Search
There are 29 results.
Category
Tag
Tag
All (150)
Active Learning (4)
Activities (5)
Alt Text (1)
Analytics (4)
Assessments (13)
Asynchrony (5)
Authentic Activities (3)
Backwards Design (2)
Belonging (3)
Canvas (10)
Case Studies (2)
Collaboration (7)
Color Contrast (1)
Communication (11)
Community (9)
Competency-Based Education (3)
Content Creation (29)
Copyright (2)
Course Maintenance (6)
Course Materials (14)
Course Preparation (10)
Discussions (5)
Diversity (5)
Equity (2)
Faculty Presence (9)
Faculty Support (4)
Feedback (11)
Formative Assessments (9)
Game-Based Learning (2)
Gamification (1)
Generative AI (8)
Grading (8)
Group Work (2)
Images (3)
Inclusion (8)
Infographics (2)
Learning Objectives (4)
Multimodality (7)
Page Design (2)
Peer Review (1)
PowerPoint (2)
Presentations (2)
Qualitative courses (1)
Quantitative courses (1)
Representation (2)
Revising (2)
Revision (1)
Rubrics (4)
Scaffolding (1)
Screen Readers (1)
Social Media (2)
Summative Assessments (1)
Synchrony (7)
Third-Party Tools (2)
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (4)
Video (13)
Visual Accessibility (2)
Visual Design (2)
Workload (1)
Written Assignments (1)
No Sweat Alt Text
What is “alt text”? Alt text is descriptive text linked to an image, graph, or other visual content that allows users to understand the visual without viewing it. Any image online should contain alt text, but guidelines differ depending on whether the image is simply decorative or related to other content on the page.
Group Work Best Practices Guide
Group work in online courses can facilitate student learning in unique ways. In particular, group assignments can provide students with opportunities to engage in authentic tasks and develop collaborative skills applicable to their future careers. Williams et al. (2006) argue that team learning stimulates student thinking at the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, including application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Group projects can serve a variety of different purposes across a wide range of academic programs and subjects. Additionally, group projects can foster interaction and community building amongst students, which can be especially valuable in an asynchronous online classroom (Martin & Bolliger, 2018).
Presentation Best Practices Guide
Many online courses focus on written communication skills, featuring discussion posts, papers, and case study reports among other assignments. However, oral communication and presentation skills are just as integral to students’ success, and, indeed, many employers list presenting as one of the most desirable skills for job candidates (Suhadi et al., 2021).
Enhancing Quantitative Courses With Varied Learning Approaches
Employing a variety of modes of instruction and assessment, as recommended by Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, can enhance the learning experience for students in quantitative courses. Diverse elements such as visual aids, interactive features, and real-world applications can complement, extend, or replace traditional lectures and exams. Since classes consist of students with varying learning preferences and strategies, using multiple modes of representation in a course promotes deeper understanding, engagement, and skill development. This piece details design elements that can be particularly impactful in quantitative courses.
Universal Design for Learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which has roots in Ronald Mace’s concept of Universal Design, is a pedagogical framework that supports diverse learning needs. According to CAST, the creator of the framework, UDL seeks “to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn” (2018). UDL is not a step-by-step curriculum plan, but rather an approach to pedagogy and curriculum development that aims to make the learning environment as accessible as possible for as many learners as possible (Derer, 2021; CAST, 2018).
Best Practices to Support Student Well-Being
Mental health concerns are prevalent among undergraduate and graduate students and can have deleterious consequences (Chi et al., 2023; Venable & Pietrucha, 2022). In particular, students struggling with their mental health are less likely to pass their courses and more likely to drop out of their programs of study (Lister & McFarlane, 2021). While universities often provide support systems in the form of accessibility services and counseling centers, several significant issues can lead to the underutilization of available resources among students in general and online students in particular. First, students may need to be physically present on campus in order to access support systems (Lister et al., 2023). As a result, students enrolled in online programs may be unable to use them. Additionally, students may not capitalize on available resources due to logistical challenges (e.g., scheduling), feelings of discomfort in asking for help, or concerns about stigmatization (Venable & Pietrucha, 2022).
Audio-Only Content to Support Learning
In comparison to instructional videos, the role of audio-only instructional content in online learning has received scant attention. When audio-only content is discussed, the research often centers on the use of audio feedback or student-created podcasts, rather than instructor-created instructional audio. Additionally, few studies have compared learning outcomes from recorded video lectures versus from audio alone, except within the context of specific disciplines, such as second language acquisition (Berner & Adams, 2004).
Six Strategies for Multimodal Content Delivery
If you’re developing a course with synchronous and asynchronous elements, you have a host of options for engaging students and delivering content. Research suggests that incorporating multiple modalities increases accessibility, engagement, and learning (Mick and Middlebrook, 2015; Margolis et al., 2017). With that said, it is important to be intentional about multimodal course design. Both synchronous and asynchronous methods of delivery are effective, but activities can be better suited to one or the other modality and synchronous time is often limited. Delivering selected content asynchronously can support students’ understanding of how information is organized and leave more time for interactivity in synchronous sessions.
Multimodal Models
Designing a successful multimodal course means, at each step of the process, considering what each format does well—structuring the course such that each piece of content, each activity, and each interaction uses the most effective delivery method available. But what does that look like in practice? This piece describes three approaches to structuring a multimodal course. In each model, asynchronous and synchronous time complement one another and further module and course objectives. Where the models differ is in the relative importance of asynchronous activities in enabling students to complete synchronous activities and vice versa.