Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review

Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review
Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD Dean, Distance Learning & Professional Studies New Mexico Junior College Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Session Outcomes Articulate best practices in quality online course design and delivery Identify when and how best practices in online course design are implemented Develop a plan to review online courses to determine parity between face-to-face and online content, quality, and rigor On the blank, index card at your seat, please write down what you hope to glean from this workshop today. Then, put that card aside. At the end of our time together, we will use them to guide our closing discussion. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Introductions Please write your first name on the table tent at your seat Individual introductions Share your name, what institution you are from, what your role is there, and how your role lead you hear to this workshop. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Why is online course design, delivery, and review important?
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review Why is online course design, delivery, and review important? Let’s brainstorm a bit regarding why we are here… Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

The Online Student Problems Faced by New Online Students What Makes a Successful Online Learner? Adaptability struggle Persistence Technical issues Effective time management Computer literacy Effective communication skills Time management Basic technical skills Self-motivation Motivation and Independence Show of hands… How many of you have ever taken an online course for college? How many of you have ever taken an online workshop for CEUs or professional development? THE ONLINE STUDENT - PROBLEMS Adaptability struggle – switching from a traditional classroom to a virtual one can be a challenge. Passive listening and notetaking are expected in the traditional classroom while online discussions and asynchronous interactivity require action. Shifting from a traditional mindset requires understanding expectations and benefits. Technical issues – Depending upon the demands of the course and where the student is connecting, the Internet bandwith may not be enough to move smoothly through the requirements. Some students erroneously believe that they complete everything they need to do from their course without a computer – using only their smartphones. Strong technical support and educating students about connection needs prior to registration is key. Computer literacy – While students may be technically savvy with YouTube and Twitter and a whole host of other apps, knowing how to format a paper using Microsoft Word or troubleshoot a glitch while uploading a file is a different skill set. Basic technology proficiency provides confidence for students in the online classroom. Time management – contrary to popular belief, online courses require quite a bit of time and intensive work. Online learners need to learn to manage tasks, budget time, and prioritize. Self-motivation – Much to their surprise, many new to online learning find they lack self-motivation. If they fall behind in a course, the idea of giving up is inviting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE ONLINE STUDENT – SUCCESSFUL Persistence – Student who succeed online are those who are willing to tolerate technical difficulties, seek help when needed, work daily on every class, and persist through challenges. Effective time management – Most courses are asynchronous. Flexibility is one of the greatest assets of online learning, but it can also be its greatest pitfall for those who procrastinate or who do not prioritize their online classes with other obligations. Creating a good study environment aids in time management. If a student is in an environment where he or she is easily distracted, then time management will be much more of a challenge. Effective and appropriate communication skills – Because non-verbal cues are non existent in the online classroom, students must be able to communicate their confusion and seek help when needed. Using the tools provided through the LMS, , text, or phone. Using appropriate, standard language (not text speak) is essential. Netiquette expectations should be communicated at the outset of the course. Reading and writing skills are part of this communication package. Reading online rather than printing out documents may be important. Typing speed is also necessary. If a student types less than words a minute, it may be worth gaining typing proficiency before starting an online course. Basic technical skills – The ability to create new documents, use a word processing program, navigate the Internet, and download software are some of the basic technical skills needed by online learners. There are many free online tutorials available via YouTube or libraries to assist students in gaining proficiency. Motivation and independence – To be successful in online learning, a student has to want to be successful. Online learning requires independence, internal motivation, personal responsibility, and a certain level of maturity. There is no doubt that self discipline, motivation, and effective time management skills are keys to being successful in an online learning environment. The online instructor must consider the online students’ needs, struggles, and challenges as they teach online. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Many institutions provide online self-assessments for students so that they can determine their relative strengths and challenges with respect to online learning. There is a sheet in your folders that provides a list of some examples. (Kumar, 2015) Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

