Additional Resources for Online Teaching

Establish a strong presence

There are a few areas an instructor may want to address, in particular, preparing for presence, investing in training, setting up students for success, focusing on communication, monitoring effectiveness, and embracing feedback. Establish an early and consistent teaching presence: Send announcements, create instructional videos, and join in discussions.

• Cultivating a Sense of Presence in Your Online Course
• Using Canvas Tools to Promote a Community of Inquiry
• Facilitating Engaging Discussions
• Jumpstart Your Stalled Discussions
• Video in Studio
• Promoting Academic Integrity in Your Online Course

Manage your time effectively

Create scheduled announcements, set up groups for assignments, check on hyperlinks, create a staggered plan for due dates, create a library of comments or feedback.

• Making Online Groups Work
• Online Collaboration Assignments
• Tick-Tock: Harness Tools to Save Time Teaching
• Peer Assessment
• Don’t Leave Me Hanging— 7 Ways to Bring Closure to Your Course

Communicate clearly and effectively

Establish clear expectations (syllabus, rubrics, checkings, learning objectives, alignment), provide timely feedback, communicate changes in schedule, set some synchronous meeting times to clarify things, establish a course routine.

• Aligning Objectives, Content, and Assessment
• Getting Started With Aligning Objectives And Assessments
• Syllabus
• Rubrics
• Benefits of Providing Feedback to Students

Create opportunities for active learning

Make a connection between the classroom and the real world to motivate students.

• Authentic Instruction
• Implementing E-Journals into Your Course
• Discussions
• Assessments
• Raising the Bar in Online Discussions

Provide resources for students to succeed

Provide supporting tool (study guides, practice questions, notes summarizing common mistakes), connect students with academic and student support services, use course analytics tools, acclimate students to online learning (expectations, netiquette, chunking), acclimate students to online tools.

• Chunking Content into Modules
• Narrated Lectures
• Tips for Implementing Open Educational Resources
• Google Apps in Canvas
• Online Learning Tools
• Scaffolding To Support Student Success In Online Courses
• Netiquette

Stay current

Engage in professional development, seek high-quality course design designation.

• Relationship Between SME and ID

Promote inclusivity

Establish inclusive instructor-student communications (personalized feedback in Speedgrader, surveys), build an inclusive classroom community, create a course that is inclusive to all learners (accessibility, captions, etc.).

• Accessibility & UDL
• 4 Easy Ways to Make Your Course More Accessible
• Basic Accessibility Checklist
• Providing Feedback to Students

Be accessible

Office hours, reach out to students who are struggling, emails after graded work.

• Communication in Canvas
• Engaging Students in Canvas

Reflect on your teaching

Use data for continuous improvement, conduct mid-semester course surveys.

• Canvas Analytics
• Course Analytics in Canvas
• Reflective Teaching
• Mindful Development and Delivery