• Online and Blended Teaching Workshops

    Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 16:31
    We offer workshops on teaching blended and fully online courses. Join us as we experiment with web-based tools and explore award-winning lessons and courses taught at MSU.
    A workshop in progress

  • LearnDAT Faculty and Student Surveys

    Submitted by Jen-nien "Ryan" Yang on Fri, 02/18/2011 - 16:02

    At the end of each semester, Learning Design and Technology (LearnDAT) at Michigan State University conducts a survey of faculty and students who are teaching or taking one or more courses which use ANGEL.

    stick figure standing on grid

  • Goals and Objectives

    Submitted by Tory Sawyer on Fri, 02/04/2011 - 09:26

    Aligning goals for the course

    Some instructors use surveys to determine what students' goals are for the course. It is often helpful to find out what students think they should be getting from the course and help align their goals with what the course will offer. This will help ensure that the course will better meet shared expectations and that any goals they have that will not be met will be identified early on in the course.

    Verbs used for writing objectives

  • Creating an Accessible Syllabus

    Submitted by Tory Sawyer on Fri, 01/28/2011 - 13:39

    Creating an Accessible Syllabus

    The syllabus is the students guide in their online learning expererience so it is necessary to create a comprehensive syllabus for their usage.

    It is important to communicate learning outcome expectations to your students. Organizing topics and assignments, identifying required texts, and explaining course policies in the syllabus for an online course is not much different than for an in-person course. Be as specific as possible to minimize student confusion and questions.

    collage of html code

  • Student Assessment

    Submitted by Tory Sawyer on Fri, 01/28/2011 - 13:36

    Student assessment is one of the key issues in education. How do we know if students have learned what we are trying to teach them? There are multiple forms of assessment available. We believe that offering varied methods is the best model. You will find in the following documents some examples of different types of assessment, and how some MSU faculty have used them. You will also find resources and guides.

    Assessing student performance

    Desk in classroom

  • Page Design

    Submitted by Jiatyan Chen on Fri, 01/28/2011 - 13:32

    The design of a course site has an impact on how students view materials. The writing style of the instructor indicates how the students should approach the topic and the instructor. The choice of fonts and colors reveals the mood, intensity and emotion which put a frame of mind around the subject matter to enhance learning. Suitable use of emphasis and quantity of the content make it easier for students to absorb the material, and appropriate links and their placement help expand their horizons and promote the growth and exchange of ideas.

    design wire frame

  • Designing Communication

    Submitted by Tory Sawyer on Fri, 01/28/2011 - 13:32

    Communication

    Online communication includes both technological and pedagogical issues. This section provides information about various communication tools and their pros and cons. Be sure to review the questions raised under the "Communication guidelines" section in order to develop your own plan for how students in your course will interact. You will find examples and suggestions to help incorporate these tools into your course experience.

    group of people looking at white board

  • Orientations, Tech Walkthroughs and Introductions

    Submitted by Tory Sawyer on Fri, 01/28/2011 - 11:29

    Course previews: Information for prospective students

    Students usually want to find out more about a course prior to registering for it. Course previews provide the student with information prior to the course start date and allow them to review and prepare. Preview pages are a great tool to market and explain the course to prospective students. A preview page may consist of:

    bulletin board with sticky notes

  • MSU's Library Services

    Submitted by Shannon McGreal-Miller on Tue, 01/25/2011 - 13:39

    The primary role of the MSU Librarian in the creation of courses is to facilitate the students' use of the MSU Library for any course related research and reading.

    student at the library

  • Departmental Tasks and Resources

    Submitted by Nathan Lounds on Tue, 01/11/2011 - 14:36

    Your department administration is responsible for requesting some key course set-up procedures. The following outlines some of these administrative details.

    check list

  • Academic Honesty, FERPA and Copyright

    Submitted by Nathan Lounds on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 16:03

    Academic honesty and integrity are fundamental values in a community of scholars. When a student accepts unauthorized aid in completing academic work, or uses another person's ideas, words, or results without giving appropriate credit it is considered cheating or plagiarism.

    screen shot of msu library copyright center website

Teaching an online course?
Need help getting started?

Instructors will find basic information, quick tips and useful resources for building and teaching a course.

Begin Here

Coordinating a series of courses or a degree program

Administrative tips, marketing and outreach strategies for multi-course, certificate and degree programs.

Begin Here

Looking for enhancements?
Make your course better!

Looking for a unique touch? Need help beyond your own capabilities? Explore techniques for enlivening your contents and engaging your students. See tools and examples used by your peers.

Begin Here

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