Online Teaching at Its Best (eBook)

LINDA B. NILSON is director emerita of the Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation (OTEI) at Clemson University and author of Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors (Jossey-Bass), now in its fourth edition. LUDWIKA A. GOODSON is Associate Director for Faculty Development at the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching at Purdue University Fort Wayne.

The Authors vii

Preface ix

1 Teaching at Its Best, No Matter What the Environment 1

Teaching Quality as Key 1

The Special Challenges of Online Learning 2

The Special Challenges That Online Faculty Face 4

Teaching and Learning across Environments 7

Reflections 15

2 Setting Significant Outcomes 21

The Need for Reflecting on What We Teach 21

How Content Becomes the Wrong Driver 23

A Meaningful Destination for the Learning Enterprise 23

Examples of Significant Learning from Instructional Design 24

Examples of Significant Learning from College Courses 25

Examples of Significant Learning from Adaptive Learning 28

The Process of Reflection 29

Reflections 30

3 Designing a Coherent Course 37

Online Course Design Standards 37

Phases of Course Design 39

Structuring Your Course 40

Course Templates and Maps: Aids to Course Design 43

Writing and Sequencing Learning Outcomes 46

Developing Valid Assessments 49

Mapping Learning Activities to Outcomes 56

Choosing Online Course Content 58

Online Copyright Guidelines 59

The Syllabus: What to Include 63

Organizing Your Files for Yourself and Your Students 66

Reflections 68

4 Applying Cognitive Science to Online Teaching and Learning Strategies 79

Twenty-Five Principles of Learning from Cognitive Science 79

How These Principles Can Inform Online Course Design and Teaching 82

Reflections 96

5 Motivating Elements: Course Policies, Communications, Assessments, and More 107

Motivation, Effort, and Achievement 107

Too Much of a Good Thing? 109

Categories of Motivators: Intrinsic and Extrinsic 109

Reinforcing and Punishing 110

Capturing Attention 110

Ensuring Relevance 112

Encouraging Goal Expectancy and Self-Efficacy 115

Creating Satisfaction 120

Fostering Social Belonging 121

Motivating as Our Major Task 122

Reflections 123

6 Developing Interactivity, Social Connections, and Community 131

The Effects of Interactions on Learning 131

Student-Instructor Interaction 133

Student-Content Interaction 136

Student-Student Interaction 150

Interactions with Technology 156

Reflections 158

7 Making Accessibility for Everyone Much Easier 165

Why Use Student-Centered Design? 165

Sources of Obstacles 167

Overcoming Obstacles 167

Guidelines and Standards for Designing Accessibility 169

The Specific How-To's of Ensuring Accessibility 171

Additional Resources and Advice 187

Reflections 188

8 Creating a Supportive Culture for Online Teaching 195

The Importance of Quality in Online Courses 195

Faculty Challenges in Transitioning to Online Teaching 197

Faculty Incentives and Support for Online Teaching 200

Designing Effective Professional Development 206

Models for a Professional Development Program 210

Summary 214

Reflections 215

Appendix A: Online Course Development Checklist 221

Course Beginnings 221

Technology 224

Assessments and Grading 225

Course Materials 227

Student Interactions with the Content, Instructor, and Peers 228

Appendix B: Accessibility Resources 231

Strategies to Make Access to Course Materials Easy 231

Ways to Make Accessible Document Files 233

Ways to Design Accessible PowerPoint Presentations 236

Captioning Resources 236

Accessibility Checks 237

Resources for Students 237

Index 241