How to Teach Online

The COVID-19 pandemic may have thrust online education and distance learning into the spotlight in 2020, but it's not new. In fact, 1 in 5 public schools already offered courses entirely online during the 2017-18 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

The percentage quickly grew to 77% in 2020, NCES reported, when, across the country, schools shifted to remote learning. Some teachers managed to adapt, while others struggled to find resources that worked in an online setting.

Post-pandemic, online and hybrid options continue to grow, according to The School Superintendents Association. As a result, educational institutions have tried to provide more resources for teachers who need to build both the skills and the confidence to teach their students in the online environment.

Some of these resources come in the form of master's programs, like an online teaching degree, a concentration in Southern New Hampshire University's (SNHU) Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction that focuses on pre-K to 12th-grade online instruction.

"Teachers that have been required to quickly transition from face-to-face learning to online have shared that they needed training in several areas, but primarily needed guidance on how to transfer what they do in their face-to-face classroom to the online environment," said Dr. Brandon Simmons, an online statistics instructor at SNHU as well as the curriculum and data coordinator for the second-largest virtual public school in the country.

He said that he's heard from many teachers who have endless questions about how to teach online, such as:

• How do I create a visible online presence in my classroom?
• How do I ensure that all my children have adequate access to my instruction and assignments?
• What are the accessibility and copyright laws that apply to my classroom?
• How do I provide personalized instruction to my students in my online classroom?

And because the pandemic came on so quickly, getting those answers often didn't happen.

"Many educators were not given the appropriate guidance and support needed to properly develop and facilitate curriculum and instruction through the virtual learning environment," said Dr. Daniel Tanguay, an executive director of general education and first-year experience at SNHU. "As a result, many educators have had to learn these skills to meet the need but have not developed a fundamental understanding of how best to teach online."

Learning online went from an option to a necessity for many students and educators.

"Traditional brick-and-mortar educators were placed in a very challenging position and rose to the challenge, quickly pivoting to keep the learning going, but with varying levels of effectiveness," said Dr. Kelly Hoban, an adjunct instructor at SNHU with 15 years of experience as an online high school science teacher. "Any educator can benefit from best practices in integrating technology to improve learning outcomes."

Hoban, who teaches courses such as "Technology in Online Education" and "Strategies for Online Instruction," now focuses on professional learning and curriculum consulting for digital learning organizations.

What Can an Online Teaching Degree Teach Me?

To develop a degree program that addresses the needs of teachers today, a university's academics team would conduct research and bring in people who are considered at the top of their game in online education, often called subject-matter experts, or SMEs.

"As an SME, I work with the course design team and focus on what we put into the course and why that content belongs there," Hoban said. "What does the scholarly research say? What have we learned from experts in the field? What are proven best practices? What are the challenges, and how can we overcome them?"

Those challenges may include developing skills that help teachers:

• Adapt curriculum
• Engage students, especially those who are considered at risk
• Create more individualized feedback for students
• Maximize available resources
• Understand virtual learning technologies

It's also important to add elements of hands-on learning, so that students can better understand course content — and even implement it in their own classrooms right away.

"My biggest contribution was in connecting theory to practice and providing insight into what processes and practices are taking place in our schools," said Vickie McCullough, an adjunct instructor at SNHU who teaches "Technology in Online Education." She also oversees an online school district that includes a "Fresh Start Initiative" geared toward students who have struggled in other academic formats and/or need an online option.

"(MEd students) can be involved in real classroom simulations through the projects in their courses that can transfer to what they do ... in their everyday world," she said. By working through simulations with classmates and an instructor, you can even make sure the strategies you're creating will work.

"Our learners can try out ideas and approaches in the safety of our classroom environment while getting input and feedback from classmates via thoughtful discussions or faculty who work in the field," Hoban said.

The goal isn't only to build transferable skills and knowledge, but McCullough encourages students to pass what they know along to others. "Throughout our discussions, we emphasize the importance of teacher leadership and how the knowledge and skills acquired in these courses empower educators to share and teach within their communities," she said.

How Do I Become an Online Teacher With No Experience?

If you're wondering how to become a teacher — online or not — there are some important steps you'll need to take. These steps usually involve a combination of:

• Education
• Student teaching
• Licensure

You may want to know: Can I teach online with a bachelor's degree? The answer is probably. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employers typically require a bachelor's degree to teach in a public elementary school, middle school and high school.

And according to Indeed, a bachelor's degree is usually the minimum requirement.

Depending on the state you want to teach in, you may be expected to complete a master's degree after you start working, BLS said.

If you want to learn the ins and outs of leading an online classroom, you may search for a Master of Education (MEd) with an online teaching concentration. This specialized degree can help you build knowledge and experience you can point to on your resume and in job interviews.

Ideally, what you should come away from an online teaching program with is "the practical application of knowledge," McCullough said. "Not just a theory, but a theory connected with a practice."

