Faculty Showcase
Creating Enthusiasm in
the Online Classroom
By Ritsa Mallous
Adjunct Instructor, Education Programs
I taught my first online course last
semester, and I was nervous. Being such
a ‘face-to-face’ instructor, I was skeptical
that I could succeed when it came to
teaching and student learning in an
online environment. How would I get to
know my students? How would I ignite
in my students a passion for teaching
without seeing them? I truly felt online
teaching and learning to be impersonal
and not for me.
Reflecting on my attitude about
online teaching and learning, I knew I
had a lot more exploring to do, and
thankfully I had the opportunity to do
this by participating in the COTL
training. I am a firm believer in lifelong
learning as part of professional
development as it helps me grow as an
educator.
A comfortable environment was
created at the information session that
was held at the beginning of the
training, where I was able to voice my
concerns about online teaching. One
area I was having difficulty with was
offering more choice and variety in my
online course. Throughout the training I
appreciated the multiple opportunities
to collaborate with others in a safe
community of online learners. The
resources given to us, such as the
textbook and video presentations, were
extremely useful as they provided
theoretical perspectives and research
concerning online teaching and
learning. I constantly reflected on my
online teaching practices and was given
support from my colleagues. This
instilled more confidence in my teaching
practices. Acting upon my newfound