Teach Online

Last Blog Post

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 06:00:00 +0000

The Teach Online blog is closing down. When I started this blog 8 years ago, there wasn't much information and advice for online instructors. That's not the case now – if you want to know something about online teaching, go to twitter, FB, google, or just about anywhere and you can anything you want to know.

I am going to start a blog for online learners in the next month or so. There are so many online learners out there and so little real "how to" information about everything related to taking online classes.

I am also going to focus more of my writing time on ebooks and articles related to online teaching and learning, as well as course design and tech tips.

Watch my FB professor page for an announcement about new books and articles coming up in 2014 and for my new blog for online students.

I've had a great time with this blog and have met a lot of wonderful online friends. Hope you'll keep up with me on my FB page.

Visit our new blog 1VirtualProf: Teaching and Learning in a Wireless World

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 06:30:00 +0000

The end of this month, Teach Online is moving to 1VirtualProf: Teaching and Learning in a Wireless World. Please join us there.We'll be talking about teaching online and you can travel and work from anywhere in the world.

Late work: yes or no?

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 06:30:00 +0000

Grading late work out of sequence takes up an unbelievable amount of time. I found that students will take advantage of liberal late policies so over the past few semesters, my late policy has become more and more strict. I researched hundreds of late policies for online courses and found that 95% of instructors have strict late policies that provide very strong incentive to turn in work on time. So in my classes, unexcused late work more than 4 days out from a due date is not accepted. No late work at all is accepted at any time during the last two weeks of the course. Of course, none of this applies in the case of extenuating circumstances. Technology problems are not considered to be extenuating circumstances in my classes. What's your late policy?

Online Teaching for Adjunct Faculty: How to Manage Workload, Students, and Multiple Schools

Visit our new blog Teaching and Learning in a Wireless World

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 06:00:00 +0000

Please join us at our new blogspot: Teaching and Learning in a Wireless World

Canned Comments -- Lazy Or Effective

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 06:00:00 +0000

"Canned" comments give instructors more time to personally interact with each student every week. Using copy/pasted comments on papers and in discussions and answers to questions means that there is more free time to interact individually with every student every week.

Students, by and large, produce a certain "sameness" in their work class after class after class, from the outstanding work to the average work to the below passing work. After teaching a class for many semesters, instructors end up writing the same comments over and over again on all levels of work. So we keep those comments and use them over and over again and then we have that much more time to engage in real and meaningful interaction with students who are at all levels of accomplishment.

Outstanding students need affirmation; failing students need encouragement and assistance; and average students need a little bit of both. And when our time is freed up from same-old, same-old marking, then we can provide what these students need.

Some schools prohibit instructors from using copy/pasted comments (good job, keep up the good work, etc.) and they are right to do so. However, there are other canned comments that are quite valuable and beneficial to both the students and the instructors. Yet it takes so long to write these on each paper, that many instructors don't even bother. I would rather provide students with "canned" and meaningful feedback than not provide any comments at all.

Of course, these are not the only comments students receive. But using these canned comments gives me more time to also include personalized comments that affirm, encourage, assist, etc., comments that are composed according to what each student needs.

Schools that prohibit "copy/pasted comments" on students' work simply do not understand the process of evaluation, marking, and grading because the admin types usually don't, or have not, taught online (at all or not recently). So these admins who make up the rules simply do not realize the benefits of so-called "canned" comments.

If I were writing original comments on everything in every class, I would never have time for the personalized and "real" communication that I like to provide individual students in my classes.

Online Teaching for Adjunct Faculty: How to Manage Workload, Students, and Multiple Schools

Teach Online is Moving

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 22:49:00 +0000

The end of this month, Teach Online is moving to 1VirtualProf: Living the Laptop Lifestyle. Please join us there.

Grading Jail

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 06:00:00 +0000

“Grading Jail” refers to the long and frustrating hours spent grading papers. Grading takes more time than any other part of teaching. Teaching is the easy, fun, and rewarding element of education. Administrative chores are distasteful but usually not too time-consuming. Grading, however, is not only time-consuming, but also frustrating and stressful.

