Set and maintain class deadlines. Though distance-learning courses typically offer more student flexibility, you must adhere to strict deadlines to keep your instructional workload orderly and in sync with the class. It can be tempting for a first-time cyber instructor to extend deadlines and keep individual students working at difference paces, but this can become overwhelming, as the instructor must then track and address many different skill levels simultaneously.
Upload video or audio clips of "real-world" lectures whenever possible. Such files will be more effective than teaching solely with written lessons or lengthy textbook reading assignments. Many first-time distance-learning teachers will rely too heavily on massive amounts of required reading to teach students, and this overwhelms students and reduces active student engagement and interest.
Respond to students in a timely manner. According to the University of Washington, "Research shows that learners are more likely to complete a distance-learning course if they receive prompt feedback on their work." Don't let emails go unanswered and don't let homework pile up. You'll find it is not very difficult to keep up with virtual housekeeping if you plan ahead using the advice from Step 1.
Make face time. Part of your job as an instructor is to be available to your students and supportive of their efforts. While the advice in Step 3 covers the daily application of this tenet, you should also try to set up at least one video or audio conference with each student during a term. This will help make the course more "real" for distance learners, and it will help you, as an instructor, get to know your class.
Maintain discussion boards, and consider making discussion postings a graded requirement. Most distance-learning websites feature discussion boards. However, if your institution does not have this capability, you can still foster whole-class discussions using free message boards on websites like ProBoards.com and FreeBoards.net.
Schedule whole-class events when applicable. While discussion boards are great for intermittent discussions, you should still schedule virtual meetings or discussions to allow for instant feedback and instructor commentary. Require students to post on the discussion boards during a certain time frame, or schedule massive conference calls on Skype or similar voice-chat programs. This, of course, only works if your students are mostly confined to a single time zone; asking international learners to adhere to domestic schedules is not feasible.
Encourage student collaboration, as recommended by the University of Washington. Just as collaborative projects can be great learning vehicles in traditional classrooms, so too are they useful for virtual classrooms. Students working collaboratively can be encouraged to utilize email and instant messaging to work together.