Faculty Resources -- Professional Development

Best Practices in Online Courses

Whether your course is on-ground or on-line, best practices always include clear and measurable outcomes with relevant assessment methods; complete and clear instructions and expectations; impeccable, challenging, and up-to-date content; multiple ways for students to engage with the material and to track their progress; and timely feedback to students.

Information your course site needs:

• Welcome—Start Here page or instructions
• Instructor info—how to contact, how often you’ll respond, and information about what you expect from students and what they can expect from you
• Course description, outcomes, evaluations, rubrics, etc. (all required syllabus elements)
• Description or short video about how the course is organized, how to use course tools, etc.
• Required materials with ISBN numbers and optional materials
• Required minimum technology and skills
• Very early student interaction (needed for attendance, plus student engagement)
• Technical support--troubleshooting and help resources
• Online behavior guidelines ("netiquette")

Pedagogical Practices that Support Learning

• Active learning—discussion, responses, interaction with others in class (Weekly forums where you engage with students and they hear and respond to at least 1-2 other students)
• Organizational principle followed consistently (modules, units, weeks, etc.)
• Course tools should support, rather than confuse, learning. Delete unused tools in the LMS.
• Midterm feedback from students about the LMS; remind about syllabus and course goals
• A written assignment and/or a math assignment in the first week in order to assess student preparedness and make arrangements for tutoring.

Sources:
Quality Matters Standards (online)
Stavredes, T. (2011). Effective online teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge: Harvard UP.

Applying Best Practice in the LMS

• Use the “student” view often. Your perspective is much different from a student’s.
• Shorter videos and lectures are more technically accessible than longer (for you as producer, as well as students)
• Videos don’t  have to be polished, just informative.
• The best F2F activities can usually become an online activity. Don’t assume you can’t do it online.
• Keep non-LMS tools to a minimum. Get rid of unused LMS features. Rename a tool to fit the activity.
• Avoid trying to embed any large files; instead, link to videos and materials.
• Set up optional “practice” exams, forums, etc. for the first days of class.
• Ask students to identify a "Plan B": a second internet location. Do the same as an instructor: when and where will you re-open work, extend time, etc.
• Keep records, save emails, organize folders.
• Give a quiz (graded or non-graded) on the syllabus and course goals.
• Set due dates at the same time you are available to help; explain how to handle emergencies; remind on-campus students using the library that it closes at 11:00 p.m. (5:00 on Fridays and Saturdays) and that they should not start an exam if they are not sure they can complete it before the library closes. Student workers are not authorized to keep the library open past closing time.
• Consider giving points for doing final course evaluations.