The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) recently released their revised standards for online teaching to ensure that students engaged in online learning have access to quality education. The new standards differentiate between two sets of indicators: the first are what the online teacher should know and understand; the second what they should be able to do for evaluation purposes.
In the first version of their standards, iNACOL chose to fully endorse the work of the Southern Regional Education Board’s standards for quality online teaching as a comprehensive set of criteria. However, over the past three years iNACOL has received feedback from organizations using their Version 1 standards, and it became clear that some revision was needed. Though for reasons of convenience they are referred to as “standards,” what iNACOL is really offering are guidelines that should be adapted to meet the needs of the students being served.
The Standards are:
A. The online teacher knows the primary concepts and structures of effective online instruction and is able to create learning experiences to enable student success.
B. The online teacher understands and is able to use a range of technologies, both existing and emerging, that effectively support student learning and engagement in the online environment.
C. The online teacher plans, designs, and incorporates strategies to encourage active learning, application, interaction, participation, and collaboration in the online environment.
D. The online teacher promotes student success through clear expectations, prompt responses, and regular feedback.
E. The online teacher models, guides, and encourages legal, ethical, and safe behavior related to technology use.
F. The online teacher is cognizant of the diversity of student academic needs and incorporates accommodations into the online environment.
G. The online teacher demonstrates competencies in creating and implementing assessments in online learning environments in ways that ensure validity and reliability of the instruments and procedures.
H. The online teacher develops and delivers assessments, projects, and assignments that meet standards-based learning goals and assesses learning progress by measuring student achievement of the learning goals.
I. The online teacher demonstrates competency in using data from assessments and other data sources to modify content and to guide student learning.
J. The online teacher interacts in a professional, effective manner with colleagues, parents, and other members of the community to support students’ success.
K. The online teacher arranges media and content to help students and teachers transfer knowledge most effectively in the online environment.
To read more, please visit http://www.inacol.org/research/nationalstandards/iNACOL_TeachingStandardsv2.pdf
