Strategies for Effective Online Teaching and Learning

2022 ◽  
pp. 495-510
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos Mavo Navarro ◽  
Breeda M. McGrath
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Online Instruction ◽  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines

This chapter provides readers with a comprehensive review of strategies for effective design in online instruction. The authors explore the traditional debate between advocates and critics of online education and discuss effectiveness in retention, engagement, and overall academic performance. The chapter differentiates between “online-first” course design and emergency remote delivery, as experienced in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key factors include identifying engagement and communication strategies such as “ask me anything” sessions and tailored selection of resources. Open educational resources (OER), pre-recorded lectures, podcasts, and “online-first” textbooks are presented as appropriate and cost-conscious content options. Also included are alternative assessment ideas and universal design for learning (UDL) and accessibility guidelines. The chapter provides a continuum model for the transition of in-person courses to online instruction while conscious of both instructor workload/instructional support and expected level of learner workload and engagement.

Cultivating Student Engagement in a Personalized Online Learning Environment

2020 ◽  
pp. 267-287
Author(s):  
Jeremy Anderson ◽  
Heather Bushey ◽  
Maura E. Devlin ◽  
Amanda J. Gould
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
Adaptive Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Course Content ◽  
College Degrees ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
Learning Frameworks

Higher education has a national imperative to change the ways it supports its increasingly non-traditional populations who seek completion of college degrees in more flexible online environments. However, online education can present challenges to such students learning remotely and often independently, and who may struggle with accessing, understanding, and processing course content and achieving mastery of outcomes. A unique model based on technology and data-driven decision-making that is undergirded by two teaching and learning frameworks—adaptive learning and universal design for learning—is presented, along with outcomes and best practices. By adopting revolutionary methods of engaging students online and ensuring mastery of course and program learning outcomes, which enhance persistence and degree completion, such a model addresses this national educational imperative.

scholarly journals Inclusive Design for Online and Blended Courses

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susie Gronseth
Keyword(s):  
Course Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Inclusive Design ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Blended Courses ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines

Course accessibility is a priority in higher education, particularly in the design and delivery of digital learning experiences. Proactively addressing accessibility as part of online and blended course design meets the needs of all learners, including those in the margins. Inclusive design for online and blended courses connects the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework in order to address learner variability as an intentional part of course design. Inclusive design fosters expanded options in the ways that learners access learning materials, engage in learning experiences, and demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have learned. This paper describes practical applications of WCAG and UDL for the design and facilitation of inclusive online and blended courses in the post-secondary setting.

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS: THE FREQUENCY AND VARIETY OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AVAILABLE TO ONLINE INSTRUCTORS

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Heather Herman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Faculty Development ◽  
Online Instruction ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Online Instructors ◽  
Learning Development ◽  
Printed Materials

Online education is no longer a peripheral phenomenon in higher education: over one-third of faculty have taught or developed an online course. As institutions of higher education expand their online education offerings, administrators need to recognize that supporting faculty through the use of incentives and through effective faculty development programs for online instruction is important to the improvement of the quality of educational programs. This quantitative study used an online survey to investigate the types and frequency of faculty development programs for online instruction at institutions with an established teaching and learning development unit (TLDU). The average TLDU offered about fifteen different types of faculty development programs, the most common being websites, technical services, printed materials, and consultation with instructional design experts.

scholarly journals Implementing Universal Design for Learning Elements in the Online Learning Materials of a First-Year Required Course

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Rearick ◽  
Erica England ◽  
Jennifer Saulnier Lange ◽  
Corey Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Design Theory ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Learning Objects ◽  
Learning Materials ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a pedagogical design theory that accounts for variability across and within learners, both in physical classrooms and with online learning materials. Librarians at Washington State University implemented elements reflective of specific UDL checkpoints in a heavily-used LibGuide for a required undergraduate course. Online learning objects create opportunities for meeting UDL’s goals of not only multiple means of representation, but also engagement and action and expression extending beyond the baseline obligation to meet standard accessibility guidelines. We discuss our implementation of UDL elements, changes in LibGuide use before and after the introduction of UDL features, and usability study results, focusing on how students who face learning barriers view UDL. We explain considerations for successfully implementing UDL in online materials and the potential benefits.

scholarly journals Support to address barriers to learning for learners who are deaf

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Mapepa ◽  
Meahabo D. Magano
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Barriers To Learning ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Special Schools ◽  
Design For Learning

