Online Teaching Resources

Welcome to the CTL’s Resource Home for Supporting Online TeachingÌý
at ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ!Ìý

Online Teaching

The Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL), along with the Office of Information Technology (OIT), Continuing Education (CE), and the Office of Academic and Learning Innovation (ALI), have partnered to provide guidance and resources to aid instructors in navigating the online education ecosystem. If you have any questions, please reach out to any of the support offices, and we will be happy to assist!

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Welcome to teaching online effectively!Ìý
We are excited you are here! Ready to get started? Let's go!

Online teaching continues to grow as an educational option to meet learners' needs for flexibility and completing their educational goals. Online teaching is an effective way to reach learners from across the globe and is inherently necessary to begin with inclusive design and teaching practices. Also, good online teaching begins with a well-structured course that is welcoming and supporting learners. Online teaching, whether asynchronous, synchronous, or a combination thereof, does not mean replicating an in-person course, but rather, modifying and adapting both content and strategies for learner success. If you are setting up or teaching an online course for the first time, start early as the first time requires much more time to prepare. Online teaching is an iterative process and can be extremely rewarding!

CU-Boulder has various offices across campus that are happy to share their expertise and resources to help you prepare for online teaching and learning. If you are new to CU, you will want to make sure you have yourÌý, andÌý requested to begin. If you are new to online teaching, visit the resources below and/or contact the specific office to meet your needs and schedule a free consultation.

  • Resource 1 (CE Stuff?)- perhaps a list of university contacts or resources that instructors might need
  • 2 - CTL-what is online teaching/choose various formats? (resource being created by Kalpana-needs to get added to CTL teaching resource page)
  • 3- (OIT) Get to knowÌý
  • 4-(ALI)- any information you would like to add here?

Creating Accessible ContentÌý

Teaching online requires creating and adapting different kinds of digital resources for your course content. Instructors should make all their digital content as accessible as possible to remove any barriers that prevent their students from fully engaging with their materials. Learning about and incorporating accessible digital practices is an ongoing practice. Use the resources below to get started and reach out to theÌýDigital Accessibility Office for further guidance.Ìý

Course Design RecommendationsÌý

While the online course design process may look very familiar to the process for an in-person course, the steps require different considerations to set both you and your learner up for success.ÌýBackwards Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998) focuses on the alignment of assessments and grading criteria, content and instructional materials, and learning activities to the learning goals and objectives. This process includes reflecting on who your audience or targeted learners are and the following four steps:

  • Developing learning goals and objectives
  • Determining evidence of learning (and evaluating that evidence of learning)
  • Designing learning activities/learning experiences
  • Choosing and creating instructional materials/contentÌý

In terms of online teaching, consider the following questions (these are not exhaustive):

  • How do you structure/sequence the course, welcome learners, and provide support for learners in the online environment?
  • How do you plan to communicate with learners and provide feedback for them?
  • How does equity in teaching show up online?
    • What does this look like in terms of the technology being used?
    • What does this look like in terms of an even-playing field (i.e., access, participation, types of assessments, etc.)?
    • How will you create aÌý (Garrison & Arbaugh, 2007)?
  • Resource 1ÌýCTL/ASSETT Course Design teaching resource page-needs to be updated-include specifically online asynchronous design considerations related to COI and UDL and combine with hybrid/FC ASSETT page.
  • 2 ÌýÌýCourse Design Resources orÌý (Use this PDF as a checklist to assist you with designing your online course.)
  • 3ÌýSomething from ALI’s office related to design for Coursera or link the UDL Course checklist (possibly on ASSETT’s page)?

is the Learning Management System (LMS) provided through the Office of Information Technology for use with academic courses taught through ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ main campus or Continuing Education. Canvas provides a platform for communicating with students, posting course content and assessments, and giving students grades and feedback on their submissions. Guidance on how to set up your Canvas course is provided through theÌý team in the Office of Information Technology, as well as through theÌýLearning Design Group in Continuing Education. Additionally, you can make use of theÌýCU Canvas Template to make building your course easier.

is a platform for providing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and someÌý faculty teach classes to students affiliated with ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ and other institutions through Coursera. Coursera offerings are organized and maintained by theÌýOffice of Academic and Learning Innovation and their team of Learning Experience Designers help instructors in designing their Coursera content.Ìý

You have considered the design questions to develop your online course, you have incorporated accessibility standards within your course, and you have built the course within the appropriate learning management system (LMS)/platform. Now you are ready to facilitate! Being an online facilitator requires being prepared/organized, being flexible, and being good at managing your time well throughout the semester. Most importantly, provide yourself with designated days or blocks of time to check on your course and learners.