The Online Instructor Dimensions Roles Pedagogical Course designer; Profession-inspirer; Feedback-giver; Interaction-facilitator Managerial Conference manager; Organizer and planner Social Rapport builder Technical Technical coordinator; Media designer; Technology integrator Show of hands…. How many of you currently teach or have taught online? A study was conducted at Indiana University to explore instructors’ perceptions of their roles online and identify the challenges and issues confronting online instructors. They found that the instructor in an online environment is a facilitator. The online facilitator’s role has four aspects: pedagogical, managerial, social, and technical. PEDAGOGICAL Course designer – design the learning experience, develop the structure and flow of materials, refine and update materials, share teaching experiences with colleagues. ISSUE – lack of program-wide faculty interaction…especially with adjuncts Professional inspirer – promote professional dialogue among students, relate personal experiences and cases to the discipline, channel to professional organizations ISSUE – taking the time to get to know students and their interests Feedback giver – provide timely and high quality feedback, provide formative feedback for continuous engagement ISSUE – in an online environment, engineering formative feedback requires pre-planning, feedback on dialogue can be more of a challenge in the online environment Interaction facilitator – facilitate peer interaction in online discussion, group work, team activities ISSUE – lack of facilitation skills; concerns about time commitment MANAGERIAL Conference manager – ensure quality and equity in online discussion; provide rules and guidelines to augment online discussions; promote knowledge construction ISSUE – lack of skill in managing discussion Organizer and planner – provide clear instructions and course structure; achieve balance between structure and flexibility ISSUE – developing a rhythm and flow to the online classroom takes practice SOCIAL Social rapport builder – build social rapport; establish online teams; build an online learning community ISSUE – lack of awareness of social role; concern about time commitment TECHNICAL Technical coordinator – refer students to technical support; communicate technical issues ISSUE – lack of control Media designer – develop multimedia tools ISSUE – concern about time commitment Technology integrator – use highly interactive tools to facilitate high quality online interaction ISSUE – lack of technical skills; concern about time commitment and accessibility issues ~~~~~~~~~ An online instructor must have some level of comfort in each role. (Liu, et al., 2005) Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Instructor Presence In essence, the online instructor has three types of presence in the online classroom – social, cognitive, and teaching – which result in the educational experience for and often with the student. ~~~~~~~~~~ These three types of presence should be visible throughout the course design, delivery, and review processes. One of the most important tasks that an online instructor can do is to provide motivation to the online students by communicating clear expectations, providing immediate feedback, creating a learning community, providing sufficient learning experiences and fostering application or connection of what they are learning to their lives. Face-to-face teaching strategies are different from teaching online and an instructor must realize the need to adapt these strategies to the online environment. It is important to note that an effective online instructor needs to be actively "present" in an online course and there are three types of presences: social, teaching and cognitive presence. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

What is Instructional Design?
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review What is Instructional Design? Instructional design is the systematic process of translating general principles of learning and instruction into plans for instructional materials and learning. Instructional design is developing a plan to convey the subject matter expertise of a faculty member to someone with less knowledge and experience in the subject. In the instructional design process we should consider: outcomes, assessments, learning activities, classroom interaction, technology to convey content and to promote engagement, and evaluation. While there are some commonalities between designing a course for face-to-face instruction and one for online delivery – syllabus, readings, assignments, assessments There are some MAJOR differences – front loading: the degree to which the instructor must plan the components of the course prior to the first day of class – is chief among them. The question we should ask ourselves while designing an online course is not – How am I going to teach this topic? BUT RATHER – What are my students going to learn? This means establishing outcomes first – deciding what it is we want our students to know or be able to do when they finish the course. Then – look at the activities and task that will make the learning meaningful and relative. Instructional design is an iterative process…AND it is more than just putting information in front of learners… Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Course Design Cycle Once learning outcomes are identified, the course contents, assessments, and learning activities should all align with the outcomes. Reflection plays a role through every stage of the cycle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Do you notice anything odd about the order of the stages? (Center for Teaching Excellence, 2107) Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Backward Design The Backward Design approach as a guide to online course designing. It begins by identifying your desired result first prior to determining the learning activities that should prepare the students to achieving the desired outcomes and the assessments that will provide documentation of the result. (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998) Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Universal Design for Learning
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review Universal Design for Learning UDL offers a framework to help us design course content, learning activities, and assessments to support our course student learning outcomes. Multiple means of representing content Multiple means of actions and expression Multiple means of engagement in learning In theory, one could strive to address all 23UDL principles in each class session/module. This seems daunting and may not be sustainable long term. Rather, we can take a longer view. We can map out a range of strategies to represent the content over the course of the semester or term. If, for example, introducing a topic requires a heavy dose of lecture, we may want to consider an alternative learning activity – a case study – in the next class. In terms of offering multiple means of expression, we can consider providing 3 different types of major assignments in the course (e.g., a paper, a model, and a film critique) that would appeal to different learners OR offer a smorgasbord of assignment options to provide choice and flexibility for the students. In any of these ways we can vary our activities and materials for teaching and learning over time. Consequently, we are more likely to reach and appeal to a broad range of learners. (CAST, 2011) Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Outcomes Alignment (Mapping)
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review Outcomes Alignment (Mapping) Identify course-specific learning outcomes Identify assessment methods Identify learning experiences Identify alignment with program outcomes/goals Identify alignment with institutional outcomes/goals ADD INFO FROM COURSE MAP ARTICLE ~~~~ See the Course Map Template in your packet Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

