Online course development

On this page, the online MBA story illustrates the potential of partnering with Faculty Commons for your online program management needs.  The professional development opportunities listed below are helpful for those getting started with teaching online.  The resources listed in the sidebar can be used to access specific services directly.

An example of an online program management partnership
UDIT TEAMS UP WITH LERNER TO RE-ENVISION THE MBA

 

Teaching a course online is significantly different than teaching a course in the classroom. Not only do all the course requirements need to be included, but all student interactions need to take place online. Achieving successful student outcomes requires that communication, collaboration, and other interactions be reconsidered. These required changes in pedagogy and the accompanying online technology necessitate extra assistance to ensure program success. That’s where UD’s Information Technologies (UDIT) team saw an opportunity to partner.

Starting in 2015, UDIT teamed up with MBA program faculty in the Lerner College along with Wiley Education Services. During AY 2015-16, 20 courses became available in a carousel for the first cohort of the new online program. In addition to instructional design support from UDIT, course technology included the Canvas learning management system, integration with McGraw-Hill’s Connect textbook system, Zoom video conferencing, and video production through UD Capture studios.

In three years of collaboration, the partnership has continued to enhance program outcomes. UDIT continues to support the MBA program daily with its continuous improvement cycle for courses, vendor partnerships, and program management. One indication of program success is the Online MBA’s steady rise in US News and World Report’s ranking of MBA programs. Another indicator is the program’s incredible growth. When the online program launched 52 students were enrolled. This coming fall (2018), at the time of writing, 328 students are currently enrolled in the online MBA. This enrollment exceeds the number of students enrolled in the traditional on-campus program.

[Excerpted from the 2018 UDIT Annual Report]

Delivering Learning Experiences Online (DLEO)

The goal of the Delivering Learning Experiences Online program is to assist faculty in transitioning content to an online environment regardless of the delivery modality of the course (face-to-face, blended or online). The seven week program provides faculty with an opportunity to learn about and experience an online environment from a student’s perspective. To effectively create content for online use, it helps to have an authentic experience in this type of learning environment. While participating in both face-to-face (F2F) and online activities, faculty will be considering and developing instructional and assessment techniques which will be incorporated into the design of their own courses. Faculty will be expected to write goals and objectives, create learning modules, and prepare assessment techniques that demonstrate how your goals will be met.

This course will help you:

  • Learn the strengths and weaknesses of online/blended learning in its many forms.
  • Learn techniques to design course content for hybrid or fully online courses.
  • Increase understanding of appropriate technologies for online/blended learning.
  • Learn Instructional Design methodology.
  • Develop a community with other faculty from the University of Delaware.

BLAST (Blended Learning and Seamless Teaching)

The Blended Learning and Seamless Teaching (BLAST) Course Design Institute is a month-long commitment to improving course design for blended/hybrid courses. A blended course is one in which a significant portion of the learning activities have been moved online. Teaching a blended course involves developing challenging and engaging online learning activities that complement the face-to-face (F2F) course.

The BLAST program has a blended format consisting of planned F2F sessions and online activities and assignments with a focus on sound pedagogy.

This course will help you:

  • Apply instructional design principles to the creation of new content/courses.
  • Recognize and develop a plan for any potential problems a student could have learning in a blended environment and strategies for coping with them.
  • Determine when a particular technology tool is appropriate for use in helping to meet course goals and objectives.

Develop a written plan for completing their project (i.e. new course design, online modifications to an existing course, sample new online learning modules).

Canvas Workshops

Canvas workshops are offered on a regular basis, including

  • Keep Calm and Teach On (August)
  • Faculty Institutes (Winter, Summer)
  • and other events help throughout the year

Subscribe to the Faculty Commons newsletter for monthly event updates.

Resources

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