Are you an educator? Have you ever wanted to understand more about how to design your class to make better use of educational technology – whether fully online or in blended contexts? Would you like to learn from those who have extensive practical experience with online technologies?
The Learning to Teach Online (LTTO) MOOC will help you develop a working understanding of successful online teaching strategies that you can apply in your own practice. The course is based upon the multi award winning open educational resource developed by Dr Simon McIntyre and Karin Watson.
Integrating online technologies into your teaching can be a challenging prospect, and it can be difficult to know how to approach it effectively for the benefit of both students and yourself. No one knows your own content and teaching strengths better than you, and the “one size fits all” formula doesn’t always suit everyone. No matter what type of technology you are interested in exploring or your level of experience, this course will help you draw on your teaching strengths and find the approach that is right for you, your students and your educational context.
This course will guide you through your journey of understanding how online technologies can enhance your course design. You will have the opportunity to develop your understanding of effective online teaching practices and their relationship to the use of different technologies. You will also be encouraged to progressively design and reflect upon your own online learning activity, assessment or resource for use in your own class if you choose to undertake the course assignments.
'Module 1: Why is Online Teaching Important' is about understanding where you are in the current educational landscape, and determining where you want to be. We will explore why online teaching is relevant to your teaching practice, and you’ll have an opportunity to reflect upon the opportunities and challenges you face in your own context. 'Module 2: Open and Institutionally Supported Technologies' focuses on helping you understand the benefits and restrictions of both broad categories of technologies. We’re all familiar with different social media technologies, and many of us will be aware of larger institutional online learning systems. In this module we will ask you to think about the reasons why you might want to use freely available online tools for your teaching - or your institution's learning management system. Important considerations such as which types of technologies are suitable for a range of different activities will also be explored.
'Module 3: Planning Online Learning' will explore the importance of planning online learning from a pedagogical perspective rather than a technology driven one. Careful planning is one of the most important aspects of teaching online, and success often depends upon taking the time to consider all of the different aspects of the online learning experience before you begin. The content and activities will explore the concepts of constructive alignment, choosing which aspects of a class are best done online or face-to-face, building digital literacy capabilities within your students, and examining your own motivations for wanting to teach online in the first place. 'Module 4: Online Learning Activities' will identify important considerations you need to keep in mind when developing online learning activities for your students. We will offer advice about how to plan an online activity, and help you think about which may be appropriate for your own students. When you are new to the process, understanding which online technology best supports different learning activities can be daunting. This module, along with a range of case studies, and activities, will explore the relationship between different technologies and specific activities in more depth.
Case Study - Video Conferencing in Museum Education (K-12) (Optional)•10 minutes
Case Study - Considerations for Choosing Technology (Optional)•6 minutes
Case Study - Teaching with Web 2.0 Technologies: Twitter, Wikis and Blogs (Optional)•9 minutes
Case Study - Using Online Lectures to Support Active Learning (Optional)•8 minutes
Case Study - iLabs - Online Access to Remote Laboratories (Optional)•7 minutes
Case Study - Using Flickr as an Online Classroom (Optional) •9 minutes
Case Study - Using Blogs for Peer Feedback and Discussion (Optional)•8 minutes
Case Study - Teaching Using Scenario Based Simulations in Second Life (Optional)•6 minutes
Case Study - Using Online Communities to Foster Collaboration in Visual Arts (K-12) (Optional)•9 minutes
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
Module 3 Useful Links and Resources•10 minutes
Module 4 Useful Links and Resources•10 minutes
5 app items•Total 50 minutes
Activity 3.1 - Self Evaluation•10 minutes
Activity 3.2 - Knowledge•15 minutes
Activity 4.1 - Self Evaluation•10 minutes
Activity 4.2 - Knowledge•15 minutes
Check Your Activity Progress and Personalised Recommendations•0 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 20 minutes
What planning tips can you share with others?•10 minutes
What ideas do you have for online activities in your own classes?•10 minutes
Online Assessment Strategies + Online Resources
Module 3•3 hours to complete
Module details
'Module 5: Online Assessment Strategies' discusses the notions of formative and summative assessment in online contexts. We will also explore benefits and considerations that you'll need to keep in mind if you're considering adopting an online assessment strategy in your own teaching, and how using technology can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the assessment process. 'Module 6: Online Resources' discusses the benefits of using open educational resources (OER), and other online resources in your classes. We will also identify issues to be aware of when using resources that you discover, in terms of licensing and Creative Commons. You will be given the chance to explore several examples of online resources via the activities and associated resources for the module. How to evaluate the effectiveness and appropriateness of resources you find online is also explored.
