Articles > Education > Essential skills for online teaching

Essential skills for online teaching

This article was updated on February 14, 2025.

Reviewed by Pamela M. Roggeman, EdD, Dean, College of Education

A teacher on an oversized paper airplane being held by a large hand, working on a laptop to signify essential skills for online teaching

Online colleges and universities have made education more accessible across the board. It has also helped educators develop skills for online teaching. What are some of the challenges teachers face in virtual learning, and what skills can help overcome them?

The benefits and challenges in online teaching

At every educational level, students are logging in to online school and participating in online teaching. A laptop computer, a webcam and a microphone have replaced the blackboard, the pencil and the notebook.

A changing world can bring many benefits and opportunities, particularly in the realm of education. At the same time, the rapid digitization of education has left some teachers and students feeling like something is missing.

Five online teaching skills to help students succeed in virtual learning

From both the teacher and student perspectives, some essential skills can help make virtual learning a success for everyone.

Communicate and collaborate

It's assumed that nearly everyone has a phone or other communication device at their disposal, making it easier for people to communicate. But it’s just not that simple.

Online teaching presents several technical and psychological challenges that can hinder communication between teachers and students. On a technical level, breakdowns in internet connectivity, communication software and devices can lead to disruptions that make communication difficult.

Here are some tips to improve communication and collaboration skills for online learning:

Be clear and concise in both verbal and written communication.
Don’t be afraid to repeat back what you hear someone say to ensure you understand the key takeaways of an exchange.
Double-check that everyone in your group is on the same page, and leave opportunities for questions.

Here’s why communication and collaboration are important online learning skills for students and teachers.

For teachers:

Good communication skills can help you empower students to understand and relate to the instruction.
Students have natural abilities as social learners, and clear communication forms a central part of this learning process.
By understanding verbal and nonverbal cues, you can better identify when it’s time to change your approach.

How teachers can help students:

Encouraging communication is central to building and maintaining strong relationships with classmates.
Creating a back-and-forth dynamic can benefit everyone and help students get the most from online teaching.
Encourage and accept feedback on curriculum and instruction to make better coursework for virtual students.

Take the initiative

In traditional, in-person education settings, students and teachers have ample opportunity to interact and fine-tune the overall experience. A student can stay after class to go over homework with an instructor, who may also pull a student aside to have an impromptu chat about how the class is going.

Remote learning reduces opportunities for these kinds of spontaneous interactions that facilitate a successful education. Immediately after class, many students and teachers leave the group call, take off their headphones and slam their laptops shut. That doesn’t do anyone any favors.

Taking the initiative can help students look at teachers as active and engaging educators.
Starting conversations with students about their digital education can give teachers information to improve their curriculum.

How teachers can help students:

Expressing interest in a student’s perspective or concerns can help position a teacher to identify and capitalize on opportunities to connect and foster communication.
Taking the initiative to ask that nagging question or express a concern can help solidify an understanding of a concept before the lesson moves on.
Taking the initiative in the classroom can help develop skills students can use in their career.

Starting these conversations can make the difference for students who may be struggling.

Manage time

When students and teachers observe the same schedule in a school or university, literally traveling together from classroom to classroom, it can be easy to manage time over the day. Such consistency benefits both students and teachers.

The advent of virtual classes and online teaching, however, has strained such consistency. A fluid schedule seems appealing at first, allowing students to wake up just a few minutes before class begins or to use class time for outside work. But over time, the lack of consistency can wreak havoc on academic results.

How can students and teachers develop and maintain good time-management habits?

For teachers:

Take the time to prep for online teaching.
Address student needs as they arise.
Take note of where time is used in virtual settings and adjust lesson plans accordingly.
Work with students to make the best use of shared time.

How teachers can help students:

Suggest an easy-to-follow schedule they can stick to.
Identify bad study or virtual learning habits and take steps to resolve them.
Encourage them to use a physical or virtual planner.
Set up work in digestible chunks, such as is in the Pomodoro method.

Establish achievable goals

The demands of virtual schooling differ from those of in-person learning. This can bring opportunities for making and reaching educational goals.

While the course material might not change between physical classrooms and virtual settings, the lesson plans for creating strategies and maintaining engagement will be very different. When done well, students feel their goals are achievable, and that’s a win for students and teachers alike.

Setting reasonable goals for educational progress offers other benefits, too, such as:

For teachers:

Try out a couple of new technologies to see what works for students. The vastness of resources can be overwhelming, but new developments in technology can help meet student needs.
When students fall short of their goals, it can require additional time and attention that teachers may not have. Alternatively, helping to establish feasible goals keeps everyone on track for success.
Setting achievable goals can help build trust with students, as they feel that their needs are being heard and addressed.

How teachers can help students:

Encourage them to only commit to classes and extracurricular activities that they have time for, so they’re more likely to succeed.
Provide a platform to express any doubts or concerns to help them achieve their goals with less stress.
Set out on an achievable plan toward educational goals that can help make their path to graduation smoother.

Practice patience and flexibility

Being a student or teacher has never been easy. Students are expected to work hard and get good grades while mastering a rigorous curriculum. Teachers are expected to guide students through the curriculum without leaving anyone behind. Taken together, this can require a lot of patience and flexibility from both students and teachers.

Online teaching can exacerbate the challenges in this area. Developing patience and flexibility can be crucial online class skills for students and teachers alike, as they help make the educational experience much less stressful for both.

Here are some reasons why remaining flexible and patient is important for students and teachers alike.

For teachers:

Students may not be enthusiastic about learning new technology skills, requiring teachers to develop patience and communication skills to help them adapt.
These skills are especially crucial when working with younger students.
Introduce skills little by little over time so that students aren’t overwhelmed, and encourage them to share new technologies with the teacher and class.

How teachers can help students:

Having a backup can help students adjust when things don’t go as planned.
Accepting changes as they arise can help students keep a level head when class gets stressful.
Emphasize that learning these skills can benefit their career.

With these skills, it’s possible to foster a positive online education experience everyone enjoys.

Learn skills for the classroom and online teaching

Whether you plan a career teaching in the classroom or online teaching, you’ll need to start with degree in education. University of Phoenix has education programs for new and current teachers.

Learn more about what it takes to teach virtually with University of Phoenix’s Foundations in Virtual Teaching course, and take a look at these programs:

Interested in learning more? Contact University of Phoenix.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and its Writing Seminars program and winner of the Stephen A. Dixon Literary Prize, Michael Feder brings an eye for detail and a passion for research to every article he writes. His academic and professional background includes experience in marketing, content development, script writing and SEO. Today, he works as a multimedia specialist at University of Phoenix where he covers a variety of topics ranging from healthcare to IT.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

As dean of the University of Phoenix College of Education, Pamela Roggeman has spent over a decade in higher education teacher preparation in both the public and private sector. Her experience has included national partnerships that help to advance thought leadership in the field of education. Dr. Roggeman also serves as the President of the Arizona Educational Foundation’s Board of Directors.

This article has been vetted by University of Phoenix's editorial advisory committee.
Read more about our editorial process.