Effective online course design is crucial for student success and engagement. When designing your online course, it is important to consider the following:

• Structuring your online course for clarity and ease of navigation
• Creating clear learning outcomes and aligning them with assessments
• Designing engaging and interactive content (e.g.: by incorporating discussions, polls, practice quizzes, reflective activities, or H5P)
• Incorporating multimedia elements (images, video, etc.) effectively
• Ensuring accessibility and inclusivity in your course design

To learn more about effective course design, visit the Course Design Handbook.

Student engagement is a very important component to teaching and learning online. Engaging students in an online environment requires intentional strategies and creative use of available tools. When teaching online an instructor should:

• Consider strategies for building an online community
• Understand how to facilitate effective online discussions
• Use collaborative tools and group projects
• Provide timely and meaningful feedback
• Maintain regular communication with students

To learn more about Student Engagement, visit Universal Design for Learning: One small step- Multiple Means of Engagement.

Online assessments require careful consideration to ensure they accurately measure student learning while maintaining academic integrity. When developing your online assessments, consider the following:

• Types of online assessments (quizzes, essays, projects, etc.)
• Ensuring academic integrity in online assessments
• Using rubrics and providing clear guidelines
• Incorporating peer and self-assessment
• Utilizing Canvas tools for grading and feedback

Visit the Course Design Handbook to learn more about assessment and evaluation.

Refer to the Class Maintenance: Technical & Administrative Guide

• Keep videos short (5-10 minutes)
• Use a conversational tone
• Include interactive elements like quizzes (Panopto feature)
• Use captions or transcripts for improved accessibility
• Use visuals to support key points

• Use question banks and randomize questions
• Set time limits appropriate to the exam
• Use a common access window (i.e., all students to access their exam from 1:00 - 2:00 pm)
• Use open-book exams that focus on application rather than recall
• Consider alternative assessments like projects, portfolios, or case studies

• Start with icebreaker activities
• Use discussion forums regularly
• Encourage peer-to-peer interaction in assignments
• Hold virtual office hours, study sessions, or coffee breaks.
• Create group projects or collaborative activities
• Sign up for the OTE Short Course to learn more

• Use rubrics for consistent and clear feedback
• Provide both in-line comments and summary feedback via Speedgrader
• Use audio or video feedback for a personal touch
• Be timely and specific in your comments
• Balance constructive criticism with positive reinforcement

• Ensure all content is accessible (captions, transcripts, screen reader-friendly)
• Provide materials in multiple formats (text, audio, video)
• Offer flexible deadlines when possible
• Use clear, consistent course organization
• Collaborate with the university's Access and Equity Services

• Set clear boundaries for communication and availability
• Use templates for common responses and feedback
• Batch similar tasks together
• Utilize Canvas features for grading and course management
• Consider using peer review for some assignments

• Use the Workload Estimator

• Provide clear guidelines and grading rubrics
• Ask open-ended, thought-provoking questions
• Encourage students to share from their own perspective, including prior learning or professional experiences
• Assign roles (e.g., discussion leader or facilitator, summarizer)
• Actively moderate and participate yourself
• Incorporate discussion participation into course grades
• Break courses into smaller discussion groups (e.g., 5-10 students) to keep the number of responses from becoming overwhelming, and to leave room for all to contribute

• Project-based assessments
• Case studies or scenario-based questions
• E-portfolios
• Peer and self-assessments
• Presentations or video submissions
• Collaborative group work with individual components
• Visit the Course Design Handbook for more ideas