Teaching Online Without Losing Balance: Boundaries That Help

 

Online teaching can blur the lines between work and personal life. Without clear boundaries, faculty may respond to emails at all hours, review assignments late into the night, and feel overwhelmed. Conceição and Lehman (2011) highlight the importance of structured time management and boundary setting to protect well-being and performance.

 

Begin by defining your availability. Let students know your communication policy—for example, reply within 24 hours on weekdays or no responses after 6 PM. Communicate these expectations in your syllabus, orientation video, and weekly announcements.

 

Block your calendar for recurring tasks. Schedule time for grading, responding to messages, and planning content. Time-blocking helps prevent tasks from spilling into personal time and keeps you on track with weekly responsibilities.

 

Batch tasks wherever possible. Set aside periods to review discussion boards, grade assignments, or prep materials. Avoid multitasking, as it decreases efficiency and increases fatigue.

 

Finally, remember to schedule breaks. Teaching online doesn’t mean being online 24/7. Make time for walks, meals, and time away from the screen to maintain energy and focus.

 

Faculty Tip: You model balance for your students. Protect your time and set the example for healthy academic engagement.

 

Reference

Conceição, S. C., & Lehman, R. M. (2011). Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success. Jossey-Bass. 

 

Efficient Grading: Feedback That Counts Without the Crunch

 

Grading is often one of the most time-consuming aspects of teaching online. However, with a few strategic shifts, faculty can maintain high-quality feedback while easing the grading burden. Conceição and Lehman (2011) recommend structured feedback processes that save time without compromising student learning.

 

Start by developing detailed rubrics for each assignment. Rubrics help students understand expectations and allow faculty to grade more quickly and consistently. They also reduce the number of questions about grades and provide a foundation for meaningful feedback.

 

Another helpful tactic is to build a feedback bank. This collection of frequently used comments for common errors or strengths can be copied and customized. Faculty can use these for written, audio, or even video feedback. Video or voice comments often take less time than written responses and feel more personal to students.

 

Faculty should also consider the weight and importance of different assessments. Not every assignment needs extensive feedback. For smaller tasks, a simple checklist or brief comment may suffice. Save in-depth feedback for major assignments where students can apply the guidance for future growth.

 

Faculty Tip: Grade smarter, not harder. Use rubrics, reusable comments, and targeted feedback to streamline your process.

 

 

Reference

 

Conceição, S. C., & Lehman, R. M. (2011). Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success. Jossey-Bass. 

Be Present, Not Overwhelmed: Communication Strategies That Work

Staying connected with students is critical to their motivation and retention. However, constant communication can become overwhelming for faculty if not managed strategically. Conceição and Lehman (2011) encourage faculty to think of presence as a blend of automation, routine, and personalization.

 

Start by establishing communication expectations early. Create a communication plan that outlines when students can expect responses, where to post questions, and how announcements will be shared. This avoids daily surprises and repeated questions. Faculty can then stick to scheduled windows for checking emails or discussion boards, rather than being pulled into constant interruptions.

 

Use automated communication tools whenever possible. Most LMS platforms allow faculty to schedule weekly announcements, assignment reminders, or personalized feedback releases. These tools help maintain consistent contact with students without daily effort.

 

Creating a bank of reusable responses to common student questions also saves time. This can include templates for syllabus questions, tech support issues, or assignment clarifications. For more individualized support, faculty can schedule short virtual office hours or use audio/video messages to communicate more efficiently.

 

Faculty Tip: Use technology to support your presence, not replace it. Scheduled and thoughtful messages can go a long way in building trust and reducing your daily communication load.

 

 

Reference

Conceição, S. C., & Lehman, R. M. (2011). Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success. Jossey-Bass. 

Design Smart, Not Hard: Course Structure That Saves Time

 

One of the best ways for faculty to manage their workload in online teaching is through intentional course design. In Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success, Conceição and Lehman (2011) emphasize that clearly structured and well-organized courses reduce students' confusion and significantly cut down on time spent clarifying expectations.

