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September 29, 2022
To foster academic integrity, pair anti-plagiarism tools with clear conduct expectations and authentic low-stakes assessments. When designing and teaching online courses, maintaining academic integrity is frequently top of mind. In many cases, faculty may opt to adopt third-party tools to monitor student work. Despite the prevalence of academic monitoring software in online courses, the most powerful tools for promoting academic integrity are introduced much earlier in the course-build process.
September 09, 2022
Many existing best practices for course builds can be leveraged to support English language learners (ELLs). While designing your online course, consider ELLs and the diverse linguistic and cultural knowledge they bring to the classroom.
December 29, 2022
Designed to simulate real-world experiences, branching scenarios are powerful tools for increasing student engagement. Like a choose-your-own-adventure book, a branching scenario invites users to explore a virtual world, using knowledge and skills from their coursework and information shared within the scenario to make decisions. The decisions they make lead them down different pathways (some of which may include embedded documents and videos) toward different endings. Depending on the complexity of the branching scenarios and the choices students make, they can experience a variety of different possible outcomes within a single scenario.
February 25, 2025
Cognitive disabilities are common among adults in the United States and are especially prevalent among young adults (Okoro et al., 2018). Such disabilities impact mental functions such as memory, attention, perception, and calculation, among others. As a result, students with cognitive disabilities may struggle with academic tasks generally—and online coursework specifically—in unique ways (Petretto et al., 2021; Reyes et al., 2022). Since online courses are often text-heavy, for example, students with dyslexia may find them more challenging to navigate than on-ground classes (Chen et al., 2015). Students with cognitive disabilities may also struggle with navigating inconsistent online course layouts, comprehending complicated directives, and engaging with non-essential course components. Finally, when online courses are large or impersonal, students with cognitive disabilities may have difficulty focusing on assignments and other coursework (The Best Schools, 2024).
August 07, 2025
Competency-based education (CBE) is gaining momentum in higher education as a strategy to enhance flexibility, promote workforce alignment, and improve outcomes for adult and nontraditional learners. For institutional leaders, designing or expanding CBE programs requires not only a clear understanding of core CBE principles but also a strategic approach to implementation, curricular redesign, equity, and evaluation.
November 22, 2024
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).
January 24, 2024
Over the course of your teaching career, you may inherit an online course developed by another faculty member. While such a situation can offer many advantages, it can also provoke many questions and pose significant challenges. Inheriting a complete course with materials and assessments already in place can simplify and streamline some aspects of instruction, but it can be difficult to identify where to start and what to prioritize as you begin engaging with the course. This blog outlines a four-phase process that can lead to a successful transition.
December 03, 2024
In our Personal Experience Insights series, members of the Everspring Learning Design department share first-hand accounts of creating online learning content and meaningful takeaways from their professional experiences.
January 13, 2025
Inclusive citation practices can empower educators to cultivate equity, enrich academic discourse, and create welcoming learning environments. By prioritizing diverse perspectives and ensuring the representation of underrepresented voices, instructors can address systemic inequities in scholarship and amplify marginalized contributions. Such efforts not only deepen students’ critical engagement with course materials but also foster a sense of belonging, preparing them to thoughtfully navigate an increasingly interconnected world.
September 03, 2025
Our workforce has undergone a profound transformation, driven by emerging technologies, automation, and shifting business priorities (Silva, 2024). These forces are reshaping job roles, workflows, work environments, and the skills required to succeed. The global pandemic was also a major accelerator, pushing these changes forward across industries. As a result, the rapid evolution of work has created an increasing need for continuously updated and, in many cases, entirely new skill sets.