The recent shutdowns as a response to COVID-19 have forced universities to move courses online, hastening a transition towards online learning that was already underway. The benefits of online education are numerous. Digital courses, either fully online or in a hybrid format, provide options to students who are unable to be physically present on-campus. Online courses also connect students from around the globe, offering a variety of experiences and opinions to enrich class discussions. However, to capitalize on the advantages of online learning, courses must be designed in such a way as to be easily accessible for students and foster a sense of community within the course. Designing a truly successful online course is not easy.

We are now in a unique situation where faculty expected to teach online courses, often for the first time, do not have the benefit of student experience in courses with a similar format. Under normal circumstances faculty will, through the regular progression of their own education, have spent years observing teachers in the classroom. Observation helps to define their own teaching style, through personal experience with styles that were both beneficial to themselves as students and that hindered their ability to learn. However, as digital education has only recently become widespread many faculty have never taken an online or hybrid course. This leaves faculty at a disadvantage as they are expected to transition courses into an online format.

The Academic Technology Assist Program at Northeastern University was developed to provide faculty the support they need to teach as successfully online as in-person. Ideally, faculty would have the opportunity to explore digital course design as both a student and instructor, however, the unexpected shutdowns related to COVID-19 have accelerated the timeline to transition courses online. As an ATAP Scholar I hope to assist faculty in overcoming two barriers they may face in designing online courses.

  1. Many faculty have not had an opportunity to gain a student experience that can inform their course design.
  2. With the transition to Canvas faculty are likely unfamiliar with many of the tools and technology provided. 

 

Digital course design must consider student experience

Course design is a critical component for student success in online courses. Without the ability to easily ask questions offered by face-to-face interactions students are highly dependent on well-prepared course material. Difficult to find or confusing instructions can prevent a student from understanding expectations, meeting deadlines, or feeling confident in their understanding of material. In extreme cases, material that is too difficult to access may cause a student to drop the course altogether. Design strategies optimized for in-person instruction will not be as effective when applied to an online class. ATAP Scholars complete an intensive study of digital course design, with their training conducted fully online to provide personal experience as a student in that format. Faculty can then consult scholars for advice as they design their own online courses, with the scholars expertise and experience as a resource.

Technology must be leveraged to facilitate student engagement with material

Communicating with students entirely online poses challenges not faced in a physical classroom. Synchronous activities are difficult to schedule when students are in different time zones, limiting the ability for teachers to gauge student understanding. Material can be presented in a multitude of ways; readings, videos, and assignments are a few examples. Each format has advantages and disadvantages to be considered. To understand which format is best for a particular piece of information faculty must be aware of the tools available to them, and how they can be applied. 

Northeastern University is in the process of replacing Blackboard with Canvas, which is beneficial in that Canvas’ modular structure is well suited to online classes, yet also introduces completely new technology in a moment where faculty have little time to familiarize themselves with the tools available. Again, the ATAP Scholars program provides a solution by training graduate students in the software available and pairing Scholars with faculty. Through discussion with faculty to understand how they would like to format their course, Scholars can recommend tools that will accomplish faculty’s goals and direct them towards existing training available from Northeastern University.

 

I look forward to working with faculty over the summer to develop online/hybrid courses for the Fall NUflex model.

-Erin