Do you strive to create online learning environments that are equitable and engaging for all students?
Are you looking for additional teaching strategies that provide a quality online learning experience while also maintaining strong human connections?
In this online short course, you will develop methods and strategies for creating engaging and inclusive online learning experiences through the use of the Design for Learning Equity Framework, Universal Design for Learning principles, and a focus on human connectedness. Through examples, activities, and personalized feedback and guidance, you will explore evidence-based strategies for online course design, student engagement, and assessment practices through the lens of accessibility and inclusion.
Based on the new 2021 book, develop equity-based strategies for your online course!
Join our online course to advance your own online course
- Offered fully online through Canvas
- Two and 1/2 weeks in length
- Facilitated with personalized feedback at every step
- Asynchronous format
- Approximately 20 hours to complete
- Small cohort size
- Cost: $495/participant
- Book required*
*You will need to obtain the book, Advancing Online Teaching, prior to the course. Discounted purchase information is available through registration.
Participant Outcomes
In just under three weeks, you will:
- Gain awareness and empathy for the many unique situations and educational needs of students in your courses.
- Use the Design for Learning Equity Framework, Universal Design for Learning, and a focus on human connectedness to explore teaching methods and strategies designed to address inequities.
- Develop tangible strategies and practices in the areas of online content delivery, student engagement, and assessment of learning.
- Formulate an online teaching equity action plan that addresses the unique needs and teaching practices of your students, your course, and your context.
- Identify numerous methods, ideas, and strategies for equity-based online teaching that can be implemented in the future.
“As I’ve pulled together my equity plan, I am excited to use this in next semester’s class and ideally it will help students in other classes as well.
A main takeaway for me is that improving accessibility/equity can start with small changes, which can have major impacts on the students.
The forms were a great way to brainstorm and collect ideas. Thank you for this experience!”
– Betsy Allen, Associate professor of English, Madisonville Community College
Format
In this 2 and 1/2 week online course, you will not only explore a framework for equity-based teaching practices but also create and apply the principles to your own course. This is a facilitated course, with multiple opportunities for interaction and individual feedback from an experienced facilitator and from fellow colleagues.
The course is offered in a fully online asynchronous format through the Canvas software. There are no real-time meetings required, however, it is not self-paced. Active participation and specific due dates keep the group working together and sharing constructive feedback and ideas at each step of the process and ensure successful completion.
Intended Audience
This course is relevant to faculty in all stages of their careers. Faculty new to online teaching will find a wealth of practical ideas and strategies that can be immediately implemented, faculty with more experience teaching online and blended courses will also be able to adapt and expand their practices to help students with diverse needs succeed in their courses. This course is relevant if you are planning an online course and also if you are currently teaching online want to implement strategies immediately.
“I used to think that having materials that reflected diversity would be enough. I thought of course elements as concrete and separate elements that we had to simply include, but never of how they can manifest and affect other components of the course. This course has helped me to really understand and work with them and bring that inclusion to other aspects of my course.”
– Juan Manuel García-Fernández, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, University of Colorado Boulder
The Authors
Kevin Kelly, EdD, teaches online courses as a Lecturer in the Department of Equity, Leadership Studies, and Instructional Technologies at San Francisco State University, where he previously served for 13 years as the Online Teaching and Learning Manager. He works with colleges and universities as a consultant to address distance education, educational technology, and organizational challenges. Kevin co-authored with Todd Zakrajsek the 2021 Stylus book, Advancing Online Teaching: Creating Equity-Based Digital Learning Environments.
Todd D. Zakrajsek, PhD, is associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill and President of the International Teaching Learning Cooperative. Todd was a tenured associate professor of psychology and built faculty development efforts at three universities before joining UNC. Todd has served on many educationally related boards and workgroups, has consulted with many organizations, and delivered keynote addresses and campus workshops at over 300 conferences and university campuses. Todd’s recently co-authored books include Advancing Online Teaching (2021); The New Science of Learning (2nd Ed) (2019); Dynamic Lecturing (2017); and Teaching for Learning (2015).
“This has been such a good learning experience, which hasn’t been entirely new but has definitely been newly impactful. Doing the application work has made all the difference—I feel like I’ve internalized it so much better than just reading the book or attending a 2 hour session.”