If you are new to teaching online, visit the Time Management Tips for Online Teaching to get started.ÌýÌý

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Support Offices for Online Teaching

Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL)

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Our work through the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) aims to cultivate attitudes toward teaching that areÌýopen, curious, and innovative. As a Center, we invite educators to an open,Ìýcommon space where all are welcome to explore teaching practices, pose questions, have brave conversations, take creative risks, and embrace intellectual humility.Ìý

ÌýAdditionally, we support all ranks of instructors who teach online, throughÌýfreeÌýconsultations,Ìýteaching resources,Ìýprograms,Ìýseminars, workshops, and other events! The CTL professional development staff can assist you in improving your online course design, facilitating learning in an online environment, and creating equitable assessments for the online modality.Ìý

ÌýEach month we publish a newsletter that includes timely teaching strategies and resources, CTL updates, and upcoming events of interest to the campus teaching community.Ìý

Learning Design Group (Continuing Education)

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The Continuing EducationÌýLearning Design Group (LDG) Instructional Design team of six Instructional Designers provide full instructional design support and resources for any Canvas Learning Manage System (LMS) instructor teaching face-to-face, remote, hybrid or online courses at the ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ.Ìý

We provide the level of support instructors need to solve specific issues or develop full courses. We also work with programs to launch their first courses and develop program strategies, so that courses complement each other and meet program objectives.Ìý

We strive to help instructors develop course development skills so they can independently develop future courses that provide quality learning experiences for students.

We also provide resources on theÌýLearning Design Group website and give presentations on a variety of topics, including but not limited to Universal Design for Learning, accessibility, and course development.

Academic Technology Consulting (Office of Information Technology)

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are dedicated to helping instructors and teaching assistants effectively use campus-supported teaching and learning technologies. The consultants help orient instructors to the selection of academic technology tools supported at ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ and assist them in selecting the tools that best meet their teaching goals. ATCs offerÌý andÌý on a wide variety of topics, including core Canvas and Zoom functionalities as well as more specialized tools like the Canvas Studio video platform and Cidi Labs Design Tools. In addition to providing a breadth of technical knowledge, many ATCs have taught at ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ as graduate student instructors and have an intimate knowledge of how technology can be used to facilitate teaching and learning. ATC services are available to any individual instructor, teaching assistant, or department at ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ.

Office of Academic & Learning Innovation (ALI)

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The Office of Academic and Learning Innovation (ALI) helps experts across all domains reach a global audience of learners through scaled online courses. Our courses are hosted on the Coursera platform, which is home to over 113 million learners across more than 190 countries. Over 4 million learners have enrolled in our portfolio of more than 300 courses. These learning experiences are available to ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ students, staff and faculty at no cost throughÌýCU on Coursera.Ìý

We work with instructors to understand their online audience and identify how to captivate these learners through effective framing of the course topics. ALI’s team of Learning Experience Designers (LXDs) collaborates with instructors to develop engaging content and assessment strategies designed to help students achieve their learning outcomes. LXDs oversee the seamless integration of all course elements on the platform with the support of a team of course production assistants. We also offer video production support to ensure course lecture videos are polished and professional, including an on-campus recording studio and a team of video production assistants. After launch, we can also evaluate course performance and provide recommendations to help instructors understand how their courses are performing, make improvements, and enhance the learning experience.

ÌýAdditionally, ALI supports departments on campus interested in reaching new audiences by developingÌýscaled online graduate programs that offer performance-based admissions. Our program development team works with departments across campus to develop full degree programs from the ground up, including program proposals, policy development, student support planning, and marketing strategy.

Office of Digital Accessibility (DAO)

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The Digital Accessibility Office (DAO)'s mission is to improve the accessibility of the digital campus environment and increase participation in the digital life of the university for individuals with disabilities.

To accomplish our mission, the Digital Accessibility Office:

  • Supports faculty and staff delivering digital services and content to individuals with disabilities. Services include
  • Educates campus community members about their responsibilities under theÌýcampus digital accessibility policy and standards.
  • Supports specific individuals with digital technology in collaboration with the Disability Services and the ADA offices.

For more information on digital accessibility resources and support, please visitÌýthe DAO website.