Grading discussions, essays, and other written work takes a lot of time without an effective system. Using the tools and strategies outlined in this short ebook, I’ve worked out a system that allows me to grade approximately fifty essays in about 5-6 hours and the same number of research papers in about 10-12 hours. This includes comprehensive feedback and personalized comments on every paper. Students always mention on course evaluations how much they appreciate my thorough suggestions, corrections, and comments on all their work. They like getting their assignments back so fast so they can use that feedback to better prepare for the next assignments.

Students want substantive feedback on their work and they want it fast. My usual practice is to return work within 24 hours of due dates. If I happen to have more than two classes with the same research paper due dates, then it might take me 48 hours. I like getting all the grading finished by the end of the first and second day of the week because that leaves me more time to interact with students in the discussions and individually via email or online text chat.

Writing comments on students' work takes time and reflection. It is so much easier to use the "bouta" method (bouta A, bouta B, and so forth). More faculty than you might imagine use this method of grading and do not bother to include comments on students’ work to explain grades. In one graduate course, the professor put a B on a twenty page case study with the following comment: “The content is good but you need to learn to use APA correctly.” That was it – nothing more.

Giving meaningful feedback to students about their work is a huge part of teaching and learning. I am very nitpicky about writing and APA so I write a lot of comments throughout the paper about writing or using and citing sources properly. I also write questions here and there about content because students need to think more creatively and critically. They can figure out what works best without being told what to do. I always write a paragraph summarizing my reflections about the work.

Check out Grading Made Fast and Easy for tips on how to get out of grading jail fast.

TeachOnline Blog is closing the end of this month

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 12:20:00 +0000

It's been a great 8-year run. At the end of Jan, TeachOnline will close down. Please visit my new blog 1VirtualProf: Living the Laptop Lifetyle!! I hope to see all my old friends there and meet new friends too.

Kindle Ebook Manuscript Editing Limited Time Offer

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 15:10:00 +0000

Kindle Ebook Manuscript Editing
Limited Time Offer: $3-5/250 words; first 500 words free; turnaround 3 days for free editing and price quote; 5-10 day turnaround for full manuscript. Fee based on light or heavy editing; turnaround based on type of editing and where you are in the queue. Send an email to prof.bowman@gmail.comand include the following: Kindle Editing in the subject line; full manuscript attached DOC or RTF file (I need this to do a word count for the paypal quote/invoice); your name, name of the ebook, and where you heard about my editing service in the body of the email. Please note: Free 500-word editing is not available without the full manuscript file.

Communities of Practice: Formative Assessment

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 06:00:00 +0000

Regardless of the type of assessment used, some common criteria need to be included in all. These assessments should all be research-driven; students may use the learning resources and textbook in the course, and/or they may locate outside relevant sources to use as evidence in demonstrating their mastery of the concepts. Other common criteria are academic/professional writing and correct citing of sources within their assessment projects. In all subject matter courses, students need to be held to high academic writing and documentation standards.

Students are all different in the way they learn and the way in which they explain concepts to others. When students produce an assignment for assessment, they are, in effect, explaining concepts to their faculty, who, will grade their attempt at demonstrating mastery of the content. It stands to reason, that assessment projects should be different throughout the course. Taking it a step further, doesn’t it also make sense that each unit of study include multiple choices in types of assessments students may use to show mastery? In my course observations, I have seen those in which there is the traditionally-formatted weekly discussion, homework copied from the textbook chapter, and a short essay every week. Students in classes like this have no opportunity to use their strongest learning and communication skills in demonstrating mastery of the course content. In fact, I would go so far as to say that these types of assessments do not show any understanding whatsoever of the course content.

Find out more about how Creating Communities of Practice can recharge your teaching and ensure students' success in class

Managing Discussions in large online classes

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 06:00:00 +0000

Request that students change the subject lines of all discussion messages so you can clearly see what messages are postings and responses for each student. For example, initial posts can include the poster's first name followed by the topic of the post. Responses can include the words "reply to" followed by the classmate's name to whom the response is being made. You would be amazed at how organized and easy to read the discussions can be. Students find this helpful when navigating discussions during the week. When grading, discussion messages can be organized by author. This type of discussion board organization and labeling cuts down on grading time. I just pull up a list of each student's work for the week and scroll through, make notes, and put the comments and grade in the gradebook.

