Teaching and Learning

Welcoming students to your online course helps you build lasting relationships with them, and increases their loyalty to you.

Description A welcome message to students before the course begins is an important step in establishing your online persona (Bellafiore, 2007; Gibson and Blackwell, 2005; Mensch and Ali, 2007; and Phillips, 2011). The message should include vital information for the course and not be your entire syllabus. The purpose of this communication is to welcome … Continue reading "Welcome Message"

Description A Course Orientation Module serves as the orientation to an online course. Creating an Orientation Module is very similar to the events that can occur in first night of a face-to-face class. The purpose of this module is to help students learn the course routine, expectations, and organization as well as ensure that students … Continue reading "Course Orientation Module"

Christina Cavage is professor of ESL at Savannah College of Art and Design. In this article, Christina discuss her process when selecting course materials...

Instructional materials are the content or information conveyed within a course. These include the lectures, readings, textbooks, multimedia components, and other resources in a course. These materials can be used in both face-to-face and online classrooms; however, some must be...

Implementing the principles of universal design in online learning means anticipating the diversity of students that may enroll in your course and planning accordingly.… Continue reading→

Effective online instruction depends on learning experiences appropriately designed and facilitated by knowledgeable educators. Because learners have different learning styles or a combination of styles, online educators should design activities multiple modes of learning in order to provide…

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Overview of Backward Course Design "To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you're going so that you better understand where you are not so that the steps you take are always in the right direction." Stephen R. Covey. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Cite this guide: Bowen, Ryan S., (2017). Understanding by Design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [todaysdate] from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/understanding-by-design/. Print Version Overview The Benefits of Using Backward Design The Three Stages of Backward Desgin The Backward Design Template Overview Understanding by Design is a book written by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe that offers a...

The OLC Quality Scorecard - Benchmarking Tools, Checklists, & Rubrics for Evaluating the Quality and Effectiveness of Online Learning Programs & Courses

The Online Course Mapping Guide is a walk-through of the course mapping process. This site is designed to help you build a vision and a map for your course. The guided exercises in this site will help you identify course competencies and create learning outcomes that provide a foundation for your course map.

Learning Objectives

Teaching Principles

COVID-19 - Broadband Resources for Students Free or Low Cost Broadband Offerings Charter Spectrum Broadband COVID-19 response: Charter will offer free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband sub...

Student Guide to Learning Remotely* When the Portland State campus experiences unexpected challenges that require face-to-face classes to be held remotely, your instructors and PSU staff are working diligently to ensure your transition to remote learning is as smooth as possible. This page is a...

Tips for Learning During Disruption Compiled by Dr. Caleb McDaniel and Dr. Jenifer Bratter Rice University The speaker notes under each slide offer talking points and information about these tips. TURN ON SPEAKER NOTES!

Well-planned online learning experiences are meaningfully different from courses offered online in response to a crisis or disaster. Colleges and univ

In 2005, more than 120 U.S. universities came to the aid of some 20 colleges and universities that had been impacted by Hurricane Katrina through shared online classes.