5 Principles of Curriculum Design
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review 5 Principles of Curriculum Design Challenge students to higher level learning Use active forms of learning Give frequent and immediate feedback Use a structured sequence Have a fair system for assessing and grading Teaching and learning experiences, tasks, and materials should be: 1. authentic, real world, and relevant 2. constructive, sequential, and interlinked 3. require students to use and engage with progressively higher order cognitive processes 4. are aligned with each other and desired learning outcomes 5. provide challenge, interest, and motivation to learn ~~~~~ These principles bleed over into our next segment…Online Course Delivery…as we consider how we put these principles into action in the virtual classroom. (Caruana, 2015; Meyers & Nulty, 2009) Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Course Design Plan At New Mexico Junior College, we encourage the use of our Course Design Plan template…there is a copy in your packet….in order to help faculty conceptualize their course content in terms of technology and the 5 principles of curriculum design In an effort to insure that our online courses have parity with our face-to-face courses, we are utilizing both the course map and the course design plan to document our online course design and development cycle. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Learning Management Systems
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review Learning Management Systems Blackboard – GREEN Canvas – RED Sakai, Moodle, or open-source platform – YELLOW Angel, D2L, or proprietary platform - ORANGE If your institution uses Blackboard as it’s LMS please stand by the green #1 Canvas stand by the red #2 Sakai, Moodle, or open-source stand by the yellow #3 Angel, D2L, or proprietary stand by the orange #4 As we move from design to delivery, it is important to note that while there are several different LMS platforms available, the elements of strong course design and delivery are the same across platforms. ~~~~~ BREAK ~~~~~ Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Online Course Delivery
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review Online Course Delivery Detailed syllabus Course content Opportunities for interaction Opportunities for feedback Assessment Accessibility An effective online course is comprised of a rich combination of multimedia and various learning activities that cover the different learning styles of students. Facilitating the learning experiences in an online environment requires a consistent structure and organization. Each module or unit should be built with a similar LAYOUT; AESTHETIC DESIGN, and LANGUAGE. This will help students to easily navigate through the course, locate learning materials with ease and promote active interaction with the content in order to achieve the learning outcomes of the course. While no two courses are the same and institutions will have different requirements, there are important elements that should be a part of every online course… Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Course Syllabus Course title and identification Attendance policy Instructor contact information Grading policy Course description Academic honesty statement Course outcomes Academic support/ADA statement Required texts and materials Other policies as needed Recommended texts and readings Course plan Class format or outline Disclaimer/Grievance procedure Assignments and expectations A syllabus represents a formal academic agreement between an instructor and students. Rather than a schedule of events, a syllabus serves as an academic contract defining how students can successfully meet the objectives of the course. The syllabus provides a basis upon which to resolve academic misunderstandings. It is the official document of record. While every institution has its own syllabi guidelines, these are common elements found in most syllabi. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Course Content Small manageable units or modules Well-organized and easy to navigate When presenting course materials online, breaking them into small, manageable units or modules increases student awareness of the conceptual structure of each unit and also allows for greater flexibility in pacing their learning. This is often referred to as “Chunking”. Quality online courses are well-organized and easy to navigate. Formatting the course provides a standardized visual organization of the contents within the LMS. Both chunking and formatting contribute to student comprehension. Aesthetic appeal is another aspect of designing and delivering course materials. While determining whether or not something is aesthetically appealing is often a matter of person preference, there are some general practices: 1. File naming conventions should be consistent 2. Font colors and styles should be consistent 3. White space is important! Line after line of text is boring and often difficult to read on a computer screen 4. Text should be broken up by using brief , concise sentences; bullets and numbers are best for lists. Images can be inserted to help student visualize concepts. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

As mentioned previously an effective online course is comprised of a rich combination of multimedia and various learning activities that cover the different learning styles of students. Some online faculty are challenged by trying to translate activities form the face-to-face. The matrix on the screen (and in your packet) can help online instructors start thinking about how to incorporate online tools and resources into their courses. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