 

A modular course format is key. Students know what to expect when you structure each week or module with a consistent rhythm, such as an overview, a reading, a discussion, and an assignment. This predictability means fewer emails, fewer late submissions, and fewer grading errors. It also helps students build autonomy, which supports retention and reduces reliance on faculty for routine guidance.

 

Automation is another smart design element. Learning management systems (LMS) offer tools to pre-schedule announcements, release content by date, and automate reminders. This allows instructors to frontload effort at the beginning of the semester rather than scrambling weekly. Creating templates for assignments and discussion prompts also saves time and improves your course professionally.

 

Faculty should also consider reusability when designing. Use content that can serve multiple terms or can be updated easily. For example, recording short videos that explain core concepts can be reused with minor edits, and templates for syllabi, rubrics, and grading feedback can streamline preparation.

 

Faculty Tip: Design with the future in mind. A course that runs smoothly now will run even more efficiently in subsequent semesters.

 

Reference

Conceição, S. C., & Lehman, R. M. (2011). Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success. Jossey-Bass. 

 

Approaches for Gathering Information on Presence in Online Learning or Sensing Presence: Practical Ways to Gather Feedback in Online Courses

 

Creating a strong sense of presence in online learning is a dynamic and ongoing process. In Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching: How to "Be There" for Distance Learners, Lehman and Conceição (2010) explore not only how presence can be designed into online courses but also how instructors can gather meaningful feedback about whether that presence is genuinely being felt.

 

Understanding presence from the learner’s perspective is key to improving online instruction. Here are some of the key approaches from the book, along with practical tips for implementing them.

---

1. Formal and Informal Evaluations

What it is: Use tools like surveys, reflection journals, course evaluations, and informal feedback to assess students' perceptions of presence.

Tips:

• Launch a mid-course check-in survey to identify areas where students feel connected—or disconnected.
• Include open-ended prompts like: "What helps you feel most connected in this course?" or "Where do you feel most ‘present’ or ‘seen’?"
• Review end-of-course evaluations with an eye for comments that reflect emotional or social connection (or lack thereof).

---

2. Observation of Engagement

What it is: Monitor participation patterns, discussion depth, and student tone in communications.

Tips:

• Use learning analytics to spot engagement trends. Are students logging in regularly? Are discussion posts thoughtful or surface-level?
• Watch for signs of emotional tone in messages—excitement, frustration, confusion—and follow up with supportive outreach.
• Track the consistency of contributions in forums, peer feedback, or group work as a measure of involvement and presence.

---

3. Student Reflection Activities

What it is: Ask students to actively reflect on their experiences in the course to surface their sense of connection.

Tips:

• Incorporate reflective prompts such as: "Describe a moment in this course when you felt most connected to your peers or instructor."
• Use a short reflection at the end of each module to gauge evolving impressions of presence.
• Make reflections low stakes to encourage honesty and openness.

---

4. Instructor Self-Reflection

What it is: Instructors reflect on their teaching behaviors and student interactions to evaluate their presence.

Tips:

• Keep a teaching journal to record observations after each module or live session.
• Ask yourself: Did I make space for student voices this week? Did I provide timely feedback? Did I humanize the learning experience?
• Seek peer feedback or mentoring to get an outside perspective on your teaching presence.

---

5. Peer or External Review

What it is: Have a colleague or instructional designer review your course with presence in mind.

Tips:

• Provide a checklist based on the book’s framework: Are there clear touchpoints with students? Is the instructor “visible” in multiple ways?
• Request feedback on tone, accessibility, and opportunities for interaction.
• Use this process as a developmental tool rather than a performance judgment.

---

Gathering presence information isn’t just about collecting data—it’s about listening deeply to the online learner’s experience. By combining reflection, observation, feedback, and review, educators can adapt and evolve their practices to ensure students feel genuinely seen, heard, and supported in digital spaces.

Presence doesn’t happen by accident. It’s discovered through dialogue—and designed with intention.

 

Reference

Lehman, R. M., & Conceição, S. C. O. (2010). Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching: How to "Be There" for Distance Learners. Jossey-Bass.