Find out more time-saving tips from Online Teaching for Adjunct Faculty: How to Manage Workload, Students, and Multiple Schools

Student Success: Misconceptions about Time Management

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 13:58:00 +0000

When students begin considering taking online classes, most think it will be easier than campus classes. Of course they know that commuting and having to attend class on certain days and times are no longer issues. Add to that the flexibility to schedule around work hours and childcare, there just is not contest between taking online and f2f classes.

What new online students fail to realize is that, while they don't have to schedule going to class, they DO need to schedule reading, writing, studying, assignments, and discussions. Most online classes required asynchronous discussions with a minimum number of participation days per week, and often a minimum level of quality contributions. All of this takes time.

So let's compare the time factor. In f2f classes, commuting/parking/walking to the class building might take an hour. Reversing the process and arriving home adds another hour. We'll use once-a-week night classes for our example. When I taught evening classes at local universities, a quarter term class met for four hours one night a week. A semester term class met for three hours once a week. Professors expected a minimum of 6 hours of homework for undergrads and double that for graduate students.

One aspect of online learning that no one talks about is that students always factor in the precise number of hours required to sit in class when determining how many hours they will need for online learning. The fact is, though, that what they can accomplish in a 3-hour f2f class will take 3-4 times LONGER in an online class. Why? Because in a f2f class, discussions are conducted by talking and listening. This doesn't take a lot of time, nor does it take a lot of critical thinking and reflection. In an online class, this short verbal discussion time increases significantly because, rather than talking without much though, students need to WRITE their thoughts in a cohesive and precise manner for effective communication. Added to that, instead of listening to others in a f2f class, students in online classes must READ what others are communicating, reflect on the meaning and intent of those contributions, and then formulate their own responses in WRITING. All of the reading and writing takes much longer in an online class than talking/listening takes in a f2f class.

Added all together, WITHOUT taking into consideration the reading/writing issue, that would be approximately 8-10 hours a week for undergrad students taking a night class on campus. Once the reading/writing element is added to that total, students should be prepared for approximately 10-15 hours a week working on discussions, assignments, and studying for an online class. For some reason, most students think that they can take an online class, and make A's, with only a few hours a week. They seem to simply subtract the commuting and seat time from the equation from the f2f class timeframe and think that the hours that are left is the timeframe for an online class. This is a huge mistake and can lead to failing grades and/or dropping out of online classes.

We need to find more effective ways to prepare students for time management in online classes. I'll talk about this in another blog post and in my new book (to be published next month) about student success strategies in the online classroom.

Have you had online students who expressed surprise and dismay about the amount of time needed to be successful in your class? What did you say to them and were you able to convince them to put in the required time to be successful?

Reducing email clutter in online classes

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Sat, 11 Jan 2014 11:55:00 +0000

I always set up a forum for questions in the course. My syllabus states clearly to post course questions in the question/answer forum and those types of questions will not be addressed by email. If they ask a question that has already been answered in the forum, I remind them to review previously posted questions and the answers. If they need further clarification, they should ask further questions in the same thread as the original question so that other students can find updates and clarifications easily.

Find out more time-saving tips from Online Teaching for Adjunct Faculty: How to Manage Workload, Students, and Multiple Schools

Timesaving Tip for managing the flurry of first week introductions

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 12:11:00 +0000

In most LMS platforms (Blackboard, Moodle, etc.), discussion forums can be set in such a way that faculty receive email notifications of new postings. In the "Meet and Greet" forum (or whatever your introductory forum is called), I receive emails for new postings. It doesn't take much time to read the emails and type up a response in a Word doc to save for posting later. I check emails several times a day so I catch the new introductions as they are posted. Once or twice a day, I log into the course, go to the introduction forum, and respond to each student who has posted. Since I have already typed up my personal responses to each student, there is no need to spend a lot of time reading and thinking up responses while in the course. I just copy the response that I wrote upon the initial reading via email. This saves a lot of time and, hopefully, prevents some faculty from greeting students individually with no more than just a "welcome to the class" response.

How do you handle first week introductions in a huge online class?

