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 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.

How Do I Earn This Milestone?

Tier 1

Successful completion of the Online Teaching Course (OTC) after March 2020.

- If you completed the OTC (formerly known as RBPOT) prior to March 2020, please enroll in the updated Online Teaching Course.
- If you completed the OTC prior to September 2021, please complete the Online Teaching Course Refresher (OTC-R).

Tier 2

Four (4) workshops/learning experiences that expand upon what you learned in the Online Teaching Course.

Cultivating Connection: Strategies for Building Community and Engagement in Online Courses
Blueprint for Online Success: Intentional Course Design and Syllabus Development
The Online Assessment Toolbox: Expanding Options for Evaluating Student Learning
Designing for Inclusion: Digital Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning

Tier 3

Complete (2) workshops/learning experiences where you apply what you learned to your own course(s)

Building in Brightspace: Ensuring Organized Navigation Using Document Templates
Course Quality Review: SUNY OSCQR Review

Descriptions

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 faciliated by a member of the CELT team and is held in Brightspace.

*If you completed the OTC (formerly known as RBPOT) prior to March 2020, please enroll in the updated Online Teaching Course.

OTC-R: Need a refresher? Online education is constantly changing at a fast pace. This short self-paced course is designed to keep you up to date on the latest evidence based strategies for effective and engaging online learning environments. This course is for those who completed the OTC between March 2020 and September 2021.
In online courses, it is important to create an environment that fosters collaboration, interaction, and active participation to maximize the learning experience for your students. This workshop is designed to equip you with the knowledge and strategies needed to build a strong sense of community and increase engagement in your online courses. Building on the Community of Inquiry Framework and the DoE policy on Regular and Substantive Interaction, we will delve into various techniques and best practices in creating a vibrant online learning community.

Pre-reqs: Completion of Tier 1
Designing online courses requires intentional planning and thoughtful consideration of various aspects, including the online learning space, alignment and time on task. We will discuss the importance of aligning course components, such as learning objectives, assessments, and instructional materials, to ensure coherence to facilitate student success. Participants will gain insights into workload considerations to create a balanced and engaging learning experience for students. Furthermore, this workshop will focus on the development of a comprehensive and student-centered online syllabus. Participants will learn how to structure syllabi effectively, communicate course expectations and policies clearly, and integrate essential information to support student success in the online learning environment.

Pre-reqs: Completion of Tier 1
During this workshop, participants will explore a wide range of assessment options suitable for the online learning environment. We will delve into the unique challenges faced when assessing online students and strategies to promote academic integrity. We will explore assessments that promote the application of course content and discuss the value of timely feedback.
During this workshop, participants will gain insights into the common accessibility barriers found in digital content and technologies used in education. We will review strategies and resources for making digital content and online courses more accessible to learners. We will also explore the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework that helps educators ensure all learners can access and participate in meaningful learning experiences.
In this 2 hour workshop, we will explore how to use Brightspace Document Templates to structure and customize your course content. Participants will learn how to use these templates to chunk course content, facilitate easier navigation, improve digital accessibility and encourage cognitive engagement. There will then be time to apply what you learned to your own courses with support from Instructional Designers. Please bring a laptop computer.

Recommended Pre-reqs: Completion of Tier 1 and Tier 2
Dive deeper into the SUNY Online Course Quality Rubric (OSCQR). In this workshop, we will go over the quality standards for OSCQR, review recommendations to meet standards specifically for Stony Brook University and participate in a review of your online course.

Pre-reqs: Completion of Tier 1, Tier 2 and Building Your Course in Brightspace workshop