The Padagogy Wheel was developed by Allan Carrington at the University of Adelaide, Australia. It takes the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy of Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Understand and adds mobile apps to enrich the activities. The original pedagogy wheel was intended to help teachers who use iPads in the classroom. While this concept was born out of the K-12 arena, it has application higher education as we attempt to provide interactive, engaging materials and learning experiences in our online classrooms ~~~~ ADD DESCRIPTION FROM WHEEL… The SAMR Model rings the outside of the wheel. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

The SAMR Model The SAMR Model was developed by Ruben Puentedura. It stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition and is a framework for assisting instructor to assess the degree to which digitally-empowered learning and teaching is (or is not) moving beyond what can be taught traditionally. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Now, let’s revisit the pedagogy wheel…notice how the technologies that function …. ADD INFO FROM THE PADAGOGY WHEEL ~~~ While you and your faculty may not incorporate iPads into the classroom, this wheel serves as a catalyst to help us consider novel or innovative ways to incorporate technologies and the roles those technologies play within the course structure and learning environment. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Opportunities for Interaction
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review Opportunities for Interaction Students interacting with course content Students interacting with one another Students interacting with the instructor It is good practice to intentionally design and deliver for all 3 of these types of interactions to occur in online courses. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Interaction with Course Content
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review Interaction with Course Content Assigned readings Concept maps Graphics, diagrams, presentations, animations Case studies Videos, screencasts, narrated presentations, podcasts Reflections and self-assessments Online discussions Student to content interactions engage the student in thinking critically about the content in order to understand and remember the information. Such interactions can involve the student individually or in groups through questions, exercises, and activities that stimulate mental dialogue with the materials to uncover themes, concepts, relationships, principles, models, and differing perspectives (just to name a few). This information is then applied to answer questions, develop solutions, make recommendations, or draw conclusions. Think beyond the standard assignments of reading a textbook and writing a paper. The internet is a rich reservoir from which to draw materials and activities for students. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Interaction with One Another
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review Interaction with One Another Icebreakers/Introduction discussions Online discussions/Debates Collaborative activities/Peer review Course cafes Group projects The exchange of information, ideas, and dialogue that occurs between students includes both intellectual exchanges that focus on course content and social exchanges that create relationship and community. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Interaction with the Instructor
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review Interaction with the Instructor Direct communication Submitting assignments Asking questions and receiving answers Announcements page LMS or inbox tool Many of the techniques used to engage students with the content and with one another will ultimately lead to communication with the instructor. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Active Learning Online These types of interactions should help students to move from passive learning to active learning. (Trego, 2016) Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