Case Study - Formative Online Assessment in Medicine (Optional)•10 minutes
Case Study - Using Audio Feedback (Optional)•8 minutes
Case Study - Using ePortfolios as a Reflective Teaching Tool (Optional)•7 minutes
Overview•1 minute
Key Concept - Online Resources•5 minutes
Case Study - Integrating Online Resources into Your Teaching (Optional)•6 minutes
Case Study - Understanding Creative Commons (Optional) •8 minutes
Case Study - Creating eBooks for Distance Education (Optional)•4 minutes
Case Study - Hippocrates. Online Medical Tutorials (Optional)•9 minutes
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
Module 5 Useful Links and Resources•10 minutes
Module 6 Useful Links and Resources•10 minutes
5 app items•Total 75 minutes
Activity 5.1 - Self Evaluation•10 minutes
Activity 5.2 - Knowledge•15 minutes
Activity 6.1 - Self Evaluation•20 minutes
Activity 6.2 - Knowledge•30 minutes
Check Your Activity Progress and Personalised Recommendations•0 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 20 minutes
How could you conduct your own assessments online?•10 minutes
How would you use online resources in your class?•10 minutes
Engaging and Motivating Students + Evaluation Strategies
Module 4•5 hours to complete
Module details
'Module 7: Engaging and Motivating Students' explores various strategies for engaging and motivating your students in a range of different online learning scenarios. It discusses the important roles that curriculum design, activity structure, the relevance of the chosen technology, and effective time management play in creating an enthusiasm for learning in your students. 'Module 8: Evaluation Strategies' examines the importance of evaluating your online teaching practice to ensure that it is effective, and to give you an opportunity to constantly improve. This is especially important when you are first developing an online teaching practice, or when you are trying something new for the first time. We will explore an evaluation strategy based upon four reflective angles: self reflection, peer observations, student feedback, and theory. The module also introduces the concept of learning analytics as an informative tool to enable up to the minute evaluation of your online class.
Key Concept - Engaging and Motivating Students•4 minutes
Case Study - Engaging and Motivating Students (Optional)•6 minutes
Case Study - Online Teamwork and Collaboration (Optional)•6 minutes
Case Study - Conducting Effective Online Discussions (Optional)•7 minutes
Case Study - Managing Your Time when Teaching Online (Optional)•5 minutes
Case Study - Using Wikis for Student Collaboration (Optional)•8 minutes
Case Study - Increasing Student Engagement Using Podcasts (Optional)•5 minutes
Case Study - Flipped Language Class (Optional)•8 minutes
Case Study - Fostering Student Engagement with Stile (K-12) (Optional)•9 minutes
Overview •1 minute
Key Concept - Evaluation Strategies•3 minutes
Case Study - Learning Analytics to Inform Teaching Practice (Optional)•8 minutes
Assignment 2 Tips - How to Get the Most from the Assignment•5 minutes
Assignment 2 Tips - How to Assess Criterion 1•3 minutes
Assignment 2 Tips - How to Assess Criterion 2•3 minutes
Assignment 2 Tips - How to Assess Criterion 3•5 minutes
Assignment 2 Tips - How to Assess Criterion 4•3 minutes
Assignment 2 Tips - How to Assess Criterion 5•3 minutes
2 readings•Total 85 minutes
Module 7 Useful Links and Resources•75 minutes
Module 8 Useful Links and Resources•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
ASSIGNMENT 2 - Designing an Online Learning Component•30 minutes
5 app items•Total 50 minutes
Activity 7.1 - Self Evaluation•10 minutes
Activity 7.2 - Knowledge•15 minutes
Activity 8.1 - Self Evaluation•10 minutes
Activity 8.2 - Knowledge•15 minutes
Check Your Activity Progress and Personalised Recommendations•0 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 20 minutes
How would you engage your students online?•10 minutes
Useful checklists to evaluate your courses - how did they rate?•10 minutes
Question and Answers
Module 5•4 hours to complete
Module details
Simon and Negin answered the top questions asked of them in previously run versions of this course via video. Although from previous courses, the questions raised and the discussions that follow, are very relevant, and they may answer some questions that you have about the course. In the videos Simon and Negin, did reference learners' names and the week in the course, but this is not important in this version of the course. These Q&A videos have been collated according to their relevance to the Modules of the course.