Today is BE NICE TO YOUR PROFESSOR Day.

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 11:01:00 +0000

Not really but it should be. What is ONE thing your students could do for you that would make your day?

Mine? Start reading the syllabus and course information the day you get access to your course. Do not wait until middle of the first week.

WINTER SALE: ALL BOOKS 2.99 Plus ONE FREE BOOK

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 15:00:00 +0000

Purchase one book and get any other book FREE (PDF file; limit one per reader). Send an email to prof.bowman@gmail.com with WINTER BOOK DEAL in the subject line. Include a copy of the sale invoice and the name of your FREE book. All orders fulfilled within 24 hours.

Students work hard and earn A's

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 12:39:00 +0000

I started piano lessons when I was four years old. By the time I was in middle school, I was the perfect technical pianist, playing 10-15 page concertos in recitals. I could pick up any band instrument and play competently in a few short months. Was that talent? Maybe in some respects, but not where it really counts. I never "got" theory nor did I have the "feel" for composing music. I worked really, really, really hard to become a great pianist; yet I hardly worked at all to pick up the technical elements of playing band instruments.

According to what students believe about deserving A's for effort, based on how hard they work, I certainly deserved to be a major artist in the music field. Oh. Wait. Talent. Imagination. Analytical capacity. No matter how hard people work and how much effort they put in, they either have it or they don't. In my case, I had it all minus the innate talent. I could sing and write lyrics, but not melodies. So I turned my career focus elsewhere.

One lesson students should learn early on in school is that studying doesn't mean they have learned to master the concepts and content. If they can't apply what they've studied, then they haven't learned or mastered the content, and they're "C" students (at best).

It is not about how hard students have to work. In both my undergrad and grad studies, I earned straight A's without working hard at all, but I understood and could demonstrate mastery by applying the concepts and content. I'd found my innate talent.

As an undergrad college instructor, I am willing to help students learn - but let me say again what I've said for many years: You can lead a student to knowledge, but you can't make 'em think. And if they can't/won't, they do not deserve an A, no matter how hard they say they've worked on any given assignment. Most students who work hard probably deserve B's. But in all cases, A's are reserved for students who go above and beyond and show true talent, creativity, and leadership.

Unfortunately, our education system is so concerned with promoting good self-esteem that students are earning top grades for mediocre work, both in academics and in sports. Aside from the fact that this does not promote good self-esteem (a topic for another blog post), when students get to college, they expect the same treatment, A's for mediocre work. And in some schools, students get exactly what they want.

I remember well one school where I was directed to give students higher grades because if they got too discouraged, they would drop out of school. Well, that again, is a topic for a future blog post. I'll just say that I did NOT follow admin directives and, as a result, a few students dropped, more stuck it out and actually learned something, and a few filed written grievances with the administration because they didn't get A's.

And I lost a very lucrative teaching assignment. I never taught for that school again. Not that I would want to. My consolation over losing that school was that my students that quarter learned skills and content that would carry them through (hopefully) the rest of their freshman courses and beyond.

Have you ever been directed to hand out more high grades, to minimize the number of failures in your classes by "inflating" (oh they don't use that word but we all know what they mean) grades so that mediocre students get A's?

Only two more days Holiday Book Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 22:12:00 +0000

TWO MORE DAYS: Combo ebook deals in PDF format. I also have a limited number of paperback copies of Self Defense and Winds of Gold (see details below).

eBook Sale (PDF via email)

All five books = 19.99

Four books = 15.99

Three books = 10.99

Two books = 7.99

One book = Discounted $1.00

To order, please send an email to prof.bowman@gmail.com I will send a paypal invoice for the deal you select.

Include BOOK DEAL in the subject line so your order won't end up in my spam folder. In the email, include the titles of the books you want and the email to send the paypal invoice and PDF files.

Guaranteed same day email delivery if payment is received before 5pm est. Email delivery by noon the following day if payment is received after 5pm

Online Teaching for Adjunct Faculty: Managing Workload, Students, and Multiple Schools

Communities of Practice

Grading Made Fast and Easy

Self Defense

Winds of Gold

I also have a limited number of paperback copies of Winds of Gold and Self Defense available. Media mail adds $2-3 to the price and if you would like a holiday deal on either or both print copies, each will be discounted $1 with shipping fees waived until Dec. 31. In the email, please include shipping name and address and the title(s) of the books you want. If you'd like those autographed, please also include what you would like written in the autograph (especially if these will be gifts for someone else). Media mail is delivered by USPS and takes 3-8 days.

