Educating students from various age groups and cultures can be challenging for an online instructor. Selecting the best teaching techniques in such an environment demands understanding how individuals learn. There are three primary learning styles instructors should always consider while developing coursework for their students.

Auditory Learners: Students who are auditory learners learn best by listening and speaking. Lessons make better sense when verbally explained than when read visually. Reciting information aloud is a common practice for auditory learners. They are active learners and are not shy about speaking up in class; an on-campus classroom is the ideal learning environment for auditory learners. When teaching online, however, it is wise to use formats in which auditory learners will better absorb the information presented. Online instructors should consider a synchronous online learning environment for their auditory learners. Instructors should either provide live lectures or consider using a recorded lecture format. Videos or learning modules accompanied by narration and interactive elements can be highly effective. Consider conducting group collaboration via video conferencing as well as through discussion boards.

Visual Learners: Students who fall into the visual learner category learn best by observing. Whether watching a video or demonstration, studying a chart or graph, or even just reading, visual learners depend on what they see to build an understanding of the topic they’re learning. Visual learners are great at visualizing the big picture. They are creative and reflective and enjoy working independently in a quiet setting. Visual learners thrive in an asynchronous online learning environment. The use of discussion boards requires a high level of reading and writing from both the instructor and students, and visual learners retain and understand information much better using this type of communication. While creating presentations or videos for weekly lessons, try incorporating pictures, charts, and other graphics in your lectures to enhance visual learning.

Kinesthetic Learners: Kinesthetic learners tend to digest information best through hands-on experience. Kinesthetic learners are very hands-on people who like to experience learning. They tend to be a bit overly energetic, but they are highly motivated individuals. Finding ways to entice a kinesthetic learner’s online experience can be a bit of a challenge. To be more successful in teaching a kinesthetic learner, try to incorporate some lab work into your weekly lesson plan. If your class involves software development, provide weekly group programming exercises or present your students with an assignment to create a presentation based on field research, such as interviewing a local police officer to satisfy requirements for a criminal justice class. The idea is to engage kinesthetic learners in a fashion that suits their method of learning through doing rather than through observing or listening.

Teaching a successful online class will incorporate specific components from each learning category to ensure all students acquire the best learning avenue possible. The goal is to ensure that students leave your classroom with a thorough understanding of the course’s learning objectives; using these three learning styles when developing your coursework will get you off to a great start.


Learn more about Patricia at www.PatriciaPedrazaNafziger.com.