Background: There is great importance in support services for successfully addressing the barriers to learning optimally or learners who are deaf. The study, though conducted in South Africa, has national and international appeal.Objectives: The aim of the study was to identify educator reflections on support services needed for them to address barriers to learning of learners who are deaf.Method: The study used a qualitative design for collecting data in natural settings. A sample size of 11 educators of learners who are deaf was purposively selected from two provinces of South Africa. The study used an open ended individual interview questionnaire.Results: Data was analysed using qualitative content analysis considering the context of the schools in which the study was carried out. Results showed that there was: limited curriculum support in special schools; lack of support and inadequate teaching and learning materials; overcrowding in one school and; limited support of multidisciplinary professionals in most schools.Conclusion: The study provided a framework for support services important for research, policy and practice. Of significance was the relevance of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) theoretical framework in implementing support services programmes in schools.

A Theoretical Model for Designing Online Education in Support of Lifelong Learning

2011 ◽  
pp. 29-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence A. Tomei
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Instructional Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Individualized Learning ◽  
Learner Centered ◽  
New Strategies

The escalating infusion of online education to promote lifelong learning has triggered a re-examination of teaching and learning not witnessed since perhaps the advent of the printed textbook. Textbooks changed the landscape of individualized learning as professors added reading to their inventory of instructional strategies. Today, distance education, in all its manifestations from programmed instruction to Web-based courses, requires instructors to employ new strategies in course design and delivery in order to engage students and promote learner-centered activities. The rapid growth of distance education (especially for the adult learner) serves to challenge traditional methodologies in which education is designed, delivered, and assessed. This chapter introduces a new model for designing instruction using this state-of-the-art venue, an archetype for effective instructional design for lifelong learning.

scholarly journals Teaching and Learning Without a Textbook

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Lin
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
Introductory Course ◽  
Internet Connections ◽  
Study Participants

Given the upsurge of textbook costs, college students increasingly expect universities and instructors to offer alternatives to traditional textbooks. One textbook alternative is using open educational resources (OER). While OER unquestionably save students money, the question remains whether the adoption of OER (instructional materials) is aligned with open pedagogy (methods). This study investigated 46 undergraduate students’ perceptions of using only OER in an introductory course in a large American public university. As reported by study participants, advantages of using OER include textbook cost savings, access to dynamic and plentiful OER materials, that OER enabling mobile learning, and that OER foster the development of self-directed skills and copyright guidelines. Challenges reported include lacking a tactile sense with OER, slow Internet connections, unclear instruction and guidance, and insufficient self-regulation skills. Course design and implementation considerations were discussed.

scholarly journals Familiarity, Current Use, and Interest in Universal Design for Learning Among Online University Instructors

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl D Westine ◽  
Beth Oyarzun ◽  
Lynn Ahlgrim-Delzell ◽  
Amanda Casto ◽  
Cornelia Okraski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Online Faculty ◽  
University Instructors ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
Survey Results

This study investigated online faculty familiarity, course design use, and professional development interest regarding universal design for learning (UDL) guidelines. The researchers surveyed all 2017 to 2018 online faculty at a large university in the southeastern United States. Findings included 71.6% of faculty reporting familiarity with at least one UDL guideline, with most respondents indicating familiarity with guidelines relating to perception, expression, and communication. Faculty reported the highest implementation of UDL guidelines was for those suggesting options for comprehension as well as expression and communication; the lowest implementation was for those suggesting options for physical action as well as language and support. Survey results also indicated high to moderate interest in learning more about all UDL guidelines, with emphasis on comprehension, persistence, and expression. This study suggests that faculty members desire UDL training and offers possibilities for planning and implementing such professional development in areas targeted to best meet the needs of online faculty.

scholarly journals A System-Wide Approach to Universal Design for Learning Implementation

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-47
Author(s):  
Joni L Degner
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Value System ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
High Standards ◽  
Every Student Succeeds Act

Universal Design for Learning (UDL), an instructional framework based in neuroscience, optimizes teaching and learning by supporting learners through three overarching principles: Multiple Means of Engagement, Multiple Means Representation, and Multiple Means of Action and Expression (?About universal?). These principles and the subsequent framework that grew out of the work of CAST co-founders and framework co-creators Dr. David Rose and Anne Meyers has become greater than the sum of its parts. Practitioners who have even dabbled in Universal Design for Learning have likely come to the understanding that UDL is a student-centered value system of flexibility, accessibility, and high standards for all students; indeed, the goal of Universal Design for Learning is to create learning environments where students grow to be experts in their own learning. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) defines and endorses Universal Design for Learning as the framework for designing learning experiences that support the success of all learners

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