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Keep it Simple – Teaching Online

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Our fields all contain an abundance of information, and I get that its tempting to want to “cover all the content”. But you don’t need to. Seriously. It’s your course. You can teach fewer concepts, but work to make those concepts stick at a deeper level. It’s all too easy to fall into the traditional way of thinking: must. cover. content. Resist. Keep it simple.

This is a chance to rethink the structure of the concepts in your course. How many major concepts are necessary? What’s most important? Do away with the rest. Better yet, make them optional for students who want more (there are always a few).

Same goes for the tools you use. No need to get all fancy and have 5 applications going to run a 1-hour session, or record a 5-minute video. Keep it simple. Your students, and your future self will thank you.

Action:

Take a look at your goals/objectives and ask yourself if you really need that many of them. Review the different technologies/platforms you are going to use – will they cause confusion? Simple is usually better.

Optional Resources:

• What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)? – Amanda Morin
• The Edtech Imaginary – Audrey Watters
• Digital Redlining Access and Privacy – Chris Gilliard