths and limitations and work toward the learning outcomes. Thanks for your input.
In the same way the we need to assess students' readiness; the same can be said for instructors. How comfortable are you with technology? How well do you manage your time? How well do you communicate with others? All are important factors to effective online education and if you are not comfortable with technology, or have poor time management or poor communication skills it will greatly affect the student's ability to learn and connect with you.
If you're just starting out as an online instructor, you need to know if you have the capacity to do so - your personality, time management skills, and grasp of the required technology, for instance.
But as my experience has shown me, self-analysis has a far more important role: the communication between an online instructor and an online student is paramount; if you speak different languages, you'll have a problem. So it's helpful in conjunction with the student self-assessment tests to complete the same analyses myself! I know that I have low auditory processing skills, for instance; so if someone prefers to learn by talking on the phone I will have to increase my concentration and preparedness. And I know I am a Global learner, so if someone is a Linear learner I will have to remember to place things in steps for that student.
It important to complete a self-analysis inventory as an online instructor primarily for the reason David Thompson identifies in his post: “Not all traditional instructors will make effective online instructorsâ€. Unfortunately, some of the same skills that make for a strong classroom teacher are not directly translatable to online classroom. As an Online Administrator I have seen highly successful “ground†instructors struggle in the Online environment as they acclimate to the new delivery mode. An effective self-analysis for instructors can serve as a valuable tool to identify an instructor’s strengths and development areas as prior to entering the online classroom. By identifying these strengths and development areas we wan properly prepare instructor for Online instruction, thus reducing frustration on the part of the instructor (and student!) and delivering better overall instruction.
Marilu,
You are so right. We all need to know our strengths and weaknesses and how to improve when need be. The instructor must keep up to help the students achieve the learning outcomes. Thanks for your input.
Gayle,
Right on! We talk so many times about knowing our audience, but we need to know ourselves as well. We have to recognize our weaknesses and know how to improve upon them. Our strengths helps us in many ways, but we also need to recognize our weaknesses. Knowing your learning style is important and also knowing that you can't just teaching to one learning style is also important. Thanks for your input.
David,
You and David T. are so right. Just as not all people will make good teachers, not all F2F teachers will make good online teachers. AND, not all students will be successful in the online environment. Helping everyone realize that or figure out what they need to do to be successful is esential. Knowing ourselves is the first step. Thanks for your remarks.
Students are encouraged by their instructors to complete an online self-analysis to determine how they will perform in an online learning environment. It is equally important that the instructors complete a self-analysis to determine their readiness to teach online since instructors also have strengths and weaknesses.
Not every instructor is capable of teaching online but with adequate training, they could do well. Although instructors may be knowledgeable of course content, they may not feel as comfortable with the technology required for online instructing. Getting use to an LMS and all the technology required could be challenging and takes time to learn. Instructors must assess themselves, allow themselves to be trained and then choose appropriate technologies that work best for them, their students and courses.
Edna,
Thank you for your input and continuing the conversation. You are right when you state that instructors and students alike need to conduct a self-assessment. We all need to know our strengths and weaknesses and how to improve upon them. Teaching online is challenging and we should challenge ourselves and our students. Nice job.
When beginning a new endeavor, one should take the time to consider if he or she is ready and able for such an undertaking. With online teaching, a variety of factors should be considered. The first factor, although not as important as some others is having the technology available to teach. The cost of electronics has dramatically decreased over the last decade that technology issues may be overcome quite easily. Additionally, smartphones are now providing a new medium from which online interaction may be conducted.
Beyond the technical aspects, the time commitment required to teach online is very imporant. One cannot take a minimalist approach to teaching. Just as the student is required to put in time - the teach must also devote a significant amount of time to an online course.
In my view, among the more important aspects of online teaching is effective communication. One must constantly reevaluate his or her communication style to ensure that he or she is meeting the needs of the student. Developing effective communication strategies should not result in lowering academic standards and rigor.
Paul,
Excellent input. You are so right - when we think of time, money and technology, everything seems to change. We can do so much more now with what seems to be so little. Communication through various technologies is imporant and we all need to know our strengths and weaknesses to improve upon them. Thanks for your input.
It is important to ensure that I am teaching what the students need to know. Completing a self-analysis shows me what areas I need improve upon and what areas are strong. I am a firm believer that if I want to grow as an instructor I need to self-analysis myself.
Joan,
Yes, I agree. Students and the instructor alike must complete a self-analysis to ensure the understand "where they are" and "where they need to be.". Thanks.
Many of us do not realize how different online teaching is till we start doing it, and we often wonder why we don't have the same results we do with in-seat students who usually seem to be more consistent with performance and submissions. If we don't understand our teaching style, motivation, or goals, we cannot help students to understand their learning styles, motivation, or goals. If we examine ourselves, we may realize that what passed for good teaching in traditional classes is not sufficient for online environmets. Most of the schools for which I teach online have had retention issues until they had teachers become more actively involved in the students' learning. Giving online chats is harder for many as well since some prefer the Q & A method of teaching, but not all online classes have large or active audiences. There are many adjustments that one must make, and he/she cannot do this without an awareness of who he is as a teacher.
