Best Practices
The Academic Technology Center uses a course development rubric adapted from the Maryland Quality Matters™ project (http://www.qualitymatters.org/) as a guideline for best practices in the development and delivery of quality online instruction at UWF. We recommend that faculty use it as a roadmap to develop new courses for the online environment, or as a self-evaluation instrument for existing courses.
Follow the link below for more examples of
Best Practices from our UWF Faculty Voices of Experience.
Course Overview and Introduction
Best Practices:
- Provide concise course navigation instructions
- Orient students to your online course by providing Important Course Information such as:
- a detailed orientation to online learning
- a course syllabus (include minimum technology requirements)
- an overall schedule of assignments (this schedule can be tentative and subject to change)
- an instructor introduction
- a course introduction icebreaker activity
- Provide an opportunity for students to introduce themselves to classmates
- Provide guidelines for proper behavior online
- Anticipate student questions and address them in the design of the course
- Clearly articulate all online and offline activities
Resources
- Link your students to Gear Up for Online Learning, an Online Campus/ATC Resource for tips about learning online at UWF
- For more information on icebreaker activities, visit this article
- Virginia Shea's Core Rules of Netiquette
- Provide additional guidance like the 10 Most Important Things students should do during their first week of class
Learning Objectives (Competencies)
Best Practices:
- Provide a Syllabus with clearly articulated course goals and learning objectives/outcomes that:
- are measurable
- address content mastery, critical thinking and core learning skills
- align with assignments and assessments
- Provide detailed explanations and rubrics for each learning activity/assignment/assessment (expectation, timeframe, etc.)
- rubrics are scoring guides used to define criteria which will judge student performance
Resources
- Bloom’s list of verbs (pdf) by learning outcome
- Syllabus templates (CUTLA website)
- Create rubrics easily with Rubistar
Assessment and Measurement
Best Practices:
- Align assignments and assessments to course learning objectives/outcomes
- Consider a variety of assessment activites such as:
- Formal assessments
- mid-terms, finals, papers, labs, major assignments, group projects, case studies, presentations in multiple formats,
- Informal assessments
- Formal assessments
- threaded discussion responses, email discussion, chat room assignments, participation, journals
- Provide timely feedback on assignments and assessments
- Provide opportunities for students to monitor their learning through self-check activities
- Clearly indicate grading policy for each assignment/assessment including participation
- How often will student need to log in?
- Will you accept late submissions?
- What is the amount of interaction required among classmates?
Resources
- Item banks from textbook publishers, templates for creating rubrics for projects, papers, etc., D2L Quizzes feature
- Online Assessment information and resouces on ATC website
- Turn It In (CUTLA)
Resources and Materials
Best Practices:
- Provide course materials in numerous formats to appeal to different learning styles including:
- text
- audio
- video
- Use relevant and current instructional resources that will sufficiently aid in the achievement of stated learning objectives/outcomes
- Obtain any necessary copyright clearance for course resources and material
Resources
- ATC Website Resources page
- The Orange Grove Digital Repository
- See examples of popular learning objects (pdf) from The Orange Grove
- Merlot Database
- Textbook Publisher materials, self-created materials
- UWF Library Copyright Tutorial
- Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video (pdf) (Source: Center for Social Media, http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/)
Learner Interaction
Best Practices:
- Provide students ample opportunities for interaction with the instructor and other students
- Student to Student; Student to instructor; Student to Content
- Maintain a consistent format throughout content sessions/modules/units:
- Introduce or provide an overview for each session
- Present content for that session
- Provide interaction for each session (assignments, activities, feedback, etc.)
- Summarize each session and relate to upcoming session
- Provide students with engaging and interactive content
- Facilitate participation, communication and collaboration among students through engaging assignments and activities
- Maintain a responsive presence in the course and be sensitive to the student’s perspective
- Provide timely feedback for students from the Instructor
- Gain feedback from students about your online course
Resources
- Innovative ideas and best practices from UWF online faculty
- Training sessions to enhance learner engagement
- Strategies for Engaging the Online Student Using the LMS (pdf), Designing for Success
- Research on Student Engagement (ATC/D2L Studio e Resources)
Course Technology
Best Practices:
- Use technologies to enhance and improve learning, not to replicate traditional teaching methods
- Provide clear instructions and links to download required plug-ins and special software that will be used in the course
Resources
- D2L tools
- Elluminate Live!
- Narrated PowerPoints using Adobe Presenter
- Developing video/audio podcasts
- Developing graphics & animation
- Selecting resources from repositories such as Merlot
Learner Support
Best Practices:
- Provide links and information to technical, adiministrative and instructional student support services and resources
- Build a learning community to help learners feel:
- accepted
- respected
- supported
Resources
- Link to Gear Up for Online Learning, an Online Campus/ATC Resource
- Online Campus Website
(http://onlinecampus.uwf.edu)
- Online Tutoring
- Online Advising
- Online Library Resources
- Online Fee Payments
- Online Bookstore
- Information Technology Services (ITS) Helpdesk
- Elearning Resources (http://elearning.uwf.edu)
Accessibility
Best Practices:
- Insert ADA statement on Syllabus
- Students with special needs who require specific accommodations for examinations or other course activities should contact the Student Disability Resource Center (SCRC) (web address: http://www.uwf.edu/SDRC, telephone: 474-2387). SDRC will provide the student with a letter for the instructor that will specify recommended accommodations for individual students.
- Add notes to narrated PowerPoint presentations
- Transcribe presentation using voice-to-text program
- Label graphics
- Limit chart use
Resources
- Review ADA Criteria for campus
- Work with Student Success when needs arise for individual students
Further information on best practices for designing quality online courses:
Rubric for Online Instruction (pdf) - The Committee for Online Instruction (COI) at Chico State University was formed to address the need for demonstrating quality in online instruction, and for setting some guidelines for developers of online teaching. This committee comprising 13 faculty, 4 staff, 2 administrators, and 1 student developed a "Rubric for Online Instruction" that not only promotes an ongoing discussion about the nature of student learning, it also helps when developing and evaluating online courses. The rubric has been used by higher education institutions worldwide, and is helping faculty to receive recognition for their hard work in online course delivery.
Roadmap to Effective Distance Education Instructional Design (pdf) -Roadmap to Effective Distance Education Instructional Design is a collaborative effort of the following universities: University of Florida, University of Idaho, Iowa State University, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Texas A&M University, and Texas Tech University. This project was funded through a United States Department of Agriculture Higher Education Challenge Grant (2002-2004).
Sloan-C - Effective Practices - Quality Framework