As we noted in our last posting, our “Being There for the Online Learner Model” and “Framework for Creating Presence” (Lehman & Conceição, 2010) were developed to help you understand that presence, which is “perceptual” in nature, is an important part of designing and delivering an online course. With this in mind, you are better able to bring the human aspect into your online course, make it a personal experience, and more effectively engage your students.
Using Our Template for Managing Tasks and Prioritizing Time
This week, we’re introducing our “Template for Managing Tasks and Prioritizing Time,” found in our book, Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success (Conceição & Lehman, 2011). This template helps you look at any type of course from a broad perspective and better manage your tasks and time.
- For new courses, the template can help you estimate the tasks you may do and the time you may spend during the design and delivery of the course.
- For converting courses, the template can assist you in rethinking how you can teach your course in the new environment.
- For existing online courses, the template can help you revisit your tasks and your time spent to become more efficient and effective when teaching the same course again.
Course Sequence Type of Task Week # Time Spent
Before the course Design
During and end of course Administrative
Facilitative
Evaluative
In addition to the template, our book provides examples of how this template can be used in each of the three instances. It also suggests strategies that instructors can use to maintain their quality of life. Teaching online can be overwhelming if you let it control you. Managing workload and prioritizing time help put you “in control.”
Instructor Strategies to Maintain Quality of Life
Being an online instructor gives you more flexibility in terms of where and when you can work, but it can also be a trap, unless you allocate your time strategically and balance your work and personal life. Organization, discipline, and flexibility are essential.
Organization - provides structure and helps with pre-planning and course delivery. Blocking out specific time for course design and delivery prior to the course can help you predict how many hours you would spend on your online course. This can also give you more time to concentrate on actual teaching during course delivery. For some instructors, this can mean being able to balance workload more efficiently between co-instructors and cohort groups. In addition, pre-course organization can help you allocate time for non-course administrative, research, and service responsibilities.
Discipline - can help you adhere to your schedule and maintain a set routine during the term of their course and can be a time-saver. Blocking out specific time during the day or weekend for learner responses and sticking to it can reduce workload. To avoid letting work take over your personal life, learn to set boundaries. Setting aside time for personal obligations is an important aspect of maintaining quality of life. Using the following strategies can help you maintain a work-life balance:
- Work from home, in a family environment, to gain freedom.
- Avoid working on the online course on weekends.
- Maintain a separate physical location for teaching online to allow for mental separation between work and personal life.
- Avoid responding to emails on weekends. If you have the need to write your response, do so, but wait to send it during regular work hours to prevent learner expectation that you are constantly available.
- Distinguish between work and personal life when teaching online exclusively from home.
- Manage learner expectations through explicit communication about email response and assignment feedback.
Table of Strategies for Balancing Workload
DESIGN SUPPORT TEACHING TIME ALLOCATION
Pre-planning One-on-one Administrative Being organized
Anticipating course Institutional Facilitative Being disciplined
responsibilities
Peer Evaluative Work/personal life
Prioritizing course
activities External Being Flexible
Anticipating learners'
needs
Reflecting on/revising
past courses
References
Lehman, R. M. & Conceição, S. C. O. (2010). Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching: How to “Be There” for Distance Learners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Conceição, S. C. O, Lehman, R. M. (2011). Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Next Week: Motivating and Retaining Online Students
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