What's included
54 videos
Show info about module content
54 videos•Total 221 minutes
How do you keep a teacher's presence in an online environment?•4 minutes
The dangers of teaching online.•4 minutes
What are the current main challenges about teaching online in your opinion?•6 minutes
What do we do to recruit, motivate and retain teachers?•5 minutes
What resistance do teachers have when they begin teaching online courses?•7 minutes
Who can help if you are a trailblazer?•4 minutes
How do we keep pace with current Web 2.0 technology?•5 minutes
How do you classify tools that sit between Open and LMS technologies?•5 minutes
How do you stop being overwhelmed or paralysed by all the options?•4 minutes
How to address risks associated with open access technologies while designing an online activity.•5 minutes
Improving video production quality•3 minutes
What about the 'not invented here' syndrome?•4 minutes
What tools were used to make this MOOC?•3 minutes
Which platform better allows the use of a MOOC with interactive activities?•4 minutes
Dealing with different attitudes to online and blended learning•4 minutes
Handling copyright for online courses•5 minutes
How much time is needed to plan a 10 month online course?•4 minutes
Is blended learning always preferred?•2 minutes
Is there a difference between Learning Outcomes and Learning Objectives?•3 minutes
What advice do you have for creating the whole course from scratch?•3 minutes
What moderation techniques are used in the MOOC?•9 minutes
What is a rubric?•4 minutes
What is the one thing you think we should take away from the course?•3 minutes
What is your suggested structure for setting up online courses?•7 minutes
Alternatives to video recordings•3 minutes
BYOD Apps and Tools•2 minutes
How do you ensure quality assurance in online courses?•3 minutes
Scripting considerations for instructional videos•7 minutes
What are different approaches to using videos in online courses and which are most effective?•4 minutes
What is the ideal time duration for a podcast?•3 minutes
What is scenario based training?•3 minutes
Are videos assessed in a less nuanced way than written work?•4 minutes
Ensuring authenticity with online assessments•5 minutes
How do you employ audio for meaningful feedback or assessment of learning?•4 minutes
Making an effective assessment rubric for online activities•3 minutes
Peer Review - When to use it and why is it used in the course?•3 minutes
What are some effective 'Plan B' strategies in case technology breaks down during an online assessment?•4 minutes
What frameworks are helpful for thinking about self assessment and peer assessment exercises?•5 minutes
Boundaries when supporting online discussions•5 minutes
Group projects in the online learning environment•6 minutes
What technology do you use for video conferences with students?•4 minutes
Building relationship with students•4 minutes
Do rubrics guide students behaviour?•5 minutes
How can I best support younger students to use classroom social media appropriately?•4 minutes
How can you best develop online learning for learners with low levels of independence?•4 minutes
How do you engage reluctant students?•5 minutes
How to generate community in an online course that students start whenever each one enrols?•5 minutes
Means to check for digital literacy level•4 minutes
What about 1 - 1 tutoring online?•4 minutes
What tips would you give to private online teachers?•3 minutes
Can you recommend online course analytics?•3 minutes
Evaluating quality using national or international standards or frameworks•2 minutes
How do you use learning and teaching data for scientific publication?•4 minutes
Is it acceptable to make changes to a course after launching?•4 minutes
Instructors
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UNSW Sydney, based in Sydney Australia, was established in 1949 and is one of Australia’s leading research and teaching universities with more than 50,000 students from over 120 countries. UNSW Sydney aspires to provide students with an outstanding educational experience, which both reflects our strong traditions of excellence, innovation and social justice, and builds on our strengths in scientific, technological and professional disciplines.
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Y
YS
5·
Reviewed on Jun 15, 2020
This course provides me the information about various online tools, strategies and planning for the best techniques for online courses. I will make the use of this valuable information in my work.
V
VS
5·
Reviewed on Jun 2, 2020
A wonderful experience and a handy course. The lecturers are great with a very nice way on interacting. Thank you for all your cooperation. Hope to see more of you in future. Thank you once again.
T
TS
5·
Reviewed on May 22, 2020
The topics discussed in this course is very helpful and very practical. Personally, it makes me think more about what a great teacher should do in order to prepare our teachings. Thank you, UNSW.
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Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.