Online Learning

Free Playbook Offers Guidance to Faculty on Moving Courses Fully Online

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 05/21/20

A "playbook" from a team of higher education organizations provides advice and tips for faculty on how to design their courses for online delivery, enhance their online instruction and pursue continuous improvement.

"Delivering High-Quality Instruction Online in Response to COVID-19" is a collaboration between the Every Learner Everywhere Network, the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

According to Jessica Rowland Williams, director of Every Learner Everywhere, the playbook is intended to provide "just-in-time guidance from digital learning experts, which builds on their decades of experience delivering high-quality online education."

Design coverage, the richest part of the guide, addresses the immediate and basic needs for moving a course online, whether that's a conversion of face-to-face or blended courses, for fully-online delivery. The report drills into managing the course, setting course policies, introducing yourself, what to cover in the syllabus that's different in an online class from a traditional class, using alternative sources of course materials, promoting interaction and handling assessments, among other necessities.

The report must be meant to be read online, because there are plenty of links to sources that will help instructors follow through on the introductory suggestions.

"Whether you are redesigning a face-to-face course for remote teaching, enhancing an existing online course, or optimizing your course to improve the learner experience, the COVID-19 crisis has presented an opportunity to refocus on learner needs and leverage digital learning strategies," the playbook concluded. "Let's take this opportunity to build upon our recent experience and act to deliver high-quality, equitable online teaching and learning."

The guide is available for download with registration through the OLC website.