The COVID-19 pandemic pushed learning online in a major way, serving to accelerate a trend that was already making waves in higher education and employee development. Instructors in Higher Ed, K12, Corporate, and Government organizations are expected to be able to teach just as effectively online as they could in a traditional classroom setting. If your organization needs tips for teaching online, one of the best is to choose a learning engagement platform built for everyone, everywhere. 

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The expanded suite of Echo360 and Echo360 products offer practical solutions for in-person, virtual, and hybrid learning that redefines learning engagement: EchoPoll, a feature-rich learning engagement platform; Echo360, a flagship video management system that enhances searchability and accessibility; Point Solutions, a flexible, interactive way to drive student engagement; and EchoExam, an exam generator that does more than just test. Each product works hand-in-hand with the next. 
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Our e3 philosophy of equity, evidence, and engagement allows us to share a variety of online teaching tips and tricks, and our platform is the perfect vehicle for implementing them. Without further ado, here are our four best online teaching tips:

  1. Make the Most of Asynchronous Learning

Many instructors assume that online synchronous learning is just as important as classroom instruction in a traditional environment, with asynchronous assignments reinforcing learning like old-school homework assignments. The opposite is actually the case. Assigning self-paced lectures and videos is a great way to encourage learners to study concepts on their own terms, promoting learner engagement. This allows live classes to spend time illustrating examples and completing group assignments rather than covering basic concepts.

EchoPoll offers a host of features to facilitate effective asynchronous learning. All content is mobile-enabled, allowing learners to access it wherever and whenever they like on their favorite devices. Adding video to a course can be done at the touch of a button using Echo360. Echo360 is the answer to all of your video management needs, and it starts with your personal library. Drag and drop content directly into your library, where you can tag it, edit it, and share it with individuals, a group, or an entire class. Echo360 also features an easy-to-use, browser-based video editor. 

In addition to making videos shareable and embeddable, Echo360 features Automatic Speech Recognition, making videos accessible too. ASR creates editable, searchable transcripts that can easily be turned into closed captions. The ability to search for relevant information within the full range of content, including discussions, presentations, notes, and video transcripts makes Echo360 stand head and shoulders above the rest.

  1. Encourage Communication

Remote learning can feel isolating, causing learners to mentally check out. You don’t want that, so it’s important to help learners feel like part of a broader community. Regular communication, peer-to-peer interactions, and active participation between instructors and learners is the best way to facilitate this. 

Point Solutions is a foolproof way to get your audience to participate, whether they’re joining you in-person or virtually. It’s packed with elements that give you everything you need to build presentations that your audience will engage with, including polls, images, quizzes, and more. These features transform lectures, presentations, and virtual meetings into interactive sessions that help you truly connect with your audience. 

Point Solutions also features Anywhere Polling, which allows you to insert questions over any media you choose and get immediate feedback to track knowledge, whether your students are connecting in-person or via web, desktop, or mobile app. Receiving real-time responses lets you evaluate your students’ knowledge as you go, allowing you to make immediate adjustments to your presentation.

EchoPoll also offers numerous collaboration tools to help learners forge connections with their instructors and each other. For example, live classes include live video, screen sharing, and the option to embed PowerPoint presentations to facilitate the same type of interaction that would happen in person. Instructors can even assign group projects using virtual breakout rooms, allowing learners to collaborate without interrupting other groups. Gamification elements also promote engagement through friendly competition for points or badges. Best of all, our platform makes it easy to give and receive feedback to help learners feel cared for while instructors hone their craft. 

  1. Testing Should Be Easy (For You)

One of the biggest drawbacks of traditional instruction is that instructors may not realize a student is falling behind until it is too late. Online and hybrid instruction allow teachers to assess each student’s skills at key points during the lesson. You can provide additional relevant coursework right away, helping them feel more prepared for upcoming assessments.

If writing tests is the bane of your existence, EchoExam is for you. This content-rich test generator can pull tens of thousands of general questions from the common core curriculum or over 65 leading textbook publishers. You’ve also got the option to create your own content, whether for study guides, assessments, or worksheets. EchoExam also gives you the metrics you need to track student performance so you know which concepts are solid along with those that could use a little reinforcement. 

EchoExam also gives teachers the utmost flexibility. In addition to generating up to 26 different versions of a test, EchoExam also gives you the option to create several questions that test the same concept. You can also use the bimodal function to toggle between multiple-choice and short answer questions, adjusting the difficulty level on the fly. 

  1. Project Self-Confidence

If your instructors don’t know what they are doing in an online classroom, their students will pick up on that and struggle to adapt. If instructors project an air of confidence, students will follow that model instead. As such, instructors must feel comfortable with their space in order to help their students feel the same way. 

EchoPoll is designed as a standalone education platform so you don’t have to juggle multiple tabs in the middle of lessons. It integrates with most popular LMS solutions so you don’t have to have them open simultaneously, and courses can be authored directly on the platform for maximal flexibility. We’ve also made the UI as simple as possible, giving both instructors and learners access to powerful features without bogging them down with the technical aspects of how it all works. The result is engaged learning made easy. 

Can You Share Any Other Tips for Teaching Online?

Research suggests that eLearning increases information retention rates by anywhere from 25-60%, and yet many students fell behind academically during the pandemic. One reason why is that online teaching demands a different approach than traditional instruction, and teachers weren’t given the tools or support they needed to get up to speed. 

Unfortunately, no amount of online teaching tips will turn instructors into expert online teachers before they have an opportunity to teach online. That said, you can book a demo and see EchoPoll, Echo360, Point Solutions, and EchoExam in action for yourself. Once you experience it, you’ll find yourself coming up with all sorts of creative ways to use it in your organization!

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