Developing online courses

For many institutions, online courses are a strategy to provide options for students to complete academic requirements. In this course, we will examine four areas directly aligned with online teaching proficiency: readiness for teaching online, online course competencies, stages of adoption, and models of supporting faculty development. Participants will share institutional challenges and strategies that have been used to overcome these issues.

Learning Objectives

During this course, participants will:

• Analyze and select online teaching competencies that most closely meet institutional needs
• Understand the complexity of identifying online teaching readiness
• Determine needs among faculty at different levels of competence
• Articulate a plan for supporting faculty as they acquire competencies
• Select a model to support development of faculty skills

NOTE: Participants will be asked to complete assignments in between the course segments that support the learning objectives stated above and will receive feedback and constructive critique from course facilitators on how to improve and shape their work.

Course Facilitator

Patricia McGee is an associate professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She has coordinated three graduate programs: Adult Learning and Higher Education, Digital Learning Design, and Instructional Technology. Having directed several technology and teaching grants, she has also worked as research faculty through the Office of Naval Research, Air Force Research Laboratory, and the ELI studying emerging technologies and learning systems in higher education, particularly those used in distributed learning environments. Additionally, she has received a United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) Gold Award for Online Technology in Higher Education. As a systems appraiser for the Higher Learning Commission and an active consultant, she has a broad view and deep insight regarding institutional strategies. Her scholarly work and workshops focus on strategies for the development of online and blended courses and pedagogically sound applications of digital tools and resources that support learning. Her most recent work examines storytelling as an instructional method and e-collaboration. See her complete CV.