To be able to tell you how online teaching works, I do not need to give you an elaborate description of the ins and outs of online education. It would be much easier to just tell you what I do on a daily basis. Hopefully, you are thinking, “Finally, someone who is going to give it to me straight and tell me what I need know!” Well, that is my goal. This is what I get paid to do and a ballpark percentage of how much of my time is spent on each task. While this is not an inclusive list, it will help you understand what an online teacher does on a daily basis.
35% Grading – Grading consists of grading papers, discussions and other assignments.
30% Discussions – Participating in discussion boards, depending on the schools requirements.
15% Answering emails and questions in classroom - I have included emails that I respond to schools here as well.
5% Class set up and other- Preparing a class for the term. This can include the syllabus, announcements and lectures. Your responsibilities will vary from school to school. Other includes anything that I forgot or that requires a very small amount of my time.
5% Research – This could be research for lectures or discussion questions.
3% Conference calls and meetings - Most every school requires that you have at least one conference call a term. Some require more, some require less. Others require live participation, while some allow you to listen to a recording.
3% Professional development - This could be attending professional conferences in your field to ensure that you are current on any new developments in your field. Most schools require that if you do not actively work in your field, that you attend a certain number of professional development hours each year.
2% Seminars – The only schools that require me to hold a live seminar on a weekly basis. These are live lectures that allow teachers to interact with students. These are normally one hour a week.
2% Training - This could be any type of training that the school requires to ensure that they meet their own accreditation. An example of this would be training on a new system or program.
I hope that this gives you a better understanding how you will spend your time. Of course, you may need to devote more time to other areas based on your learning curve and your work habits.
