Introduction

Introduction and guidance

This course is an adaptation of the Open University course Take your teaching online and is aimed at teachers and educators in Myanmar, who are interested in creating course materials for the online learning environment.

This course lasts four weeks, with approximately five hours of study each week. You can work through the course at your own pace, so if you have more time one week there is no problem with pushing on to complete another week’s study.

Online learning has rapidly emerged and is now found in every area of education, from schools to skills training. More people than ever learn through online courses. Even where teaching is primarily ‘face-to-face’, online tools and interactions have become a key part of the learning experience.

But teaching online is different. If you work in education or training at any level, you need to develop new skills and understanding in order to make the right decisions, make the most of the opportunities, and overcome common challenges.

It is almost 20 years since The Open University trialled our first fully online course with our students. We are now world leaders in the research and delivery of online education. In this free course, we share the fundamental knowledge needed to deliver effective teaching online.

You will hear about the experiences of real educators, be introduced to cutting edge research, and understand the ideas and tools that shape how we teach and learn online. You will also learn useful methods that will guide you to test out these new ideas in your own practice.

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  • Identify the differences between teaching online and teaching in a face-to-face environment.
  • Make informed decisions when choosing new tools and pedagogies for online teaching.
  • Identify major benefits and challenges of teaching online.

Moving around the course