Merry Christmas to all!

Happy Holidays to friends near and far

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 09:25:00 +0000

NEW BOOK: .99 through Sunday Online Adjuncts: How to Manage Workload, Students, Multiple Schools

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 18:19:00 +0000

My 6th book is available on Amazon today for .99 through Sunday.

Online Teaching for Adjuncts:
How to Manage Workload, Students, and Multiple Schools

With the recent trend in schools' cutting classes for adjunct faculty, adjuncts are resorting to teaching fewer classes at each of more schools. Gone are the days when we could teach at just one or two schools and have enough classes to make a decent income. Some adjuncts are teaching for fifteen or more schools while continuing to apply to new schools so there are enough classes in reserve when classes are inexplicably cut from their course load. Scheduling can be a nightmare and mistakes can mean losing classes. Managing workload, large classes, and multiple school schedules is vital to preserving an adequate course load and maintaining financial security. There really is no choice for most adjuncts and teaching ten or more online classes requires new strategies to manage workload so that each class takes no more than 2-4 hours a week. This guide provides online faculty with strategies and tips to streamline workload and manage large classes, with a chapter addressing the unique challenges in managing classes and schedules at multiple schools.

Advance copies for review available: Online Teaching for Adjunct Faculty: How to Manage Workload, Students, and Multiple Schools

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 15:36:00 +0000

Online Teaching for Adjunct Faculty: How to Manage Workload, Students, and Multiple Schools, will be available on Amazon this weekend for 99 cents. If you would like a free PDF copy in exchange for your review on Amazon this weekend, please "LIKE" my facebook prof page to post a response with your email so I can send you a copy. www.facebook.com/1virtualprof

Managing Workload, Students, and Multiple Schools

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Sat, 14 Dec 2013 10:38:00 +0000

The result of recent trends in schools' cutting classes for adjunct faculty is that most adjunct faculty must now teach one to three classes at each of several schools. Gone are the days when we could teach at just one or two schools and have enough classes to make a decent salary. I remember teaching at only two schools and making between $50K and $65K per year, with a maximum of 8-10 classes, many of which were multiple sections of the same class, and all of which I had taught for several years. Those days are over now for adjunct faculty. Adjunct faculty are now teaching for 10 or more schools and are applying constantly for new openings, hoping to get just one more class or, if they're lucky, two more classes. Often this seems like "feast or famine" where we have too few classes or, in some cases, it all hits the fan and we end up teaching for 10 or more schools with a total of 15 or more classes. We can't really decline teaching offers because there is no guarantee that the next term we'll be offered any classes from any given school and we have to keep classes in reserve at all schools to make up the difference when some of our schools inexplicably cut our classes for one or more terms. Adjunct teaching has never been secure, but it's far more insecure now than in previous years.

Coming soon -- new ebook guide to help with all the challenges adjuncts are facing in today's online teaching.

NEW ebook available Dec 20-22 for only .99

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 16:09:00 +0000

My new book in the Online Teaching and Learning Series will be out on Amazon next week. The promo is Dec 20-22 for .99

See the Preview here
Online Teaching: Managing Workload, Students, and Multiple Schools

Teaching writing to college students

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 12:11:00 +0000

The issue of poor writing skills among college students has been discussed among college profs for years. In recent discussions in various online venues, profs are asking if this problem has gotten worse and what to do about it. And the primary issue is whether or not professors of subjects other than English should count off for writing errors.

I was pleasantly surprised to see in a recent discussion that 99% of college professors in all subject areas DO take writing into consideration when grading. I do teach English and writing, but I also teach other subject areas and I take writing competency into consideration when grading.

To take it a step further, I teach writing throughout all discussions and assignments in content courses. I have students complain that this is NOT a writing class so writing doesn't count.

First, my rubrics state that writing does count. Second, if you can't write effectively, then you can' communicate effectively. This is true not only in college classes, but also on the job.

