This paper sheds light on the skills and competencies required for teaching online courses in higher education. The paper started with an overview of the issues related to online learning and teaching. Reviewing and analyzing literature in this topic were performed to confine skills and competencies that instructors need to effectively teach in online learning environments. These skills and competencies are classified into six categories: (a) pedagogical skills, (b) content skills, (c) design skills, (d) technological skills, (e) management and institutional skills, and (f) social and communication skills.