Behavior and Online Interaction with Students  

The guest speaker Dr Jagan Mohan Rao shared an impressive presentation titled Behavior and Online Interaction with students on 22 April 2021. He focused more on motivating teachers to adapt to new techniques used in online teaching to ignite the young minds. He emphasizes upgrading digital teaching skills as all educators are left with the only teaching option online.

He observes that many a time, lack of availability of suitable teaching materials, failing to complete the syllabus in time, disappointed students make teaching online more stressful for the teacher and the taught.

Dr Jagan confessed that Online teaching is challenging and he listed several factors.  Some of them that found a mention was heavy usage of screen time and class management issues. He strongly endorses that the factors mentioned played a dominant role. 

DrJagan’s presentation centered around a detailed discussion of online learning and two approaches to online learning: synchronous and asynchronous learning methods. He also introduced the audience to the list of software programs that are now available to develop an online course. His observations on teaching online, learning and the challenges of teaching online were noteworthy. He also stated that Structuring an Online Course needed Course Planning, Course Organization and Communication.

Dr Jagan captured the essence of good teaching through the following quote:

“Good teaching is good teaching” (Ragan 1998). Experienced online instructors stress that teaching online is less about the mechanics of distance education and “more about what makes for an effective educational experience, regardless of where or when it is delivered” (Ragan 1998).

Another exciting aspect of the webinar was Evaluating Student Performance for Grading Purposes. According to the speaker evaluating the student performance for grading purposes is a responsible task. To maintain the sanctity, the teachers need to communicate expectations keep track of student performance, give prompt feedback, design tests, encourage active learning, evaluate participation in threaded discussions

Dr Jagan concluded with a suggestion that teachers need to be adept at troubleshooting technical issues which surface during online teaching as this makes the teacher and the students confident of the online teaching and learning process.

Dr Jagan Mohan Rao, Asst. Professor of English working in Shaqra University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, holds a PhD in English Language Teaching from Kakatiya University, Warangal, Telangana State, India. He has rich experience in teaching in various colleges in India and abroad(Saudi Arabia). 

Currently, he is teaching Sociolinguistics, Teaching Methods, and Basic Language Skills at Shaqra University. His research interests include Speaking and Listening Skills, Forensic Linguistics, Educational Psychology, Educational Technology, Learning Disability, etc.