Reviewed by Sandra Simpson, Gonzaga University School of Law
Article: Teaching Online Will Make You a Better Teacher in Any Setting [1]
Written by Kevin Gannon [2]
Published in The Chronicle of Higher Education
The article, “Teaching Online Will Make You a Better Teacher in Any Setting,” is a great article which highlights how pushing ourselves to teach in another setting will make us a better teacher. Here the other setting is a completely different setting. Professor Gannon makes it clear that online teaching is not where good teaching goes to die, but quite the opposite. He makes the point that “teaching in another setting forces you to “critique and modify, or affirm and expand, the way you operate in the physical classroom.” Specifically, online teaching, he says, helps you design and assess the course more effectively; helps you really think about why you spend time on what you do; and prompts you to explain/communicate more effectively in all your courses. This is a motivating piece which has moved to the forefront of importance due to the ever-expanding online offerings at all out schools.
[1] The article can be found here https://www.chronicle.com/article/Teaching-Online-Will-Make-You/247031?cid=wcontentgrid_hp_9
[2] Professor Gannon is a Professor of History, Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa.