 Assalamu alaikum my name is Dr. Naima Hassan. Earlier we have discussed about few challenges and issues we may come across during e-learning and e-teaching. Now we will move on to some striking solution to deal with these issues and challenges in e-teaching. First of all I will share some competence tools required for effective and efficient e-teaching. Then we will discuss about a few of key attributes a teacher must possess for effective and efficient e-teaching. First of all we will start with the top of the list strategy that is getting technological proficiency. Before moving on to the strategies we should keep in our mind that in any virtual institution or distance learning institution students are coming from different socio-economic backgrounds as well as different ethnic backgrounds. There is no certain age limits for the student. Students are as young as 18 to 19 years and as old as 55 to 60 years. And also in all the educational institutes students have multiple intellectual and educational capabilities. Some students are high achievers who need no attention and effort from their teachers to get good grades in the exams. Then comes the average performers who need little help from the teachers to get the new concept. Then comes the struggling students who need maximum attention and effort and engagement from the teachers to get good grades and to process any new information particularly in virtual environment. So let's start with technological proficiency. It is really important to deliver the content efficiently and promptly in a virtual setup that you have access to reliable tools that is for example you need computers, you need a laptop or you need a tablet or any other gadget to deliver the content. And also you must have a stable good strong internet connection to deliver the content effectively. As we said earlier, access to reliable devices and getting necessary IT proficiency. Along with this, it is very important that we keep ourselves up to date with recent innovations and updates in the industry and in academia. When you have to deal with the students and to handle the content in a virtual setup or particularly in asynchronous mode, you need to keep yourself updated with new technologies with new software tools and new innovations related to the ICT. Because content you are delivering in a virtual setup is asynchronous. So these will be very helpful if you get yourself updated with the new upcoming software or communication tools and platforms. Next is understanding of the user interfaces. Students' complaints, queries, emails, you can see or assess that students have no basic orientation about the system. For that, it is very important to deal efficiently and promptly with that issue that you also go through all the user interfaces you have to deal during the effective e-teaching or during the deliverance of the content. Student upco for example, we get so many queries through emails and MDBs that they don't know where to download, how to download the course handouts, where to contact, how to contact course instructor and where to find the information regarding course instructor, how to submit the assignment or how to submit a particular file on LMS. Issues related to these, you can assess through their MDBs and emails content. To deal with these, it is really important that you explore each and every tab of the LMS on administrative side and on demo side, that is the student side interface. There is no harm in explore and experiment with each and every tab of the LMS because LMS is the main medium through which you communicate, through which you deliver the content to the students. Also, it will help you to give basic orientation to the students. In addition to interfaces, it is recommended to go through all the rules and regulations available on the website, available on the desktop, available on the Viz, available on any other platform, student handbook. You should also go through interfaces, go administrative point of view and you should also go through the student perspective. Then you will be able to effectively and efficiently guide the student. Next, I would suggest that to deal with these kinds of basic issues. For example, a student doesn't have to connect to the internet, students don't have to official VU email ID. Students have a problem to upload an assignment, students have a problem to download an assignment. Students don't know where to see the course calendar, where to see the grading scheme, where to see the course instructor's information, so before directly dealing with them, you can do this beforehand that you provide resources for them. You can provide resources on LMS in what way you can add such basic queries to FAQs. Plus, you can provide them written guidelines available on LMS, available on Viz. Also, you can upload short video tutorials regarding these basic queries such as, for example, a student is having a problem to attempt a quiz, for that, you need to add a certain extension related to this, you can upload a short video tutorial on how to attempt the quiz on LMS, how to upload the assignment file, where to find the course information, where to find the course instructor information. Next, we will be discussing few key attributes that a teacher must possess for effective e-teaching. First of all, it is really important to be adaptable and to be flexible for the students. Students' needs, as we discussed, students have a diverse population in the virtual system, distance learning programs, different backgrounds, different learning abilities, different learning paths, or paces, or styles. It means that students' needs and queries and issues will also be as diverse as they are. So, those diverse needs and queries and issues are very important to deal with, that a teacher may be an adaptive or flexible attitude, flexible attribute, so that they can address their queries well. As we discussed earlier, it is really important to keep ourselves updated with new tools and platforms. For example, if you get a query from an overseas student, where Skype or Google Meet doesn't work, but student has to appear in Viva or he or she has to communicate with you for some issues regarding assignment or LMS or so on, and Skype or Google Meet doesn't work, so you have different platforms, communication tools, and software knowledge that you can provide to get in touch or to take him or her online. Next, as we discussed earlier, you should be updated with innovation. It is very important in another perspective. Your content, in this synchronous mode, your content is the major medium through which you contact students, you make connections with them, you establish rapport through your content. Your content should be interactive, engaging, and to make that content engaging or interactive, different softwares, different tools, communication tools, or interactive tools through which we can make the content engaging or interactive. So, it is very important to be updated with those software tools or features. And to use all these features for students, we can only be motivated or use this content effectively when we are adaptive to these new features, these new innovations, or we are flexible to cater all the needs of the students. Students' time, for example, students' time zone difference, student overseas student or student, a student does a job, but during job hours, after his job hours, after his duty hours, he needs to be in contact with you, so you must make yourself that much adaptable and flexible to deal with the... to address his or her queries. Next, strategy or key attribute to deliver the content or being an efficient e-teacher is effective communication. Effective communication is a vital part of your effective e-teaching journey. Before moving on to the effective communication techniques or skills or tips, we should understand, to communicate effectively, it is really important to know about other's perspective. It is important to know about students' perspective. If you don't know the students' queries from their perspective, then effective communication might get difficult. For effective communication, it is very important to know the students' perspective as well. With some examples, let's discuss this perspective. For example, students are posting MDBs or queries on LMS under the tab of a video lesson that present-present, you get multiple queries of students writing present, it shows, a student has no idea about marking attendance or if the attendance or if the marking attendance is compulsory or not. It means that the students clearly didn't deliver these instructions that it is not necessary to mark attendance after a lecture. For example, you can see an example on your screens that student is posting a query on MDB forum that assalaamu alaikum, I don't understand this course is difficult. With this small query, we learn about multiple things. Student, first of all, if you are greeting, it means that he or she knows that someone is on the other side available to address our query. But student has no idea about how to communicate effectively and clearly his or her concerns. Student, you don't even know the student's query that he or she has to face the issue in which topic, in which concept. Where he or she has to face the difficulty. Also, this can also happen. Student has enrolled many difficult courses in this semester and he is very frustrated due to excessive workload or difficult courses. So, how would a straight reply be? Extended reply, you can see on the screen. Dear student, please watch the video lesson and consult the handouts for clarity of concept. This is a concise to the point. But this student is not guiding, helping response is not. So, it is really important to answer the student question, answer the student query in a clear and in a detailed manner. For that purpose, interactive approach, engaging approach, encouraging approach that is appreciative inquiry is recommended. In response to this example, how can a good comprehensive reply be one of the examples you can see on your screen? That is, If the student has started with your query greeting, then it should start with a culturally appropriate greeting. I hope you are doing well. Writing a statement like this or deliver a sense of connection, sense of concern with students through your response, a sense of concern established by adding such statements. I understand this can be little difficult for you to grasp the new concepts. Please do let me know the concept you are facing, difficulty. I'll try to explain it to you. Feel free to contact me on the particular email ID. You can provide your email ID. You can provide your Skype ID, any other official in contact information. Then finish your answer with best wishes and your name. Next, we will discuss another element of effective communication that is timely and constructive feedback. It is important. We all know that it is really important to provide the feedback timely and in a constructive manner to the students. For example, a student's quiz is scheduled and one day before that, a query related to the quiz is being asked through MDB or email. And you reply after 48 hours, after 72 hours, after two or three days, then there will be no benefit of that feedback. So it is important to provide the feedback in a timely manner and in a constructive manner. If your response is short to the point, it will not be in a constructive manner, it will not be clearly written, then there will be no benefit of that feedback. Next, I will share a few techniques and tips for interactive approach while communicating to your student or while when you are involved in creating content for the course, it is important to opt for interactive approach. Always, it is suggested and recommended to always use first-person narrative while writing your responses or email replies to the students. So using first-person narrative while communicating to the students, establish a sense of concern. Students' idea is that a person or the instructor available on other side knows about you. For this, there is a feature available in LMS or you can know about the student information through which the student's ID or the student's identity is available in email or in MDB. Take further information from that information and address it with its name while writing your response. It will reflect your concern, your connectedness. After greeting the student in the response, it is advised, it is recommended that you divide the student's query in smaller chunks. Divide the student's query into chunks and review it to see what it is asking. It can be in a query. It may be asking you about multiple issues but it is not clearly written. It is not clearly stated. So it is recommended that you divide the student's query content in smaller chunks, review it and then answer it step by step. Then conclude your answer with some best wishes and your name. Writing your name, designation and contact information will help the student to contact you in an efficient manner and also student will have the idea about the course instructor or the person who is responding on the other side. We talked about students' queries and how to use interactive approach. Now we will discuss briefly about the interactive content and interactive LMS features. In this increased mode, the content is communicated through the students. Your content and course content should be so enriched and interactive that the student feels the reflection of live teaching. So it is important to make your content interactive using different tools and different techniques interactive techniques. For example, you can add animated video in the content. You can add formative assessment in the content. You can add pictures and you can add pictures in the content to facilitate the student learning. Also, in LMS, many features already are working on the interactive approach. You must explore new ideas and innovations to make your LMS or any other medium you are using to communicate with the student more interactive. Lastly, your content, your communication and your students' queries replies must reflect that you are concerned and you are readily available to address their queries in a timely and constructive manner. Next, we will discuss a vital key attribute of being an effective and efficient e-teacher Being an empathetic person or teacher also helps us dealing effectively in teaching and as well as in our daily life. Empathy is actually a foundational human quality that helps us in every aspect of our life being a teacher, being a co-worker or being a homemaker, being a parent, being a friend. Empathy is important to know about what empathy is there is a misconception that empathy is feeling sorry for someone that is sympathy that you feel sorry for someone you show support and concern just because that you are feeling sorry for someone but empathy is sensing other people's emotions mirroring someone's feelings really listening to what others have to say putting yourself in others shoe imagining how someone is feeling it identify how a person is feeling feeling overwhelmed by others tragedy it is also imagine what someone is actually thinking after acknowledging or knowing about others emotions and conditions and perspective you should support and concern to others that is empathy To deal with students effectively showing empathy is very important if you are a empathetic teacher a empathetic person in your student's queries by replying students' queries empathy will reflect empathy in your responses in your replies by dealing with students will reflect empathy helps us in many aspects being an empathetic co-worker or empathetic person it helps us in conflict resolution in problem solving for example there are some courses which has a huge number of students we are working in teams so being a team member or being a team lead or working in a group it is important to have empathetic values and empathetic traits when you inculcate and establish empathy as a personality trait in your personality it helps you to stay motivated it helps you to cultivate a conducive and inclusive environment in your office or in your teaching it reflects in your teaching and everyday dealing with others earlier we have discussed how being an empathetic person helps us in being an effective e-teacher and a good co-worker and a good person if we experience empathy on a daily basis and practice being a team worker being a teacher being a homemaker it helps us in every aspect effective or being an empathetic teacher will help you in delivering the content efficiently and effectively it will help you to communicate with your students promptly and in an effective way it also helps you to work in a better environment around you earlier we have discussed few key attributes such as adaptability flexibility empathy and support effective communication skills now I will share a few time management and organization tips and tricks to work efficiently and to deal with the students effectively first of all it is strongly recommended that if you are working in a virtual setup while working in a virtual setup it is strongly recommended that you establish a routine it will help you to deliver the content to the students it will help you to complete your task in a timely manner and you will feel you will stay motivated you will feel accomplished accomplishment and achievement if you establish a routine you know that you are coming to office and you are doing the particular task in that specific of time next it is while establishing a routine it is important while establishing a routine is important to set priorities prioritize your task according to your according to their need to be addressed for example as we discussed earlier students queries questions in a timely manner giving feedback and answering is very important according to this you can prioritize your daily task setting priorities can be according to your daily task prioritize your task according to the weekly goals next a helpful technique while setting our goals is setting priorities prioritize your task according to the urgency to address those queries or those tasks for example in the first half of your working hours you may prioritize the task of replying or responding to the student queries so that you can timely and constructive feedback to the students then you can prioritize your other office or departmental related work according to their need to be addressed this will help you to complete the task in an efficiently and timely manner next is it is recommended that you prepare yourself for a certain activity or task in advance for example if you have scheduled a Google Meet session or a session to communicate or to address the students queries in a particular course you should prepare for that session in advance it is recommended that you go through the content that you have to deliver during the session you go through the list of the students you get the idea from which region students are coming in that particular session and for example students have to appear in Viva you must go through the content from which you have to ask questions and queries and you go through the list of the students in a timely manner so these tips will help you to deal these tips will help you to complete the task in a timely manner next technique is a really important technique to work efficiently and promptly in a virtual setup that is use time blocks divide your day and divide your working hours or divide your tasks in smaller time blocks assign specific working hours to a specific task do not exceed the time limit while working on that particular task try to complete that task in those assigned hours it will help you to keep yourself motivated keep yourself disciplined and focused in the end you will realize that you have completed the work in efficient manner next is limit multitasking do one task at a time so that you are completely focused on that particular task and your attention is not diverted to any other issue it will enhance the quality of your work it will enhance the quality of your performance as well last strategy is to evaluate and reflect all your duties you have performed all the strategies you have opted to complete the task in a timely manner please it is recommended that you go through each and every task and the strategy you have opted to complete that task so that you can have an idea about how effective that strategy work for you if a strategy doesn't work effectively for you then you should move on to another effective strategy to complete your task and to perform well in your duties lastly I will discuss a few elements that you need to incorporate in your personality as a teacher, as a human being to access to gain personal excellence it is really important and crucial to inculcate these attributes and personality traits in your personality for being an effective e-teacher for being an effective co-worker and a good human being first of all is avoid procrastination procrastination is the worst enemy of a e-teacher it is enemy of being an efficient teacher but it is particularly can be damaging for a e-teacher or a person who is working in a virtual environment that to avoid procrastination it is important to stay focused and disciplined if you are following our disciplined routine if you are focusing on a task one at a time if you are establishing a routine if you are setting your goals appropriately according to the priorities and you are time blocking for your task and you are doing one task at a time this will help you to stay focused and disciplined and you can avoid procrastination till now we have talked about some attributes through which we can be a good effective e-teacher and a good human being so far our communication and discussion around those students as a team member or working in office with multiple co-workers next topic that I am going to discuss self-care that should be the utmost priority in your list it is said that you cannot pour from an empty cup you are most important to prioritize yourself if you are not motivated you don't take care of yourself if you are not a fully functioning person you cannot be an effective e-teacher you are a good human being a beneficial member of that particular community cannot be working in a virtual setup requires maximum effort and exhausting working hours exhausting and excessive screen time which disturbs your physical health sometimes and if your physical health is disturbed your mental health will also be disturbed for example if you are not getting enough appropriate amount of sleep it will first of all it will affect your mental health you can have mood swings or you can have fatigue and you can have symptoms you can experience symptoms of burnout while working in office so it is really important to prioritize your physical health and mental health as well for that particular for that particular issue I would advise you to take short breaks if you are working for 8 hours dedicated for a system then you can have 1 hour particularly for yourself do whatever you like in that particular hour just for yourself for your mental health for your physical health get good sleep or you can just relax while listening to the music or you can read or you can you can do some physical exercise you can meditate there are multiple activities to relax to prioritize your physical and mental well being so when we achieve the optimum level of when we take care of ourselves of our physical and mental health it will help you to establish sense of openness to new experiences it is important for being a successful person for being a good human being and lastly a good effective efficient e-teacher it is really important to keep yourself open to new experiences for new learning experiences and to growth a conscious continuous learning and growth mindset is a key to ensure a consistent growth path in your life it is really important to know that a conscious continuous learning and growth mindset is a key to ensure a� but in your life keep learning keep growing much.