In a curriculum and online teaching program, you should gain skills for both remote and in-person classes, making you even more marketable to employers.

Where Can Online Teaching Positions Be Found?

There are many different types of schools and organizations that employ teachers who deliver online instruction as either part of their job or their whole job. These settings, according to The School Superintendents Association, include:

• Charter schools
• Educational service agencies
• Hybrid schools combining in-person and online instruction
• Private schools and micro-schools
• Regional centers

But the ability to teach online is valued in traditional settings as well, and a specialized online teaching degree can help you prepare for the future of education, according to Simmons.

"I believe that future traditional learning environments (face-to-face) will have online aspects that will allow teachers to build learning environments that are ubiquitous learning environments," he said.

Laura Denithorne, an adjunct instructor of "Data-driven Teaching Practices" and "Strategies for Online Instruction" at SNHU, said the skills you can learn within SNHU's online teaching concentration are critical to the 21st-century classroom.

"Whether you teach in a virtual, hybrid or traditional classroom, the strategies, methods and abilities you develop are invaluable and practical," said Denithorne, who has experience teaching in both virtual and traditional settings. "To put it simply, to make a significant impact in today’s classrooms, you need the proficiencies and competencies you will gain in this program."

Is Prior Teaching Experience Necessary for Online Positions?

It depends. Indeed cites experience, whether it's gained during your degree program or after graduation, as a step to becoming an online teacher. 

Student teaching may be a requirement if you're earning an education degree, and it allows you to put your knowledge to practice in a classroom. You can also gain relevant experience as a tutor, where you work one-on-one with students, or in small groups, to support what they're learning in class, according to BLS.

If you can get experience creating digital lesson plans, you can become an even more competitive candidate, according to Indeed. You can learn to do this in an online teaching degree program.

Tanguay said the degree program can also help you:

• Transfer existing teaching knowledge into the virtual learning environment
• Build on that knowledge by learning online teaching best practices, technology analysis and implementation within lessons, and the actual development of online courses
• Develop synchronous (real-time learning with an educator) and asynchronous (students learning on their own) lessons with the technology resources available to you
• Take the artifacts created in your program, use them in your current teaching practice and provide evidence of online experience in your professional portfolio

"The most prominent advantages in online instruction classes are the practicality, relevance and overall essential need of the coursework in today’s classroom," Denithorne said.

For example, the SMEs at SNHU came away with 3 main topics that can help you develop skills for success in the online classroom:

• Methods: A class about methods would teach you how to build lessons within a learning management system (LMS). You would also learn how to support and engage with your students so you can keep their attention just as you would in person.
• Strategies: Since you'd already have some of your own teaching strategies under your belt, a course about strategies and theories would help you learn to apply them to your online classroom. This would address the learning needs of the diverse students you teach.
• Technology: A class about technology would give you insight into the technological resources available, their benefits, and how to use them in both synchronous and asynchronous approaches.

"This focus on online teaching within the MEd program will provide educators a learning opportunity to help them gain the fundamental online teaching knowledge and skills needed to develop and effectively implement the curriculum," Tanguay said. "In short, the program's importance is to support our educators by increasing their efficiency, so they are then able to support our children better."

And when you're able to become more productive in the virtual classroom, you break through the walls that can turn you into a leader in the education space.

"The barriers are the lack of know-how in utilizing best practices and instructional strategies in the online environment, along with the lack of knowledge in online-specific approaches, web tools, and obstacles to avoid and overcome," Denithorne said. "All these understandings are vital in the 21st-century classroom ... Moreover, traditional, brick-and-mortar classrooms thrive when virtual components are intertwined into the daily agenda."

Is Learning How to Teach Online Worth It?

Given that online education has existed at the K-12 level since the 1990s, and it's only increasing in demand, according to The School Superintendents Association, learning how to teach online could be a worthwhile endeavor.

"Though the pandemic has only increased this need, based on where online teaching was progressing beforehand, I do not see the need for online educator development ending," Tanguay said.

McCullough agreed.

The speed in which teachers needed to pivot to online learning during the pandemic justified the need to "be informed and prepared with best practices and research to be ready when needed to meet the needs of online learners," she said.

Besides, once educators have learned new platforms and techniques, they'll have a toolbox full of ideas to incorporate into their teachings.

Deidre Ashe was 9 years old when she launched her professional writing career. While spending a day at work with her dad, she penned her first book, illustrated it and sent it off to a publishing company — after finding the address on the copyright page of one of her paperbacks. While the story never made it to the shelves of libraries, the editors wrote back, encouraging her to continue pursuing her writing passion. (Yes, she still has that letter.)

After earning a bachelor’s in journalism, Ashe spent a decade working in the media industry. She then transitioned into marketing, later getting her MA in Communication from Southern New Hampshire University in 2018. Connect with her on LinkedIn.