Study

In a traditional classroom, students and teachers take time to discuss important and relevant topics to enhance learning. There is usually a system for inputting grades and communicating with students' parents. Teachers will often update students on their class progress and encourage them to continue with course work. To enhance discussion, students and teachers will ask questions. Teachers create lesson plans, assign readings, and create teaching aids such as PowerPoint presentations.

Most of the tasks you see in the traditional classroom setting also happen in the online learning setting. Class discussions happen in the online classroom in two ways: through the discussion board tool and by remote gathering delivered via Zoom or other videoconferencing software. In the Canvas and Worldwide Institute and Seminary Enrollment (WISE) systems, online seminary and institute teachers input grades and keep track of student reading and attendance. When sending messages, teachers can use the Canvas Inbox tool or the WISE system. You might not yet know what these tools are, but we hope you can see that the kinds of tasks performed in online learning classroom are the same as those performed in a traditional classroom. How they are carried out is different.

What Is the Online Course Experience like for a Teacher?

In online learning, the online course does not "teach itself." It is not an independent study course, either. While it is true that course materials are provided for you, you still need to teach or facilitate the online course. The week of an online teacher looks a little different from that of a traditional classroom teacher. An online teacher:

Checks in often, if not daily, to their online course in Canvas to
- grade assignments and write assignment feedback,
- participate in class discussion boards,
- create class-wide announcements, and
- message individual students who might need ministering or assistance.
Conducts a remote gathering (a live class meeting) at least weekly, either in person or using a videoconferencing tool, such as Zoom, Google Meet, BigBlueButton, etc., and
- creates a discussion outline for the weekly gathering.

Go and Do Activity

Take some time to go through the practice activities listed below.

Record — Before your teaching experience, you will meet with a local seminary and institute representative who is assigned to help mentor and support you. Because you will be meeting with your mentor, take a moment to record questions you wish to ask them. Be sure to write down any questions regarding the format of online Seminaries and Institutes or what is expected of you in the course experience.
Exploring Challenge — Take some time to explore your own course. The best way to learn about the course experience is to look around your own course. Listed below are some suggested tools and pages for you to find within the course. If you aren't sure how to find them, that is normal. You will learn how to use them and where to find them later in this course. For now, just practice clicking around the course.
1. The course Home Page — This page includes the To-Do List, Calendar, and Course Summary.
2. The Grades tool — This is where you see the grades for student assignments.
3. The Canvas Inbox — This is how you can send messages to your students using the Canvas system.
4. The Announcements tool — This is where you will post your weekly announcement to your students.

**NOTE** For the Exploring Challenge, you will need to be enrolled in an online course. If you have not yet been enrolled in your course, work with your local seminary and institute representative to learn how and when you will be granted access. When you have been granted access, return to complete this "Go and Do Activity."

Click "Next" to continue to the next page of this course.