In a digital world, writing is the first impression you make on peers, teachers, potential new friends, and on potential employers. These days, employers search for applicants' online presence and they see what you write online. Even in a casual online venue, writing counts. Perhaps the grammar/mechanics/punctuation aren't such a big deal in informal writing, but HOW effectively you communicate in any situation, formal or informal, says a lot about you to prospective employers.

If you are a student who needs help with formal writing, check out my virtual assistant program for college students.

If you are a professor who would like to help the students in your content courses learn how to communicate more effective, check out my book: Communities of Practice.

GUEST POST (Tara Ross) Self-Promotion for Online Educators

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Bowman) — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 12:22:00 +0000

This guest post is from my good friend Tara Ross, whose brand new book just came out last week. Her book is a must-read for all online instructors.

Daily Actions for Social Media Mastery: 75 Daily Challenges to Help you Expand your Reach, Build your Platform, and Establish your Online Authority

If you’re anything like me, just the title above makes you queasy. The idea of self-promotion seems antithetical to our teaching craft of helping others. However, in the new era of the unattached, non-salaried, non-tenured, contract-to-contract workers, we must take care of ourselves. What does this mean? Self-promotion.

The good news is that self-promotion in the age of social media is first centered on what we do best: helping others. How can these two things exist simultaneously? Read on!

First, you have to accept that you need to self-promote

Even if you don’t like it,

you have to promote yourself.

Teachers are universally horrible at being entrepreneurs. I’m sorry to say this, but it’s true. I’m a teacher, I’m the daughter of two teachers, I spend my life hanging around with friends who are teachers, I’m in several networking groups with teachers, and let me tell you what I hear A LOT:

“I need to find an online teaching job, but I don’t know what to do.”

The problem is that finding an online teaching job in 2013 is nothing like it was in 2000. Or 2007. Or even 2011. The industry has changed considerably in 2 years.

So once people recognize that it’s no easy feat to find an online teaching job, and that they are going to have to market themselves, they retreat to the next thing I hear a lot:

“If I wanted to learn how to market myself, I would have gotten my degree in marketing.”

Actually, it’s not exactly those words, but several variations:

“I just want to teach; I don’t want to sell myself.”

“I don’t have time to hunt for jobs.”

“I shouldn’t have to jump through all these hoops.”

These are followed by applying for a few teaching jobs a week with no response from the schools. Surprise! Schools are not really looking at your applications. They are weeding you out. With 600 to 2000 applications received for every teaching job advertised in online education, schools don’t have to look too hard; they just have to be effective at separating the serious from the half-hearted.

Demands for official transcripts to even be considered for a teaching job can clear out a lot of applicants due to the expense. Not having the right ‘keywords’ on a CV (and who knows what keywords they are looking for?), and not filling out the application correctly can weed out a majority of applicants as well.

Resiliency and creativity are critical.

What’s the answer to this system?

Making personal connections by helping people.

It used to be that you would connect with people at conferences, at networking events, or by calling Human Resources. While conferences can still be an extremely effective way to meet hiring administrators at institutions, it is expensive and not available as an easy strategy for most people.

Today, social media has upended much of how we conduct the business of networking. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and communities within Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ provide professionals with the ability to connect with hiring managers directly – an impossible coup in the years prior to the advent of social media.

The key is to find a valuable social media community (such as a group on Facebook or LinkedIn) and then establish yourself within that community as a helper and an expert in your field. Yes, this takes time, but it is effective. Building relationships with people in your industry via social media helps you to gain access to institutions, administrators, and decision makers. You promote yourself by helping others. You share your knowledge and wisdom freely. And here is what most businesses forget that is so critical to building those relationships:

Social media is not broadcast advertising like TV, radio, or print. It’s a two-way relationship where each party seeks to gain exposure while helping the other.

Simple, right? Well, the idea is simple, but few do this effectively. Why? Because you have to present yourself very well on social media, and you have to know which platforms to be on relative to your goals.

Second, build your social media profile fully.

