Teaching Online

Hours: 16 / Access Length: 12 Months / Delivery: Online, Self-Paced

Course Overview:

This course is designed to give faculty the necessary tools to teach in an online environment. Based on pedagogical principles of online teaching, this course introduces best practices for teaching online and introduces tools to help support the teaching and learning process.

Students will:

• Summarize the theoretical foundations of pedagogy. 
• Describe the ten core learning principles. 
• Explain best practices for online and blended learning classrooms. 
• Describe methods for choosing technology tools to support teaching and learning. 
• Identify goals, tasks, and tips for each phase of a course. 
• Explain the importance of the reflection phase at the end of a course. 

Course Outline:

Lesson 1: Online Teaching and Pedagogy 

In this first lesson, we will learn about the different types of online and blended courses and review learning theory and theorists. We will also explore pedagogy and the ten core learning principles.

Lesson 2: Best Practices and Technology

In this lesson, we will learn about evidence-based best practices for teaching online. We will also explore digital tools that can enhance teaching and learning. 

Lesson 3: An Overview of the Four Phases of a Course and Phase One

In this lesson, we will explore the four phases of a course. We will further dive into phase one of a course, the beginning. Tips for successfully beginning a course and preparing the syllabus are also covered.

Lesson 4: Phases Two and Three of a Course

In this lesson, we will continue looking at the four phases of a course by reviewing the middle two phases. Expectations and tips for success are explored. 

Lesson 5: Phase Four and Accelerated Courses

In this lesson, we will finish our review of the four phases of a course by looking at the final weeks of a course, and reviewing closing strategies. We will also look at designing and teaching intensive, accelerated courses.

Lesson 6: Wrapping up a Course

In this final lesson, we will examine what should happen as a course ends. Reflection on the design of a course and on the problem areas is emphasized. 

All necessary course materials are included.

System Requirements:

Internet Connectivity Requirements:

• Cable, Fiber, DSL, or LEO Satellite (i.e. Starlink) internet with speeds of at least 10mb/sec download and 5mb/sec upload are recommended for the best experience.

NOTE: While cellular hotspots may allow access to our courses, users may experience connectivity issues by trying to access our learning management system.  This is due to the potential high download and upload latency of cellular connections.   Therefore, it is not recommended that students use a cellular hotspot as their primary way of accessing their courses.

Hardware Requirements:

• CPU: 1 GHz or higher
• RAM: 4 GB or higher
• Resolution: 1280 x 720 or higher.  1920x1080 resolution is recommended for the best experience.
• Speakers / Headphones
• Microphone for Webinar or Live Online sessions.

Operating System Requirements:

• Windows 7 or higher.
• Mac OSX 10 or higher.
• Latest Chrome OS
• Latest Linux Distributions
  

NOTE: While we understand that our courses can be viewed on Android and iPhone devices, we do not recommend the use of these devices for our courses. The size of these devices do not provide a good learning environment for students taking online or live online based courses.

Web Browser Requirements:

• Latest Google Chrome is recommended for the best experience.
• Latest Mozilla FireFox
• Latest Microsoft Edge
• Latest Apple Safari

Basic Software Requirements (These are recommendations of software to use):

• Office suite software (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice)
• PDF reader program (Adobe Reader, FoxIt)
• Courses may require other software that is described in the above course outline.