Online Course Development
As educators navigate the dynamic landscape of education today, the demand for effective online and hybrid learning experiences is increasing. Whether you're a seasoned or beginner online instructor, our goal at CELT is to empower you with the knowledge and tools needed to create engaging and effective online learning experiences.
Below you will find information on the training provided through CELT and additional resources on quality course design.
Online Teaching Tip of the Month!
Include a Welcome Video
It is best practice to include a short welcome video (6-9 minutes) to introduce students to the course. This is especially important for asynchronous courses as there is no "first meeting" to go over this information in class.
A welcome video is your chance to provide students with information about how to get started, what to do first, review important aspects of the syllabus and your expectations. This also provides a way for students to see who their instructor is and supports regular and substantive interaction (RSI).
If you are not familar with creating videos, you can use Zoom or Echo 360 Personal Capture to easily record these videos with a screen share and embed in Brightspace.
Feel free to reach out to an instructional designer at celt@stonybrook.edu if you have any questions.
Online Teaching Course (OTC)
The Online Teaching Course (OTC) is an introduction to teaching online. This training is designed to give you the experience of an online student while learning about evidence based strategies for effective and engaging online learning environments. Each training is facilitated by a member of the CELT team and is held in Brightspace.
Topics
- Community of Inquiry Framework
- Online Syllabus Design
- Alignment
- Introduction to Online Assessments and Instructional Activities
- Introduction to Educational Technologies
- Online Course Quality Standards
Sign Up!
Next Online Teaching Course
2.5 Week - Accelerated
January 6- January 23, 2025
Fill out this Google Form to Register
5 Week
February 10 -March 16, 2025
Fill out this Google Form to Register
Online Teaching Milestone
The Online Teaching Milestone continues to build upon topics covered in the Online Teaching Course (OTC). This milestone focuses on topics related to interaction, community building, online assessments, online course design, the online learner and digital accessibility. By completing this milestone, you will become well versed in online course design, fostering community in an online environment and building a well organized and easy to navigate course in Brightspace.
Topics
- Strategies for Building Community and Engagement in Online Courses
- Intentional Course Design and Syllabus Development
- Expanding Options for Evaluating Student Learning
- Digital Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning
- Building in Brightspace
- Course Quality Review (OSCQR)
Sign Up!
For more information about the Online Teaching Milestone, email celt@stonybrook.eduRegular and Substantive Interaction (RSI)
Updated Federal Regulations
In July, 2021 the US Department of Education updated the federal regulations as it applies to distance learning today. Prior, the regulations were based on correspondence education and since then, the pedagogy and technology have changed significantly.
This new federal regulation requires institutions ensure there is Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) in online courses . This interaction needs to be regular, predictable and instructor initiated.
Courses that do not meet this standard are considered correspondence or self-paced courses and are not eligible for financial aid.
We recommend to review the following resources for more detailed information about meeting RSI standards. You can also complete the Online Teaching Milestone where we will review this regulation in more depth.
- Federal Regulations Summary - fillable PDF
- Video Summary
- SUNY Online: Regular and Substantive Interaction
- Distance Education and Innovation Final Regulations
If you would like to schedule a presentation for your department, please email us.
Online Course Quality Resources
CELT endorses quality online course design through both SUNY's Online Course Quality Rubric (OSCQR) and Quality Matters (QM). These rubrics were developed with the latest evidence based research on quality online course design.
Instructional Designers and Assessment Specialist
CELT Instructional Designers and Assessment Specialist are happy to meet to consult on all phases of the course development process. Email celt@stonybrook.edu to request a consulatation.
