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.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • glowing digital brain made of blue circuitry hovers above multiple stylized clouds of interconnected network nodes against a dark, futuristic background

    Report: 85% of Organizations Are Using Some Form of AI

    Eighty-five percent of organizations today are leveraging some form of AI, according to the latest State of AI in the Cloud 2025 report from Wiz. While AI's role in innovation and disruption continues to expand, security vulnerabilities and governance challenges remain pressing concerns.

  • a glowing golden coin with a circuit board pattern, set against a gradient blue and white background with faint stock market graphs and metallic letters "AI" integrated into the design

    Google to Invest $1 Billion in AI Startup Anthropic

    Google is reportedly investing more than $1 billion in generative AI startup Anthropic, expanding its stake in one of Silicon Valley's leading artificial intelligence firms, according to a source familiar with the matter.

  • abstract representation of a supercomputer with glowing blue and green neon geometric shapes resembling interconnected data nodes on a dark background

    University of Florida Invests in Supercomputer Upgrade for AI, Research

    The University of Florida has announced plans to upgrade its HiPerGator supercomputer with new equipment from Nvidia. The $24 million investment will fuel the institution's leadership in AI and research, according to a news announcement.

  • Stock market graphs and candlesticks breaking apart with glass-like cracks

    Chinese Startup DeepSeek Disrupts AI Market

    A new low-cost Chinese artificial intelligence model is wreaking havoc in the technology sector, with tech stocks plummeting globally as concerns grow over the potential disruption it could cause.