Online Teaching Bootcamp for Grade 6-12 Teachers

Foundational Tips and Tricks for Optimizing Your Online Teaching

In the spring of 2020, teachers were plunged into online teaching almost overnight, with little time to prepare or get comfortable with online teaching. This fall, most schools will be operating with at least some element of online instruction.

If you’re one of the many teachers feeling apprehensive (or totally overwhelmed) by the task ahead, UVM is pleased to offer targeted support to help educators hone and refine their skills so that they can enter the fall semester feeling more confident in their abilities to deliver engaging, high-quality online education.

The bootcamp will be offered during the week of August 31st, and will be instructor-led, but asynchronous. It will cover foundational concepts related to engagement, communication, assessment, and presentation, along with tips, tricks, and opportunities to practice your skills in a supportive environment as you make plans to connect and engage virtually with your students this fall. A suggested schedule will be provided for moving through the materials, and you will be supported throughout the week, at whatever pace you choose to engage. The course will remain open throughout the fall semester so that you can access and review materials as needed.

Curriculum

This course will cover the following foundational concepts, in addition to touchpoints in other areas:

  • Building an engaging online experience for your students
  • Creating a strong sense of instructor presence in your online classroom
  • Utilizing effective communication models with students and families
  • Developing clarity and consistency in your online classroom and across teams
  • Focusing on pacing, rhythm, and flow
  • Examining best-practice assessment strategies and priorities
  • Balancing tools, methodologies, and ancillary resources

Instructors

Laurel Warren

Laurel Warren has been an instructional designer for over twenty years after starting her education career as a Language Arts teacher in middle school and high school classrooms. As an instructional designer, she has worked in corporate and higher education, building noncredit, undergraduate, and graduate programming in a wide variety of fields. She’s committed to building strong design and development partnerships, and supporting new-to-online instructors with help, humor, and foundational skills that help them embrace the best of what online teaching offers.