The Absorb-Do-Connect Framework Absorb Do Connect Absorb-Do-Connect is a simple and elegant model for categorizing learning activities which is created by William Horton (2006). Use this framework to think about how much of each is appropriate for the subject matter. For example, if the course is Geometry, the instructor will tend to give more emphasis on the "Do" activities more than the "Absorb" and "Connect". However, in a General Sociology course, it is expected to have more of the "Absorb" activities more than the "Do" and the "Connect" activities. It may be different for a Research Methodologies Course for Sociology which will have more of the "Absorb" and "Connect" activities rather than the "Do" activities. Use this framework to determine the ideal combination of activities for your course which should meet the expected learning outcomes. Absorb Horton characterizes absorb activities as information designed to inform, inspire, and spark curiosity. In the absorb phase, students watch, read, or listen while extracting useful knowledge. Do Do activities put learners in action, seeking, and creating new meaning from information presented in the absorb phase and/or their prior knowledge. In the do phase, students work on their own or in groups to practice skills, analyze information, test assumptions, and actively explore. Connect Connect activities allow students to form linkages between new learning and the rest of their lives. The primary purpose of a connect activity is not to teach something new, but to allow students room to bridge gaps between their new knowledge what they already know. In the process, students exercise higher order thinking skills and make personalized meaning of a concept or skill. Since online learning is more effective if it's collaborative and interactive, a rule of thumb in designing online instruction is to engage learners in activities at least 30% of the time. The ideal combination of activities depends on the subject matter. (Horton, 2102) Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Opportunities for Feedback
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review Opportunities for Feedback Timely Consistent Specific Respectful One of the challenges associated with teaching and learning online is that the participants lost the physical cues that confirm when someone is following the concepts and materials related to the course. To compensate for the lack of physical cues, faculty must intentionally design online courses and deliver online content to include opportunities for giving and receiving feedback. Timely feedback is even more crucial in the online learning environment than in a traditional classroom. But students may have a different definition of timeliness than instructors. Be sure to provide a reasonable response time frame. Students need consistent, specific, and respectful feedback to understand where they need to improve and what they have mastered. General comments –even when positive – are of little use if students don’t understand how or why they reaches the “right” answer. Most critical is the issue of timing, as students in an asynchronous setting may continue down the wrong path without timely intervention. It is easier to develop good habits than it is to break bad ones. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Assessment Diagnostic Formative Summative Pre-tests Student feedback or observation Quizzes/Tests Self-assessments Homework Term papers Discussion board responses Reflection journals Projects Interviews Checks of understanding Portfolios Interest inventories Informal presentations Formal presentations or performances Assessment serves multiple purposes in the online environment. It provides and opportunity to monitor student progress and performance throughout the term. It also provides an indicator of progress for students, which enables them to take on greater responsibility for their own learning. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Rubrics Analytic Holistic Single-Point Rubrics are an evaluation or scoring tool that explicitly and substantively describes the performance expectations for an assignment through: 1) identifying the criteria being assessed; 2) characteristics of the criteria; and 3) the performance level for each criteria. Benefits of Rubrics Reduces grading time - instructors can refer to substantive descriptions in a rubric instead of writing long comments Classroom feedback - instructors can clearly identify strengths/weaknesses across the entire class Consistency - helps to ensure consistency between graders and over time Reduces grade complaints - discourages grade complaints by clearly articulating criteria expected Performance improvement - clearly articulated criteria, descriptors, and performance levels tend to improve student performance An analytic rubric breaks down the characteristics of an assignment into parts, allowing the scorer to itemize and define exactly what aspects are strong, and which ones need improvement. A holistic rubric is the most general kind. It lists three to five levels of performance, along with a broad description of the characteristics that define each level. The levels can be labeled with numbers (such as 1 through 4), letters (such as A through F) or words (such as Beginning through Exemplary). What each level is called isn’t what makes the rubric holistic — it’s the way the characteristics are all lumped together. A single-point rubric is a lot like an analytic rubric, because it breaks down the components of an assignment into different criteria. What makes it different is that it only describes the criteria for proficiency; it does not attempt to list all the ways a student could fall short, nor does it specify how a student could exceed expectations. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ See the rubric packet within your folder for examples… (Gonzalez, 2014) Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Accessibility Perceivable Operable Understandable Robust (W3C, 2016) The guidelines put forth by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), are organized around 4 principles, which lay the foundation necessary for anyone to access and use web content. Anyone who wants to use the web must have content that is: Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive that isn't invisible to all of their senses. Operable: User interface components and navigation must be operable. Understandable: Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable. Robust: Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies, and remain accessible as technologies and user agents evolve. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Common Obstacles & Solutions
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review Common Obstacles & Solutions Obstacle Solution No description (alt-text) provided for embedded image Include a description for every informative image Missing or poorly used headings In Word documents and PDF files use heading style labels Scanned documents incompatible with assistive technologies Convert PDFs directly from Word documents Poorly labeled links Label hyperlinks to describe where the link leads Color used to convey information Use symbols or explanatory text Classroom content that does not meet minimum accessibility standards frequently pose challenges for students with disabilities, many of whom use assistive technology to access their courses. Assistive technology is either software or hardware that individuals with disabilities use to mitigate the impact of their diagnosis. Common examples include tools such as screen readers, magnification software and equipment, dictation software, refreshable Braille displays, and reading programs. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Accessibility Examples I have included a packet of information in your folders with how to’s, tools, and tips for accessibility. (Dimac, 2015) Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Online Course Review What is the purpose of online course review? Let’s brainstorm a little about the purpose of online course review… Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Why Review Online Courses?