I still have friends and family who are not on social media. In most cases, they are not ones trying to expand their careers. If you want to work in online education or you want to build a business online, you must build your social media profile robustly. This does not mean sharing your private life broadly. You control the information flow. But I highly recommend you build it in a way that allows people to create a connection with you.

Here are some tips:

· Upload a profile picture across your social media accounts. I know this sounds obvious, but I know too many people who want to teach online who refuse to upload their picture. Here’s the thing: people will not connect with you professionally if they cannot see you. If they get to know you over a long period of time, that may be an exception. But hiring members popping in and out of online groups, or scanning their newsfeed, are not going to connect with you emotionally or professionally without seeing you.

Fill out all sections of your LinkedIn profile. Don’t skimp on this. You need to display why people should hire you. Plus, you need to allow them to find something about you that is familiar. In a recent case, a hiring manager chose one qualified applicant over other qualified applicants because the one applicant volunteered at an animal shelter and listed that on their LinkedIn profile. The hiring manager, who loved animals, felt a connection. Remember, too, that your LinkedIn profile is not your resume. You do not need to keep it brief. Fill out every section possible. Use relevant keywords for your field in the heading and in your top section so that recruiters looking for candidates like you can find you easily.

· Allocate time every day to be on social media. You cannot be an effective networker if you only get on social media once a week. Even if it’s just 10 minutes a day, make it a habit. Be purposeful, too: get in those groups and start sharing frequently. Don’t just talk about yourself; answer questions that others have. Share links to interesting articles you read. Refer people that you meet to others you think they need to connect with for career purposes. Build up some good karma.

· Once you have made some connections within groups, seek individual connections by sending a friend request on Facebook, or requesting a connection on LinkedIn. This is how you start a conversation about your goals and that person’s goals. These conversations help you jump-start your career search – your connections and your friends encourage you to apply and are on the lookout for your application.

Third, align your career goals with the appropriate social media channels

Establish your goals and then decide which platforms to be on.

I don’t recommend that you try to be on every social media channel or even all of the main ones. Decide what your particular goals are. For example,

· Do you want to find online teaching jobs? Consider Facebook and LinkedIn groups for interacting with others and Google+ for writing about your field and posting it on the net where it will be found. Google+ is indexed by Google and posting on Google’s social networking platform can fast track your content on Google’s search engine. You gain exposure and develop your perceived authority in your field.

· Do you want to connect with other online instructors for camaraderie, or potential research opportunities? Consider LinkedIn and Academia.edu. LinkedIn will help you find groups of professionals in your industry and Academia.edu can help you find researchers and their projects that may resonate with your goals. Don’t just join adjunct teaching groups, though. Be creative: find groups where key people in your industry may be hanging out and engage there purposefully.

· Do you want to develop multiple income streams so that online education is not your only gig? Consider setting up a blog to promote your content, joining membership groups of like-minded individuals who want to learn how to make money online, and being active on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube.

The bottom line is that social media is altruistic: your goal is to help others more than you help yourself. When you do that, you benefit through increased exposure and relationship building.

I provide step-by-step guidance in my book, Daily Actions for Social Media Mastery: 75 Daily Challenges to Help you Expand your Reach, Build your Platform, and Establish your Online Authority. It is available for immediate download on Amazon Kindle (you don’t have to own a kindle to read it), and it offers an up-to-date guide on how to leverage specific social media platforms to advance your specific career goals. It was written for a group of online professors, and the daily challenges included in the book were among the most popular in our group.

Remember: self-promote by helping others. Build relationships to meet your goals.

Cheers!

~Tara

About the author:

Tara Ross is an educator who teaches about how to maximize your potential on social media, empower your goal setting, and develop strategies to achieve location independence. She writes about traveling, social media, and being a digital nomad at EdJourneys.com, and travels globally to demonstrate that location independence is not only viable but also necessary to your happiness.

She is a college professor of Political Science and Education, having taught in the online environment since 2000. She holds a PhD in Educational Leadership, and an MA in International Affairs. She enjoys traveling with her husband, Stan, bringing her laptop, and teaching while exploring.

Together with her husband and two sons, she own Ross and Sons Publishing, an independent book publishing company dedicated to working with authors to help them share their words with the world.

For more information about Tara, please join her over at http://edjourneys.com/