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review Why Review Online Courses? Teaching is teaching regardless of delivery medium Ensure parity between online and face-to-face Formative reviews enhance teaching Meet accreditation standards There are many reasons to review online courses. Now that online teaching in higher education is relatively common place, the belief that teaching is teaching regardless of the delivery medium is gaining traction. Thus, when previously deans or administrators may not have felt equipped to review online teaching whether it is fully online, hybrid, or enhanced. It is essential that online courses have parity with face-to-face classes. The rigor, time-on-task, scope and sequence as well and depth and breadth should be comparable. Reviewing courses helps to insure and document that parity or to identify that it is missing and document the need for intervention. Such reviews can serve as an impetus to enhance teaching. Debriefing a review offers the opportunity to identify relative strengths and challenges of instructional methods and strategies. This led to the redesign of our on-boarding process for new online faculty which includes a 3-part workshop series and a year-long mentoring program. It also led to a series of short, self-paced professional development workshops on topics like: integrating multimedia, creating an engaged online classroom, evaluating essential, dynamic discussions, tests & measures, using course outcomes and student data to inform practice, course management strategies, ADA compliance, and academic integrity. (Tobin, Mandernach, & Taylor, 2015) Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Who determines online course quality? There are six US regional accrediting bodies. The region in which your school was founded dictates the association under which your school maintains institutional accreditation. In Canada, universities are regulated by provincial government, not by the Canadian federal government. Universities that are recognized under the provincial standards must meet certain quality assurance standards to be considered authorized. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Learning
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Learning Online learning is appropriate to the institution’s mission and purposes The development, sustaining, and expansion of online learning is integrating into the planning and evaluation processes Online learning is included in the governance system Curricula is coherent, cohesive, and comparable in academic rigor Effectiveness of online courses are evaluated Faculty are appropriately qualified and supported Online students have access to academic support services Sufficient resources are provided to support online learning The integrity of its online offerings are assured See handout in packet (HLC, 2009) Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Background This is where my adventure in compiling best practices in online course design, delivery, and review begins… I have been teaching online since 2002 for various institutions holding various roles. Hobbs, NM is a city of about 40,000 people in the middle of the Permian Basin – otherwise known as the “oil patch” in southeastern New Mexico right on the border of Texas. New Mexico Junior College currently serves about 2,600 students (both part-time and full-time). About 1,000 of those are currently fully online courses. Distance learning began at NMJC in the Training and Outreach division of the college. The online courses were managed, staffed, and reviewed in isolation from their academic divisions. When I accepted the Dean of Distance Learning & Professional Studies position, the college has just restructured to move online courses to the credit-bearing, academic side of the college. The management, staffing, and review functions fell under my purview in collaboration with the other academic deans. The review process that was in place revolved around training new faculty on the form and function of Canvas, but did not touch on the pedagogy of teaching online and how teaching online differs from teaching face-to-face. The reviews were based on the program review cycle – so, when a particular program was up for its 5-year review, online courses within that program were reviewed using a rubric (That was really more of a checklist – there is a copy of it in your packet). Formerly the reviews were conducted by the instructional designer. The result of the review was then communicated directly the online faculty member, since distance learning was separate from the academic division. Our accrediting body – HLC – in its last visit, noted that we has some work to do in order to meet the HLC distance education guidelines. So, we shifted our process paradigm. We began a collaborative review process which includes myself, the instructional designer, the appropriate academic dean, and a subject matter expert. You see, we noticed that the checklist/rubric that was being used was superficial and did not address shortcomings in the content of the course – both parity and rigor were in jeopardy in some cases. Adding the SME and academic dean provided amazing discussion about pedagogy, best practice, and strategies. When a course was found to need improvement, both myself and the academic dean met with the faculty member to discuss strengths and challenges and provide a course of action for improvement. This spurred the redesign of our faculty preparation course for those faculty new to online teaching at NMJC, which includes a three-part course (1 prior to teaching, 1 at the end of the first semester, and 1 in the second semester coupled with mentoring from the Distance Learning staff AND the department chair) as well as a series of self-paced, on-demand workshops on specific aspects of online teaching like academic integrity, ADA compliance, using course outcomes and student data to inform practice, course management strategies, creating an engaging online classroom, evaluating essentials, using a positive tone in a diverse classroom, integrating multimedia, dynamic discussions, and the career focused classroom. This collaborative process also yielded a redesign of our online course review rubric (a draft copy is in your packet). Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

What should the process of reviewing courses look like?
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review What should the process of reviewing courses look like? Pairs discuss their institutions’ processes; then report back to the group (Letters) During the reporting out – listen for similarities…new innovations Let’s look at some examples of course review rubrics from various institutions (Numbers) Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Questions??? Review your index card. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

Thank you for your active engagement during our workshop.
Best Practices for Online Course Design, Delivery, and Review Thank you for your active engagement during our workshop. My contact information is on the business card in your packet. Feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions you may have. I am happy to share this PowerPoint presentation with you if you provide me with your address. Leadership in Higher Education Conference Stephanie K. Ferguson, PhD

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